Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) localization is a growing concept in environmentalgovernance, with a focus on transferring global goals to local governments. A process underlyinga decentralized and multi-governance approach by involving local stakeholders in the policycycle. According to recent studies, localization has the potential of accelerating Agenda 2030 inthree steps; awareness-raising, implementation, and monitoring. Yet, after more than two years ofliving in a global Covid-19 pandemic, societies have changed, and foremost politics. New policyinstruments (lockdowns, masks, social distancing), economic decline, and new political prioritieshave all emerged from the pandemic. The question remaining is: How has the pandemic affectedlocalization and ultimately Agenda 2030? What are the institutional changes deriving fromCovid-19? And is it a positive or negative development for achieving Agenda 2030?On the 9th of February, 2022, the national Covid-19 restrictions in Sweden were uplifted and theaim of this research is to analyze the research puzzle of localization and the pandemic byconducting ten in-depth interviews with policy-practitioners in Swedish municipalities. Theresearch will derive from a critical fantasy theory encapturing rule-following and social practicesamong the practitioners, the forces and factors contributing to the maintainence, reformation, andcontestation of political discourses. The “inside perspective” of SDG localization offered aglimpse of routinized social pracitices and political discourses characterized by politicaltraditionalism, departmental silos, and “island solutions”. New emerging governance innovationsshowcase a step towards E-governance and centralized models for cross-municipal cooperation.Ultimately, offering a glimpse of what the future of SDG localization in Sweden could look like

This study takes a deeper look into the apologies the Dutch state made in 2021 for the role of The Netherlands in the history of slavery. This was done by the presentation of seven speeches by seven members of the Dutch government in the national archives in the European and the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom. By means of a critical discourse analysis with a discourse-historical approach, we examined the different discourses in the speeches and the power relations that are hidden in them. The aim of the study is therefore to map out the different discourses within the seven apology speeches of the Dutch government and to track the power relations that are present in them. This is done by answering the following research questions: Q1. What are the dominant discourses in the seven apology speeches of the Dutch government for the state's role in the history of slavery?; Q1.1 What power relations can be found in the dominant discourses of the seven apology speeches of the Dutch government for the state's role in the history of slavery? Taken as a whole, the speeches show a willingness to take responsibility, but they also point towards the former colonization and the power relations that stand until this day.

Syftet med studien är att lyfta hur förskollärare talar om våldsrepresentativa lekar och populärkulturen på förskolan genom fokusgrupper. Vi vill synliggöra och bidra med kunskap om på vilket sätt förskollärare talar om och därigenom ger uttryck för hur de tolkar och upplever våldsrepresentativa lekar på förskolan. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgörs av socialkonstruktionism och diskursteori, enligt vilken förståelse skapas i sociala interaktioner där diskurser uppkommer i den sociala världen. Insamling av data har skett genom fokusgrupper med sammanlagt sex förskollärare. Det insamlade materialet bearbetades sedan med hjälp av en kritisk diskursanalys med syftet att identifiera vilka diskurser som framträder i talet mellan förskollärarna. Diskurserna som identifierades genom den kritiska diskursanalysen var: Leken som bearbetning, Populärkultur som pedagogisk potential, De yngsta oförstörda barnen, Leken inom de kontrollerade ramarna, Förbud som balansakt, Leken som indikator på när förskollärare bör agera. Slutsatsen för studien är att våldsrepresentativ lek alltid kommer finnas på förskolan trots att den förbjuds eller inte. Som förskollärarna själva talar om så tar barnen med populärkulturen in i leken och det är därför upp till pedagogerna själva att bestämma vilken betydelse leken får för barnen. / The purpose of this study is to visualize how preschool teachers discuss violence-representative play and popular culture in preschools through focus groups. We aim to provide visibility and contribute knowledge on how preschool teachers discuss and express their interpretations and experiences of violence-representative play in preschools. The theoretical framework of the study is based on social constructionism and discourse theory, which suggests that understanding is developed through social interactions where discourses emerge in the social world. Data collection was carried out through focus groups with a total of six preschool teachers. The collected material was then processed using critical discourse analysis to identify the discourses that emerge in the teacher’s language. The discourse identified through the critical discourse analysis were: Play as processing, Popular culture as pedagogical potential, The youngest and most innocent children, Play within controlled boundaries, Prohibition as a balancing act, Play as an indicator of when preschool teachers need to take action. The conclusion of the study is that violence-representative play will always exist in preschools, regardless of whether it is prohibited or not. As the teachers themselves discuss, children bring popular culture into their play, and it is there for up to educators to determine the significance of play for children.

