Gustaf Fredrik Steffen

Born in Stockholm in 1864, Gustaf Fredrik Steffen became one of the early figures in Swedish sociology. He also worked as an economist and public intellectual, writing about social questions at a time when industrial change and class conflict were reshaping society.

Steffen is especially remembered for helping establish sociology as an academic subject in Sweden. He was appointed professor of economics and sociology in Gothenburg in the early 20th century, making him an important part of the field’s beginnings there.

Alongside his university work, he was active in politics and served in the Swedish parliament. That mix of scholarship and public life gave his writing a strong interest in labor, society, and reform, and it is a big reason he still stands out in the history of Swedish social thought.