”Hold the border!”
Joking Nationalism and reflexive nostalgia in Whiskey on the Rocks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52610/rhs.v30i91.371Keywords:
Nationalism, nostalgia, joking nationalism, narrative rhetoric, national identityAbstract
The Swedish Public Television (SVT) series Whiskey on the Rocks is a historical comedy about the U 137 incident, where a Soviet submarine ran aground in the Karlskrona archipelago in 1981. The series parodies historical figures, but central to its narrative and humour are national stereotypes. Swedish national identity is often understood as a form of exceptionalism with elements of rationalism and urban cosmopolitanism. Whiskey on the Rocks instead portrays former Prime Minister Thorbjörn Fälldin as a rural hero. The article’s analysis of the series through the lenses of nostalgia and joking nationalism points to how the series’ humour creates a simultaneous celebration and self-ironic critique of Swedishness, reproducing nationalist ideas in a time of increased geopolitical tensions. The analysis shows how the series particularly thematizes an idea of Sweden as an eccentric “rural cousin” – a selfironic but celebratory nationalist rhetoric. Additionally, the series stages a discourse on “Sweden’s lost innocence,” which is also shown to be significant as nationalist rhetoric.
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