Not for me : Exclusion and self-exclusion from democracy

Disinterest and feelings of alienation from politics keep many citizens away from active participation in the democratic process. Based on interviews with inhabitants in Skogås, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, and on participant observation at local meeting places, this thesis explores various aspects that shape people’s willingness and ability to exert power in the democratic political system, and identifies the political culture as well as personal encounters with fellow inhabitants and political representatives as two key factors. The study presents the perspectives of various inhabitants - teenagers, single moms, senior citizens, local leaders of associations and other locals with different backgrounds and lifestyles - as well as places and practices that foster political interest, know-how and solidarity, such as a tenants union and a dog park started by local dog-owners. Because politics is often studied through influential and organized agents such as activist groups and public officials, this study intends to offer an alternative approach by examining politics from the point of view of ‘ordinary citizens’ and their immediate vicinity