The business elites in Djursholm and their meritocracy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37062/sf.62.27803Keywords:
Elites, Business community, Meritocracy, Equality, DjursholmAbstract
In this article, I examine the meritocratic privileges of business elites. These groups are not just any group, but those who have become central figures of power and role models in an increasingly corporatized and market-oriented society. From historically being socially marginalized, the economic and financial elites have become a significant elite group in Swedish and global society, with influence far beyond the economic and corporate institutions and organizations they control. My observations are based on Djursholm, a “leader community” of approximately 9,000 residents outside Stockholm that attracts a significant proportion of Sweden’s business elites; the specific question I address is how meritocracy is expressed in practice there. Given that business elites themselves, and others, often attribute their success to traditionally meritocratic abilities, such as hard work, diligence, and education, the aim is to examine how the meritocracy of these elites manifests itself in reality. What I will primarily try to show is how the business elites, and their children, try to interpret and renegotiate what meritocracy is usually about, and how meritocracy is adapted to their abilities and interests.
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