Anders Berglund
Sociological theory
How do people seek the good life, and how do they strive towards it? This book presents Aristotelian Balance Theory (ABT), a sociological and socio-ethical attempt to systematise questions of the good life, human flourishing and societal governance. ABT is developed here as a heuristic attempt at grand theory that could potentially serve as a federation for sociological research. 375,000 words.
How can social life and sociology support the good life? This book explores what happens when sociology not only analyses people’s circumstances, but also develops therapeutic practices to help people understand and change their lives in relation to the social world in which they are embedded. 170,000 words.
Neo-republicanism
Demosreef.org
https://konsumentfack.org/ and consumerunity.org
This essay proposes consumer unions as a new anchor for the consumer movement, just as trade unions anchor the labour movement. Consumer unions exist, but are not a widespread, normalised organisational form. The consumer movement has several tools that, without the leverage of organised consumers, have less impact in dealings with companies and states. At present, the consumer movement is organised in a way that is too dependent on, and centred around, politicians and public authorities. It therefore becomes an interest movement without leverage. 24,000 words.
Other projects
Purpose of the Projects
Heroism and citizenship: The overarching project that drives me is to promote heroism and citizenship. Citizenship as a moral way of life, with a clear “moral ambition” (Bregman, 2026), contrasts with a passive lifestyle spent mainly in the intimate sphere of friends and family, or in complete isolation, occasionally speaking out to complain or feeling afraid of the times we live in. All the projects presented below are informed by this larger project: more active citizenship, pursued with such commitment that it takes on a heroic dimension. Several thinkers have observed that this heroic dimension is missing from most people’s lives, leading to profound “unease” (Taylor, 2007) and “discontent” (Freud). Neo-republicanism is the ideology that can provide a discursive and conceptual foundation for this project. Aristotelian Balance Theory is an attempt to use sociological research to analyse imbalances in contemporary citizenship, which I see as generally characterised by “moral mediocrity”. Sociological therapy aims to make sociology more practically useful in helping people seek and strive towards the good life. Contributing to school development at the system level aims to address problems in Swedish schools’ formation and reproduction of future active citizens.
Neo-republicanism: Neo-republicanism is an unfamiliar ideology, yet it has much to offer. I aim to spread it on the premise that this tradition of thought could be a much-needed cognitive resource in public life. It can bring fresh thinking to familiar concepts and emphasise ideas often overlooked in debate: the common good, non-domination, balance and virtues. This has been pursued by incorporating neo-republicanism into the development of Aristotelian Balance Theory. A future plan is a book about neo-republicanism for our times. Another aim is to create movements and organisations informed, among other things, by neo-republican thinking.
Sociological theorising: In The Mediocre Society and Aristotelian Balance Theory: A Sociological Understanding of Citizenship as a Balancing Act (2026), I propose a new “grand” sociological theory. It attempts to centre morality and take it seriously without turning theory into disguised ideology or a predetermined set of opinions. This is also pursued through the related project of developing sociologically grounded therapy. The next goal is to use this theory in different projects to demonstrate its usefulness in solving concrete problems.
Sociological therapy and diagnostics: I argue that sociology has become less dominant as a scientific field because it did not follow psychology in developing a therapeutic field. Sociological consciousness and the sociological imagination nevertheless have much to offer in therapeutic contexts. Previous attempts have failed to gain momentum or become widely established practices. Sociological Therapy and Diagnostics (2026) lays a theoretical foundation and presents sociological rules of thumb for the good life alongside exercises.
School development: In my spare time, I have tested different ways of advancing school development at a general, national level. This includes Interventions for Upper Secondary Education (second edition forthcoming in 2026), a website for personal and moral development to systematise schools’ formative mission, and a website providing teaching materials. I have designed a prototype showing how schools could make their development work more efficient through a platform.
Teaching: These projects are pursued alongside my work as an upper secondary teacher in social studies and psychology, with qualifications in history and sociology. These ideas inform my teaching, but in my role as a teacher I adopt a more neutral position.