ABSTRACT
Historians have shown that Swedish Social democracy has built its identity on the narrative of consensus, stressing the role of history writing in the process. Sweden is renowned among scholars for its highly developed egalitarian, multicultural and tolerant welfare state. The corporatist order “has resulted in a fundamental consensus between the parties of the state and civil society” including “a myriad of informal and implicit” agreements. Squatting in Sweden has occurred, although it has been short-term and in the eyes of the public was seen as incompatible with the well-developed welfare provision in the country. The objective is to paint a broad picture of squatting including the main actors behind squatting, the types of buildings and the waves of squatting in the country. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
