This is a qualitative study aiming to illuminate and gain better understanding of deliberate self-harm. The study has a narrative perspective and is based on three women’s life stories, focusing on a period when they had an active self-harming behaviour. The study examines what the participants experienced as important to the initiation and the cessation of the deliberate self-harm. It is also examining identity performances and turning points which can be discerned in the life stories. The analysis is based on theories of the narrative perspective and on Erving Goffman's dramaturgical perspective. Our conclusions are that the participants of the study at the time prior to the self-harming behaviour felt as outsiders, and that they lacked strategies for dealing with emotions. We also found that functional relationships had an important role for the participants to enable the cessation of the deliberate self-harming behaviour. At the time when the participants managed to end the self-harming behaviour, they all had developed more functional relationships and did not feel the same alienation. They also feel that they have a different identity now than they had during the period of deliberate self-harm.         Keywords: Deliberate self-harm, identity performances, turning points, narrative   Nyckelord: Självskadebeteende, identitetsuttryck, vändpunkter, narrativ

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[pt] A presente tese analisa, em uma perspectiva de múltiplos ciberespaços, performances identitárias de Vitória e Glória, mulheres em tratamento de câncer de mama que, através de suas interações online, constroem-se como vítimas ao descobrirem a doença e passam a agir como protagonistas em redes sociais, na luta contra o câncer. Sendo assim, os objetivos deste estudo são: (i) analisar as performances identitárias de duas mulheres com câncer de mama em diferentes sites; e (ii) compreender de que forma as participantes se constroem como protagonistas em redes sociais ao longo do tratamento da doença. A perspectiva teórica da pesquisa situa-se em estudos sobre as performances identitárias na narrativa e no discurso multimodal, no protagonismo discursivo e social e na teoria do posicionamento. A metodologia da pesquisa é qualitativa e interpretativa de cunho netnográfico. Os dados consistem de vídeos, entrevistas e narrativas das participantes que estão registradas em páginas públicas do Facebook, do YouTube, de três sites institucionais e de um blog. As análises indicam que: (i) há mudanças de performances identitárias e de posicionamento das participantes nas redes sociais, sinalizando transformação das trajetórias de vida ao longo de seus tratamentos – do ser comum ao protagonismo; (ii) as participantes ressignificam suas experiências de dor e lamentação, em uma perspectiva de discurso como ação social via discursos de emoção, esperança, triunfo e engajamento político; (iii) o agenciamento é direcionado aos interlocutores nas redes sociais, enquanto posicionamento político e identitário de enfrentamento do câncer. Nesse sentido, como contribuição social, esta tese sinaliza que, na sociedade contemporânea, as redes sociais se tornam espaços férteis de resistência e de empoderamento pessoal e de outros usuários, e espaços de metamorfose de lagarta a borboleta em relação ao câncer. / [en] The present thesis analyzes, from a multi-sited perspective, the identity performances of Vitória and Glória, women in treatment of breast cancer who, through their online interactions, construct themselves as victims when they discover the disease and begin to act as protagonists in social networks in the fight against cancer. Thus, the objectives of this study are: (i) to analyze the identity performances of two women with breast cancer in different websites; and (ii) to understand how the participants construct themselves as protagonists in social networks throughout the treatment of the disease. The theoretical perspective of the research is located in studies on the identity performances in narrative and multimodal discourse, in the discursive and social protagonism and in the theory of the positioning. The methodology of the research is qualitative and interpretative of a netnographic nature. The data consist of videos, interviews and narratives of the participants that are registered in public pages of Facebook, YouTube, three institutional websites and one blog. The analysis indicate that: (i) there are changes in identity performances and in the positioning of participants in social networks, signaling the transformation of life trajectories throughout their treatments - from being ordinary to protagonism; (ii) participants reassign their experiences of pain and lamentation, from a discourse perspective as social action through discourses of emotion, hope, triumph and political engagement; (iii) agency is directed to interlocutors in social networks, as a political and identity positioning for coping with cancer. In this sense, as a social contribution, this thesis indicates that, in contemporary society, social networks become fertile spaces of resistance and personal/users empowerment, and spaces of metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly in relation to cancer.

