Life Stories and Sociological Imagination: Music, Private Lives, and Public Identity in France and Sweden

What happens when public figures’ private selves are put forth for examination by public audiences? How do the personal struggles of music artists, specifically those with immigrant backgrounds, compare to the private struggles of other individuals? At a time when many countries in the European Union are experiencing an increase in far-right political party activities, how do individuals from the margins negotiate new ways of thinking about identity, offering hope for a greater understanding of shared struggles across societies?This book offers interpretations of identity and belonging by examining the work of two music artists, Faudel Belloua from France and Adam Tensta from Sweden. By analyzing texts produced by these individuals, the author argues that ongoing engagement with the materials produced by Belloua and Tensta, a process which she refers to as living biography, presents a unique window into the process of how Belloua and Tensta connect personal struggles to public issues, providing a compelling departure point for further discussions on how interpretations of national identity are changing in France, Sweden and beyond.