Sweden has developed into a country of ethnic and cultural diversity. Research highlight the importance of reciprocal integration and intercultural venues. Minority and majority population must participate in the process of integration, by mutually accepted conditions. The civil society offers social venues but these venues are culturally segregated which prevent intercultural relationships to develop. Språkvän is a civic organization that takes on this challenge. By examining how reciprocity is created within these intercultural relations, knowledge of how reciprocal integration can develop in practice will be created. Reciprocity is developed through social relationships, and the relationship in its entirety must therefore be studied. Theories of social capital enable the study of social relations, based on three features: a structural, a cognitive and a relational dimension. The aim of this study has been to examine how social capital is created within the intercultural relationships, and participants of Språkvän has been interviewed. Volunteers and newcomers were interviewed in focus groups, based on a qualitative and hermeneutic approach. The study showed that there is a discrepancy regarding expectations of the relationship. In line with previous research the terms of the relationships are not reciprocal which endangers the cohesion and perseverance of the relationships.

Syftet med studien är att skapa en djupare förståelse för barns bråklekar i förskolan, genom att analysera barns egna perspektiv på lekande. Studiens syfte uppnås genom att besvara följande frågeställningar: Vad är bråklekar för barn? Vad kan man utläsa ur barnens egna uppfattningar om bråklekar? Präglas bråklekar av barnkulturen? Jag kommer använda mig av Tannocks (2011) utvecklade definition av begreppet rough-and-tumble play, bråklekar. Hon menar att bråklekar är lekar där barn springer runt, klättrar, jagar varandra, slår på låtsas, blir jagade, brottas, trillar runt och slår med öppna händer. Studien utgår från Birgitta Knutsdotter Olofssons (2003) lekteori och begreppen: kroppslig kunskap, de sociala lekreglerna: samförstånd, turtagande och ömsesidighet samt leksignaler. Studien utgår även från Susan Stewarts intertextualitetsteori, som innebär att barn i den intertextuella gemensamma förståelsen möts i en värld skapad av intryck från fiktionen och verkligheten (Löfgren, 2015). Jag använde mig av metoden deltagande observation, vilket gav mig tillträde till leken samt resulterade i samtal kring leken. Resultatet visar att barns bråklekar, ur barns perspektiv, präglas av gestalter från barnkulturen. Intertextualitetsteorin är i allra högsta grad synlig i barns bråklekar och i barns samtal kring sina lekar. Genom resultatet kan man förstå att bråklekar är av stor betydelse för barn, vilket synliggörs genom de strategier barn använder sig av för att få tillgång till bråklekar. Min slutsats är att bråklekar till största delen består av de intryck barn får från barnkulturen och dess våldsamma innehåll, vilket visar hur oerhört viktigt det är att barn får tillgång till bråklekar för att bearbeta dessa intryck. Genom resultatet synliggörs det fundamentala behov barn har av att leka bråklekar, resultatet bidrar därmed till debatten om bråklekars vara eller icke vara. Jag vill genom studien lyfta fram barns perspektiv på bråklekar.

The statement and the title of the thesis "Towards an intercultural mission" is the starting point for the essay's purpose and examination. Interculturalism is an ideal in which equality and re-ciprocity are characterized by cross-cultural relationships, which is also an objective of international mission. For an intercultural mission, it is therefore necessary to examine which factors may hinder an intercultural approach, which, for this study, justifies searching for underlying unequal structures. The theoretical frame of reference for the analysis is postcolonial theory and feminist theology, which makes it possible to visualize such structures. The purpose of the thesis is therefore to analyze the intention of the international mission work in the Uniting Church in Sweden based on postcolonial feminist theology, and to propose criteria that need to be found for the mission work to be characterized by an intercultural approach. In order to achieve the purpose, it is necessary to answer the following general questions: 1. Is there an awareness of unequal power structures in the culture-crossing relationships in the intentional discourse on mission in the Uniting Church in Sweden? 2. How does interculturalism appear in the international mission in the Uniting Church in Sweden?And; 3. What criteria need to be found for the mission work to be characterized by an intercultural approach?With the help of qualitative content analysis of the Church's public text material, which constitutes the study object; six thematic areas have emerged; gender equality, woman's vulnerability, patriarchal structures, mission and worldview, postcolonial structures, and cooperation and reciprocity. The result has been analyzed on the basis of the concept of interculturality and a proposal for criteria for an intercultural approach has been prepared, among other things, with proposals for clarification of unequal power structures and a critical self-awareness about their own history and cultural values.