[pt] A presente pesquisa examina imbricações entre performatividade e ideologia em relação à (re)produção de discursos heteronormativos sobre gêneros e sexualidades e maneiras de desestabilizar, ressignificar e subverter tais discursos limitadores. Nosso trabalho é guiado por um posicionamento queer que vê o gênero e a sexualidade como performances identitárias e não fatos naturais (BUTLER, [1990] 2003, [1993] 2002) e uma perspectiva linguística que considera as narrativas como uma maneira de intervir no social para mudar (ou reiterar) discursos ideológicos normatizantes e estigmatizantes (MOITA LOPES, 2008; THREADGOLD, 2005). Concentra-se sobre performances identitárias de gênero e sexualidade em narrativas digitais de praticantes de pegging, uma prática sexual na qual uma mulher usa um dildo segurado com um cinto para penetrar um homem (que se identifica como heterossexual) no ânus. O pegging é frequentemente alvo de preconceitos devido à associação ideológica heteronormativa entre o prazer anal dos homens e a homossexualidade (SÁEZ e CARRASCOSA, 2011) e à ideia que seja uma prática desviante relacionada com o BDSM (outro conjunto de práticas estigmatizadas) e, portanto, supostamente não íntimo. Nas narrativas e interações analisadas, fruto de uma etnografia virtual (HINE, 2000, 2005) na comunidade online Pegging 101, três temas principais surgiram: (1) as dificuldades dxs usuárixs em criar uma divisão nítida entre o que conta como pegging sensual ou BDSM, (2) visões diferentes da relação entre pegging e intimidade, incluindo a construção da intimidade a partir de compartilhar revelações ou de praticar a inversão de papéis e (3) problemas em lidar com a associação ideológica entre o prazer anal masculino e a homossexualidade. Embora o pegging tenha o potencial de ser uma prática subversiva que poderia contribuir para mudar concepções heteronormativas de gênero e sexualidade, nas narrativas a maioria dxs usuárixs da comunidade procurava ressignificar o pegging como uma prática normal, encaixando-o em discursos ideológicos heteronormativos sobre amor romântico e intimidade, e reforçava o binário de gênero e a masculinidade hegemônica. No processo de ressignificação, xs usuárixs da comunidade geralmente reiteravam certos discursos ideológicos heteronormativos na tentativa de subverter outros, particularmente, performando masculinidades que valorizavam a coragem ou a agressão como maneira de provar que não são homossexuais, ou reforçando estereótipos negativos sobre o BDSM nas suas tentativas de provar que o pegging pode ser algo íntimo. Desta maneira, ao estudar como discursos ideológicos heteronormativos são (re)produzidos performativamente nas narrativas digitais ao mesmo tempo que certas desestabilizações surgem, a presente pesquisa contribui para entender como fomentar uma política narrativa com mais discursos transgressores e menos reforços da heteronorma, produzindo mais rupturas e visibilizando possibilidades de discursos alternativos sobre gênero e sexualidade. / [en] The present study examines imbrications between performativity and ideology with regards to the (re)production of heteronormative discourses regarding gender and sexualities and to ways of destabilizing, resignifying and subverting such limiting discourses. Our research is guided by a queer position that sees gender and sexuality as identity performances and not natural facts (BUTLER, [1990] 2003, [1993] 2002) and a linguistic perspective that considers narratives to be a way of intervening in the social world in order to change (or reiterate) normalizing and stigmatizing ideological discourses (MOITA LOPES, 2008; THREADGOLD, 2005). It focuses on gender and sexuality identity performances in digital narratives of practitioners of pegging, a sexual practice in which a woman uses a strap-on dildo to penetrate the anus of a man (who identifies as heterosexual). Pegging is frequently the target of discrimination due to the ideological association between men s anal pleasure and homosexuality (SÁEZ e CARRASCOSA, 2011) and that idea that it is a deviant practice related to BDSM (another set of stigmatized practices) and, therefore, supposedly not intimate. In the narratives and interactions that were analyzed, stemming from virtual ethnography (HINE, 2000, 2005) in the online community Pegging 101, three principal topics emerged: (1) the users difficulties in creating a clear separation between what counts as sensual pegging or BDSM, (2) different