The Sociology Professor

When I was 11 years old, the sawmill in my village was closing and the people left for southern Sweden. There were massive protests against this, and it was known all over the country, even the Prime Minister, Erlander, visited the village. The workers were either communists or social democrats. I remember how shocked a British woman was when she visited my school and asked if we know the name of a British newspaper, I think she was thinking about the Times. I said Daily Worker, the communist paper. I had never heard about the Times. This was the situation when a sociology student named Åke came to the village.

He was writing a sociology study about the village to become doctor of sociology.
He interviewed the workers, lived with them and ate with them, he was in our home too.

It resulted in a book which was used as literature in sociology studies, I read it myself when i studied sociology for 20 points. I was an expert on that book, and other students started with common sauna-bathing after reading it. The names were made up in the book, but I knew which persons it was about.

Some years ago, Åke wrote a new book where he wrote the story of how he had done when he studied my village, and wrote the actual names as well. He is now a retired professor. He wrote that he had bought two jackets in a worker clothing store and shaved of his moustache, he ate sloppy and walked with big steps to blend in. He called the leader for the communists a 'communist bigshot'. They had become friends when he wrote the book and he had never thought that he could become friend with a communist.

I called Henry, the communist and told him about what Åke had written, and he bought a book. After that I sent a letter to Åke and was critical, I didn't like that people that is still alive are mentioned in a book without being asked for their consent.