Diss. Stockholm : Univ., 2003.

This study examines stories from the 1800s about the Swedish folklore creature Näcken with the purpose to define what kind of view on gender they are presenting. The geographical area in focus is the Swedish south province Småland. The ambition is to see how the stories describe the thinking, acting and meaning about gender and authority. This will also be studied in relation to the norms and ideals of gender that dominated in the 1800s. Former studies has shown that the view of folklore and gender interacted and carried each other in the 1600s and the 1700s. There are also research that indicate that the creature Näcken maintained gender patterns in the 1800s. This research determines more general patterns concerning gender and has not done a more firmly analysis in relation to the change in the view on gender which took place between the 1700s and the 1800s, which this study intend to do by using Yvonne Hirdman’s gender system as a theoretical framework. The result has shown that the understandings of Näcken had a role to play in the context of social control, seeing as the understandings affected the behavior of people. The most clear message the stories expresses is that men had more capacity to act than women, which is in line with the 1800s ideals about gender that derived from a polarization norm. This can also be seen in the context in which the meeting with Näcken took place, namely the in the context of work and other activities, but not in connection to physical places in line with the polarization norm, in which the women should have met the creature closer to the farm and the men’s meeting should have more distance from the farm. The stories also expresses a valuing of characteristics which were highly valued as norms in the 1800s. The characteristics also have a moral dimension. Men with highly valued characteristics were more likely to succeed with their attempts and had bigger chances of escaping Näcken. Within the moral spectrum one can find a Christian motive as well, since warnings about neglecting the religion takes place. For women though, the stories’ moral dimension spoke about precepts and the negative consequences which could follow if the women did not practice restraint and carefulness. From the 1600s and 1700s to the 1800s Småland, there is also a continuity regarding sexual relationships between women and Näcken to be found. Those kinds of relationships are rare to find in the sources.

Despite a situation of poor state finances 1848 marks the starting point of Sweden’s railroad history, as this is year when the country’s first railroad was proposed and approved in parliament. Not sufficient funds for the project was raised though, and a new motion was raised in parliament in 1851 with improved financial support from the state. This caused an intense debate which is the main subject of this essay. By analyzing the public discussion regarding railroads, as expressed in news media, during 1851 this essay aims to analyze the discussions about railroads in search of the 19th century’s overarching themes of modernity and nationalism. These terms are to be understood as rhetorical expressions, in accordance with Aguiars and Andersons interpretation of the terms. The performed analysis displays how nationalism is a theme present in both sides of the debate in 1851, though in different ways. Those skeptical of the planned railroad line argues about the nation being tricked into embarking on an expensive project that will never be financially viable by bought foreign interest. Those in favor argues rather that the project will bind together a fragmented Sweden into one nation. Arguments involving modernity though, are just to be found amongst those in favor. Here we find arguments about the promises that the future holds with railroads connecting the swedes and a pervasive optimism regarding the future. Less concern is displayed to current day problems, other than how it might threaten future railroad expansions.

Kloka Anna was a folkloristic figure with multiple reocurring tales connected to her. But at the core of these stories were two distinct historical women, both living in the south of Småland, both from poor backgrounds, both living during the 19th century and both well- known wise women who were believed to have immense knowledge in magic, healing and the supernatural. My essay is about these women, what was said about them and what we can actually know about them. At the same time it is about the collective legendary figure Kloka Anna. I will discuss these aspects by using terms and theories from oral history theory and  from folkloristic research.

The purpose of this essay is to examine the extent to which the cholera epidemics that prevailed in Sweden during the nineteenth century affected Döderhult parish during the period 1834-1866. The study aims first to examine the total number of cholera deaths in Döderhult parish. Additionally, it examines the individuals who died of cholera concerning gender, age and occupation. The essay also aims to examine whether Döderhult parish was more affected by the cholera epidemic than other nearby parishes were and if so, why? In accordance to this, the death rate of Döderhult parish is thus studied in comparison with Mönsterås parish and documented cholera deaths in Fliseryd parish during the period.  The results show that of the 68 people who died in Döderhult parish between 1834 and 1866, 35 were men and 33 were women. The examination of the deceaseds’ age showed that the most vulnerable groups in the parish were the children and the elderly. The results regarding the deceased’s occupation showed that most men, women and children belonged to the working class. Last but not least, the comparative examination between Döderhult parish and the nearby parishes showed that Döderhult parish was worse affected by the cholera epidemic due to factors such as potential trade agreements, overcrowding, lack of public health measures, the industries’ impact on population and the spread of infection through relocation from the town of Döderhultsvik to the parish.