Anglo-Scottish relations have become a major topic in British political debate in recent years. In 2014, Scottish officials who supported a separate, independent Scotland finally convinced the UK government into having a Scottish independence referendum. However, a majority made the decision to support the continued union with England, and the question of Scottish independence was supposedly ‘settled for a generation’ (Cameron, 2014). Yet, now in 2022 it appears that a second independence referendum on the horizon. How has the first independence referendum result been nullified in less than a decade? This study shows how the UK’s exit from the EU (Brexit) has affected the Scottish separatist movement. It maps out how the discourse has changed, and how the EU (European Union) is now a dominant subject in separatist argumentation. In addition, the relationship between England and Scotland has changed since the introduction of the EU to the separatist independence debate. A discourse theory analysis is used to help understand how subject constructions and their positions in discourse effects calls for Scottish independence. This paper finds that the introduction of the EU is the major change to Scottish separatist discourse since 2016, and this has served to bring the independence debate back into the forefront.

This essay aims to study which competencies, motives, and conditions that volunteer rescuers in the Aland Islands Sea Rescue Society consider important. An underlying aim is to investigate the importance of volunteer maritime rescue for the members themselves and for the local community from a maritime rescue and safety perspective. This is accomplished by examining qualitative ethnographic interviews through Discourse Theory. The essay explores what work tasks and competencies (such as knowledge and skills) volunteer maritime rescuers consider important and what strategies they use to acquire competencies. It even explores what motives they indicate as important for becoming involved as a volunteer rescuer and what conditions enable or limit their participation in the Sea Rescue Society The essay even explores why voluntary lifeguards need to exist in society and how com it exists.    The results show that each volunteer rescuer has an individual motive that keeps them engaged. The volunteer rescuers need a general competence but may also have special competence in maritime rescue practices. The living, health, work, and family situation of the volunteer rescuers are conditions that enable or limit their participation in the Sea Rescue Society. The finances of the maritime rescue service may also be a condition enabling or limiting.

Gaming as an activity possesses many different facets (Sköld 2018: 134). One important yet relatively underexplored is the social facet, how the act of gaming is impacted by social rules and codes. Previous research on the topic is relatively limited and mainly performed retroactively on older game communities. The thesis addresses this lack of research by studying a community formed around World of Warcraft, a game that currently has an active player base.  By specifically studying a World of Warcraft guild whose members define the guild by its social nature (Interview 1,2,3,4), this thesis provides a perspective on how the desire to maintain relationships impact how gaming is practiced and what is considered to be desirable behaviour among players.  The thesis is based on material gathered in four interviews and two observations of guild members playing together. The interviews were primarily focused on discovering how the members experienced the guild and the game itself, and what they believed to be positive or negative behaviour. The observations were intended to study how the members interact in practice, how the ideas and notions that they mentioned in the interviews were expressed while playing. The analysis uses Political Discourse Theory (PDT) to connect the ideas, practices and terms used in both interviews and observations into a cohesive discourse. This discourse is then divided into specific traits that are seen desirable within different contexts.  The thesis finds that being respectful of other guild members time is seen as the most important trait among players. This respect is primarily expressed through understanding that other members have lives outside of the game and therefore cannot devote the majority of their time to the game. If another player or even the game itself demands more from a member than they are able to give, it is seen as problematic. Accomplishing in-game goals is seen as fun, yet unimportant in comparison to maintaining a respectful social environment within the guild.

In a setting of rising global challenges, transnational issues, and a deadlocked debate on European integration in the aftermath of the British Brexit referendum, this thesis presents the pan-European political movement and party as a novel approach of a cosmopolitan European generation taking their fate in their own hands. Consequently, the study investigates the characteristics of the ideological foundations of the emergence, vision, and strategy of the pan-European political movement Volt Europa.In a qualitative single case study using semi-structured interviews and participant observation at its core, the thesis aims to present a pan-European political movement to fellow scholars. The occurring questions are what visions this new movement has for the future of the EU and how it intends to contribute to achieving these visions. Framed by a literature review on related aspects of European constitutional law, the paper uses Habermas’ Discourse Theory and its Cosmopolitan features to solve the puzzle. Thereby, taken-for-granted theoretical frameworks based on the interaction of nation-states are challenged, and an omen of a single European demos is discovered.The study finds that Volt Europa suggests policies already presented by scholars but have yet to be implemented by politicians. Moreover, it considers that Volt Europa contributes to European Public Sphere as a movement but is spread over only some of the EU proportionally. Accordingly, theory and empirics suggest significant importance to a European Public Sphere. In this, Volt acts as a political party influencing legislation and transnational NGOs influencing the public debate and raising global awareness.