This thesis explores how hope in relation to the threats to the earth’s biosphere can be formulated theologically. The starting-point is a questioning of hope raised by the French sociologist and anthropologist Bruno Latour. In Facing Gaia. Eight Lectures on the New Climatic Regime (2015) he asks why so little has happened to reduce the emissions of CO2. Parts of his answers relate to the view that hope is preventing action. Since hope is a central part of Christian doctrine, this study lets Latours scepticism meet some eco-theological litterature, mainly representing evangelical, orthodox and radical material theology, and religious naturalism. Since critic against eschatology is important in Latours explanatory model, this theme is discussed together with the possibilities of the church practices of liturgy and eucharistic celebration, especially in relation to the concept of time and space, the latter elaborated by the radical material theologian Petra Carlsson Redell. Although putting different emphasis on an ultimate eschatological hope, all authors stress the importance of acting now. The evangelical authors Daniel Brunner et al. present a strategy “living as if”, practicing restoration of the Earth here and now. In religious naturalism the hope lies in the common biological ground for all humanity and living things, also leading to a caring ethics. In general, relationality and materiality as well as including marginalized voices are important concepts when the authors are formulating environmental ethics and eco-theology.  The concept of hope is shown to be important to define, in order to sort out especially false hope from a possibly fruitful concept: resilient hope. A resilient hope is grounded in Christian discipleship, is adaptive and able to recover. It is in a reciprocal relation to action. To develop a resilient hope I argue that it is important to allow both desperation and hope, since the free moving between the two “poles” can act liberating and enable action. A resilient hope gives space for scepticism since it is grounded in a reality always on the move. It is open for emergence and construction. Christianity has resources to house the space between hope and despair both in central biblical narratives and in bodily practices as liturgy and eucharist. Resilient hope in this thesis is earthbound, withstands being lost, and arises again and again in search for new constructive possibilities.

Föreliggande examensarbete är utfört som en vetenskaplig studie med fokus på ett problemområde inom förskolepedagogik. Studien syftar till att bidra med kunskap om hur förskollärare möjliggör för samarbete med vårdnadshavare om högläsning, med specifikt fokus på interkulturell miljö. Utgångspunkten är att högläsning bidrar till barns språkutveckling. Samarbete med vårdnadshavare om högläsning i interkulturell miljö i förskolan bidrar till att barnen får möjlighet att utveckla sina individuella förutsättningar, och att barnen och deras vårdnadshavare förstår utbildningens mål. Studien har en socialkonstruktionistisk ansats och har genomförts utifrån en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjusamtal med nio förskollärare. I resultatet framkommer att högläsning sker vid de undersökta förskolorna av förskollärare. Samarbete sker på initiativ av förskollärarna vilket bidrar till möten och att förskolan kan komplettera hemmet. Dock framkommer av resultatet att ömsesidighet saknas, vilket är en av förutsättningarna för interkulturell miljö. Det kan slutligen konstateras att studiens resultat främst visar på mångkulturell miljö, och i vissa sammanhang interkulturell miljö men även monokulturell miljö.

In our society it’s implied that humans have a duty to work. In his article “The Duty to Work” the philosopher Michael Cholbi (2018) challenging that normative narrative of our contemporary society. Cholbi hold the thesis that the common argument of fair play is invalid in our industrialized society and therefore are most individuals living in the circumstances of such society free from the interpersonal duty to work. I will in this paper analyse Cholbis’ arguments and try to bring nuance to the debate by bringing in other perspectives such as empirical studies about empty labor (meaningless work) of sociologist Roland Paulsen (2015). I will also try to show how structural powers hinders the individual to both talk and act outside of the norms of our work centred culture. The duty to work can be described in two aspects, the interpersonal duty to work, but also personal. I will argue that for most individuals, either personal or interpersonal duty exists.