Change-makers? Självbilder och världsbilder inom det svenska kommunikationsfältet

This study examines work culture among the contemporary Swedish professional communication field. Key standards of the field and their origins are analysed through participant observation in branch seminars and interviews with practising professionals. The results indicate that status in the work culture is centred around innovative thinking, change and focus on the future – ideals related to Enlightenment and modernity principles. A democratic and liberal ideology is emphasised, but at the same time the status and acceptance for people who do not present the right norms, values and convictions is low. These key standards are clustered into an ”essence capital” which the communication professional has to show proof of to attain high status within the field. A strive for change seems to coexist with established notions of what is desirable. The essay suggests that this leads to homogenisation within and without the field