The aim of this study is to examine how politicians use language and communication strategies when discussing gang crime in the media. Through an ethnological approach, this study aims to delve into the narratives constructed by political figures about gang crime in media representations. By analyzing how different political actors articulate their opinions and select specific terms, the study seeks to shed light on the political perspectives and the overarching discourse on the topic. By exploring questions such as how politicians communicate about gang crime and the terminology they employ, the study aims to enhance our understanding of how language in the media can influence perceptions and discussions about gang crime.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka sånglärares syn på huruvida imitation kan vara ett verktyg eller hinder i sångutveckling och i strävan efter att hitta fram till ett eget röst-id. Det teoretiska ramverket i studien utgörs av diskursanalys med en diskursteoretisk ansats. Datainsamlingen har gjorts via kvalitativa intervjuer där sånglärarna har fått beskriva sin syn på imitation och röst-id och hur man som sånglärare formulerar sig när en sångelev imiterar. Informanterna har också fått beskriva vilka verktyg de kan ge eleverna i jakten på ett eget röst-id. Samtalen spelades in med ljud och transkriberades. Efter transkriptionen analyserades samtalen med hjälp av diskursanalys. I resultatet framträdde fyra olika diskursiva formationer i form av “Imitation som ljudhärmning”, “Imitationens baksida”, “Diskursen om röst-id” och slutligen “Hybrid- diskursen imitation och verktyg för röst-id”. Resultaten visade bland annat att det fanns en skillnad i hur sångpedagogerna från den klassiska profilen och sånglärarna med jazz och Contemporary Commercial Music-profil (CCM) såg på imitation då de förstnämnda såg imitation mer som ett hinder för röstutveckling. Enligt utsagorna om imitation så fanns det däremot likheter utöver genre-gränserna angående “vem” man härmar eller “hur” man härmar. De klassiska sånglärarna ansåg att röst-id var något som var förankrat i kroppen i första hand medan sånglärarna från jazz och CCM-profil verkade tycka att röst-id är ett tumavtryck och en igenkänning på röst, och att det musikaliska uttrycket är centralt för ett röst-id. När det kom till verktyg för att tillskansa sig en egen röstidentitet var jazz- och CCM-informanterna mer öppna för artificiella verktyg som inte har med det som redan finns naturligt i kroppen att göra utan de kunde istället tänka sig att leta impulser och intryck genom att ändra på de musikaliska förutsättningarna och där kunde imitationen ingå som ett av flera av dessa artificiella verktyg. / The focus of this study is to explore the perspectives of vocal instructors on the role of imitation in voice development and the pursuit of one's unique vocal identity. The theoretical underpinnings of this investigation employ discourse analysis using a discourse-theoretical approach. Data collection was conducted through qualitative interviews, where vocal instructors articulated their views on imitation, voice identity, and their approaches when a student engages in mimicry. The participants also shared the strategies they could provide to their students on the journey to discovering their unique vocal personas. The dialogues were audibly recorded and subsequently transcribed. Post-transcription, the interviews were subjected to discourse analysis. The analysis yielded four distinctive discursive formations, namely: "Imitation as Sound Imitation," "The Downside of Imitation," "The Discourse on Vocal Identity," and lastly "The Hybrid Discourse: Imitation and Tools for Vocal Identity." The results unveiled a disparity in perspectives between classical singing instructors and those teaching jazz and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM). Particularly, the classical instructors were more inclined to view imitation as a barrier to vocal development, marking a distinctive contrast in pedagogical approach. The findings showed diverging viewpoints between instructors specializing in classical singing and those focused on jazz and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM), especially regarding the role of imitation in vocal development. Classical instructors perceived imitation as more of a hindrance. However, beyond genre boundaries, there were similarities in the perspective on 'who' one imitates or 'how' one imitates. Classical instructors proposed that vocal identity was primarily anchored in the body. In contrast, jazz and CCM educators appeared to view vocal identity as a sonic signature, recognizing the voice and placing emphasis on musical expression as central to a vocal identity. When it came to tools for uncovering one's unique vocal identity, jazz and CCM participants demonstrated a greater openness towards non-natural methods. These educators were open to seeking influences and impressions to alter musical conditions, with imitation potentially serving as one of these artificial tools.

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