views of the relationship between pegging and intimacy, including intimacy being created through revealing things about oneself or by practicing role reversal and (3) problems in dealing with the ideological association between male anal pleasure and homosexuality. Although pegging has the potential to be a subversive practice that could contribute to changing heteronormative conceptions of gender and sexuality, in their narratives, most of the community s users tried to resignify pegging as a normal practice, fitting it into ideological heteronormative discourses about romantic love and intimacy and reinforcing the gender binary and hegemonic masculinity. During the resignification process, the community s users usually reiterated certain heteronormative ideological discourses in their attempts to subvert others, in particular, by performing masculinities that valued courage or aggression as a way of proving they re not homosexual, or by reinforcing negative stereotypes about BDSM in their attempt to prove that pegging can be intimate. As such, by studying how heteronormative ideological discourses are performatively (re)produced at the same time as certain destabilizations emerge, this study contributes to understanding how to foster a narrative politics with more discourses that are transgressive and fewer ones that reinforce heteronormativity, creating more ruptures and visibilizing possibilities for alternative discourses about gender and sexuality.

Studiens övergripande syfte är att öka kunskapen om lärare med utländsk bakgrund och deras möte med den svenska skolan genom deras berättelser. Studien har sin grund i ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv med förståelsen att mening skapas i interaktion med andra. Berättandet ses här som en handling och en dominerande uttrycksform för identitetsskapande. I avhandlingen lyfts sju lärare fram genom deras yrkeslivsberättelser om den svenska mångkulturella skolan. Studien är en longitudinell undersökning och empirin består av fjorton livsberättelseintervjuer som gjorts i två omgångar med ett till fyra års mellanrum. Med hjälp av livsberättelseansatsen som teoretisk och metodologisk utgångspunkt analyseras följande frågeställningar: Vilka yrkesethos framträder i lärarnas berättelser om möten och relationer i den svenska skolan? Vilka positioner intar och tillskrivs lärarna i sina berättelser? Hur gestaltas legitimitet i lärarnas berättelser? Resultatet diskuteras i relation till teorier och diskurser om skola, lärarprofession, mångkulturella/interkulturella intentioner samt sociala strukturer. Studien visar att lärarna gör identitetsframträdanden i sina berättelser gällande legitimitet. Detta sker genom konstruktion, dekonstruktion och rekonstruktion av yrkesethos. I avhandlingen framkommer indikationer på att det i skolan förutsätts att det är de utländska lärarna som ska anpassa sig efter rådande normer och att toleransen för alternativa förhållningssätt är begränsade. Lärarna positionerar sig i berättelserna genom att både acceptera och göra motstånd mot kraven på konformitet. / The aim of the dissertation is to contribute to an understanding of how immigrantteachers define and construct their identities in a new school context. The study isbased on a social constructional theory with the understanding that purpose iscreated through interaction with others. I see narratives as action and adominating form of expression for identity. In this thesis, seven immigrantteachers and their life stories about professional practices in the Swedishmulticultural education system are focused. The life story approach of studyingteachers´ practices has inspired analysis of the following issues: What kind ofprofessional identities do the teachers perform in their narratives about encountersand relationships in school? How do they position themselves in the stories andhow do others position them? How is legitimacy constructed in their stories?Conclusions from their professional life experiences are situated in Swedishschool contexts and are discussed together with theories and discourses aboutteaching as a profession, multicultural intentions, schools and social structures.The study shows diverse identity performances concerning legitimacy where theteachers perform different constructions, deconstructions, and reconstructions oftheir professional ethos. In the life stories, various positions of acceptance andresistance appear as answers to the demands of conformity.