Politisk socialisation - ett forskningsområde som söker sin identitet

Authors

• Elisabeth Ljungberg

Abstract

The aim of this article is to outline a theoretical background to political socialization as a field for research and to test its relevance for modern studies. This will be done from a historical as well as from a research perspective. The field for research is described from a historical perspective in its various phases: philosophical, empirical, behaviourist, successful and questioning. These phases do not exclude each other but together they give an illustration of the rise as well as of the decline of this field of research. From a research perspective political socialization may be looked upon on both an individual and a system level. Certain factors like family, school, and mass media have been considered particularly important in the process of socialization. The result shows, that there is further need of political socialization-research, but to succeed in this we must attend to the shortcomings. Research must be given new contents. This may be achieved by widening an empirical focus regarding both material and procedure. Political socialization as a field for research has every possibility to develop by means of interdisciplinary studies and clearer definitions of concepts