#MeToo in the Norwegian Labor Party as cultural diffusion and improvisation

• In Event: 2229 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable #15

Abstract

The #MeToo movement reached Norway in late 2017, mediated by the techno-commercial engineering of American social media platforms. Complaints mounted against a Labor Party deputy leader who had been elected by the party membership. Media coverage became intense and dramatic. The party leader demoted the deputy and boasted about it, arguably deviating from Norwegian customs in membership-organizational democracy.

I examine more than 200 news items. Using institutionalist and pragmatist theories, my analysis suggests diffusion of American political and media practices- diffusion with contestation and improvisation. This may contribute to Norwegian political practice becoming less membership-democratic, more like marketing to consumers.

Author

• Brian Hoeft, Independent Researcher