Denna text är utformad som en kollektivbiografi över tio kvinnor som var frihetsberövade någon gång under åren 1850-1905. Syftet med texten är att undersöka vilka faktorer som möjliggjorde återanpassningen till samhället för kvinnor som avtjänat straff, samt vilka faktorer som påverkade risken för återfall i brottslighet. Orsaken till att undersökningen enbart fokuserar på kvinnliga förbrytare är att kvinnor inte var rättsligt jämställda med män, vilket rimligtvis torde ha försvårat deras återanpassning ytterligare. Tio kvinnor som avtjänade straff som innebar frihetsberövande under den aktuella tidsperioden har valts ut, därefter har deras liv före och efter deras respektive straff analyserats. De källor som använts inkluderar bland annat kyrkoböcker från fängelser och församlingar; dessa har varit tillgängliga genom Riksarkivets digitala söktjänst.   Resultaten från undersökningen visar att risken för återfall bland de tidigare frihetsberövade kvinnorna var låg. Huruvida de återföll i brottslighet eller inte påverkades till stor del av ekonomiska faktorer, vilka också var avgörande för möjligheten till återanpassning. Flera av de kvinnor som bedöms som att ha lyckats återanpassats tycks även ha påverkats av en positiv familjesituation; dessutom tycks återanpassningen ha underlättats för de som valde att flytta till en annan ort. / The present study is designed as a collective biography of ten women who were incarcerated at some point during the years 1850-1905. The purpose of the study is to examine the factors that enabled the reintegration into society for women who served sentences, as well as the factors that affected the risk of recidivism. The reason the study focuses only on female criminals is that women were not legally equal to men, which probably would have made their reintegration even more difficult. Ten women who served sentences that entailed incarceration have been selected, after which their lives before and after their respective sentences have been analysed. The sources used include church books from prisons and parishes; these have been accessed through the Swedish National Achives’ digital search service.   The results from the study show that the risk of recidivism among the previously incarcerated women was low. Whether or not they relapsed into crime was largely influenced by economic factors, which were also crucial to the possibility of reintegration. Several of the women who are judged to have succeeded in reintegrating also seem to have been affected by a positive family sitatuation; in addition, reintegration appears to have been facilitated for those who chose to move to another location.

This essay examines the conditions for translation into Swedish, and reception of Shakespeare’s dramatic works during the 19th century. By looking at the critical discussion around Shakespeare in Sweden from 1790 until 1850, and the biographies of several translators, the conclusion is that the Romantic movement was a crucial component in introducing his plays, as well as a modernization of political and literary culture after the French revolution. The essay also aims to tie a specific play – The Tragedy of Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare’s later tragedies – which was performed in Stockholm in 1866 to the political conditions of modernity, with its focus on class struggle and the taming of public opinion. The play dramatizes the for democracy as against aristocracy and tyranny – an issue well alive in the late 19th century. By situating the text of the play as a narratological homology for political and capitalist modernity, Shakespeare is brought into sharp relief as a thoroughly modern playwright, whose problems still concern us today.

Det material som analyseras i uppsatsen består av utvalda skillingtryck från 1870- till 1880-talet. Sammanlagt så analyseras 46 olika skillingtrycksvisor som samtliga finns att läsa viaKungliga biblioteket och Litteraturbanken. Uppsatsen syfte är att identifiera hur män ochkvinnor framställs i de nämnda visorna. De teoretiska perspektiv som använts i analysen utgårsåledes från olika genusteorier men använder sig även av litteratursociologiska teorier.Metoden som används är av kvalitativ karaktär och använder sig av miljö-, handlings- ochattributbeskrivningar för att synliggöra framställningarna. Analysen visar att manliga ochkvinnliga framställningar har vissa skillnader men även många likheter. Generellt går detfastställa att båda parternas framställningar går att koppla till försörjning och partnerskap.Studiens material och resultat diskuteras slutligen i en didaktisk kontext.

Denna kvantitativa studie undersöker barnadödlighet i Döderhults socken och Oskarshamns stad under perioden 1856-1876. Studien syftar först till att undersöka det totala antalet barn som avled mellan åldrarna 0-12 år och vilka dödsorsaker som var dominerande bland barnen utifrån källmaterialet död- och begravningsböcker från Döderhults och Oskarshamns kyrkoarkiv. Studien undersöker även skillnader i dödsorsaker komparativt mellan Döderhults socken och Oskarshamns stad, samt även förekommande mönster i barnadödligheten i relation till perspektiven kön och ålder. Studien visar att det totala antalet barn som avled i Döderhults socken och Oskarshamns stad utifrån materialet är 1639 barn. Av det totala antalet avlidna barn  dominerade dödsorsakerna barnsjukdomar, slag, mag- och tarmsjukdomar och luftvägsinfektioner, och barnadödligheten var högst i barnsjukdomar. Skillnader i dödsorsaker mellan socknen och staden fanns inom dödsorsakerna slag och mag- och tarmsjukdomar. Studien visar även att barnadödligheten var högre bland pojkarna än flickorna och flest barn dog i spädbarnsåldern en dag-12 månader.

This essay deals with the lives of soldiers' widows in Himmeta parish in Västmanland and boatsmen's widows in Förkärla parish in Blekinge in the 19th century with the aim of highlighting these women. I chose these women from a parish register from 1871-1880. To get a basis for this study, I have chosen to follow the widows of soldiers and boatsmen from when they were born until they became soldier widows. The results have been analyzed based on their family background, the widows' marriages and how their children fared. The answer I got was that the widows came from the lower classes, it was not common for them to remarry and that their children did not choose the same professions as their fathers. Ericson Wolke has served as an important reference to my work. The majority of soldiers’ and boatsmen’s widows lived a difficult life. The essay deals with twenty soldiers’ and boatsmen's widows. I have compared their lives as maids with their subsequent lives as married women and then as widows, but also how their children’s lives turned out. The essay shows that there is a certain difference between being the widow of a soldier over a in the agrarian society during the 19th century. Although life was hard for soldiers’ widows, life was even harder for boatsmen’s widows.