The samurai has been viewed as the Oriental equivalent of the feudalistic knights of Europe ever since the Europeans of old first landed on the shores of Japan in the 16th century. This comparison was not only because of their positions as the military class of their respective societies, but also because of the similarities in ethics and morality causing them to personify the concept of chivalry. The code of moral principles, based on the influences of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism, which the samurai was either instructed or required to observe, is called Bushidō or the Way of the Samurai. By the application of the theory of conceptual history, the study analysed the three works The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, Hagakure – The Way of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, and Bushido – The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe. The purpose of the essay was to analyse and discuss how bushidō has been defined and explained by the three sources written in different time periods and how these three authors differ in their definitions of bushidō. Furthermore, the definitions were contextualized based on the societal changes of Japan between the time of writing the sources. The results showed how the authors focus on different aspects of what is included in bushidō and how the samurai was supposed to act for the benefit of society. Musashi added more focus on the way the samurai was supposed to excel on the battlefield. Tsunetomo, however, wrote his work while peace in Japan had established itself and thus focused on how the samurai was supposed to behave outside of the battlefield. Nitobe’s definition of bushidō also showed implications of a change in society based on how he chose to explain the concept of what bushidō was, and how it had evolved without the knights who had fostered it. Lastly, the study was discussed within an educational context. The samurai have seen a rise in popular history through games, film, advertisements, and more, and thus the curiosity of students, not only in Oriental culture, but Japanese culture in particular has been acknowledged. Therefore, teachers need further development of their own knowledge within the field of Oriental culture, which this study hopefully succeeds in.

This is a conceptual historical study on the dialectic meaning of the concept of freedom. The purpose of this study is to examine John Stuart Mill’s and Jean-Paul Sartre’s usage of the concept of freedom, and to examine its dialectical meaning. This is done by examining concepts such as the nature of man, moral philosophy, political thinking and the meaning and usage of the concept of freedom itself. Using the method of conceptual history and the theoretical framework of Hegelian dialectics, I have studied Mill’sOn Liberty and Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism. In my research, I have found that the two thinkers share some similarities in what they mean by freedom, but I have also found that there are striking differences. These differences are most notable in how Mill discusses freedom primarily in political and societal terms, whereas Sartre discusses freedom as being the natural human condition and in what ways it is linked to action and morals. I also note how Mill’s thinking is centered around man as an individual, whereas Sartre’s thinking is centered around man as a subject. Finally, I discuss the importance of liberal hegemony in the expected meaning of the term freedom. / Detta är en studie av dialektiken inom frihetsbegreppet. Syftet med denna undersökning är att med begreppshistorisk ansats undersöka John Stuart Mills och Jean-Paul Sartres användande av begreppet frihet, och att undersöka hur begreppets dialektiska innebörd yttrar sig genom en komparativ de bägge tänkarna. Detta görs genom att undersöka respektive tänkares syn på människans natur såväl som deras moralfilosofi, politiska tänkande samt deras användning av frihetsbegreppet som sådant. Med en begreppshistoriskt präglad metod och ett hegelianskt dialektiskt teoretiskt ramverk har jag studerat Mills Om friheten och Sartres Existentialismen är en humanism. I min undersökning har jag funnit att de två tänkarna har vissa likheter i vad de menar med frihet, men jag har även funnit slående skillnader. Dessa skillnader framträder som tydligast i hur Mill diskuterar frihet främst i politiska och samhällsenliga termer, medan Sartre betraktar frihet som människans naturtillstånd och diskuterar frihet som kopplat till handling och moral. Jag noterar även att Mills tänkande kretsar kring människan som individ, medan Sartres tänkande kretsar kring människan som subjekt. Slutligen diskuterar jag betydelsen av liberal hegemoni i utformandet av frihetsbegreppets erfarenhetsrum.

Denna uppsats har till syfte att beskriva hur begreppet identitetspolitik har använts i den svenska politiska debatten de senaste 20 åren. Med metodologisk utgångspunkt i begreppshistoria undersöks den innebörd och värdeladdning som begreppet ges på utvalda svenska dags- och kvällstidningars ledarsidor, i partitidningar och i material från riksdagen. Diakrona jämförelser görs mellan tiden före och efter begreppets genomslag i den svenska debatten 2014. Synkront jämförs hur användningarna skiljer sig åt beroende på aktörernas ideologiska tillhörighet. Undersökningen visar en betydande variation i de innebörder som identitetspolitik ges. Vanligast är smalare definitioner där främst progressiva vänsterrörelser inkluderas men det förekommer också bredare varianter där all tänkbar identitetsbaserad politik räknas in. När det gäller identitetspolitikens värdeladdning dominerar negativa värderingar. Det är också lätt att se hur olika aktörers ideologiska tillhörighet påverkar hur de formulerar kritiken: nationalkonservativa ser den som ett hot mot den nationella enigheten, socialister ser den som ett hot mot klasskampen och liberaler ser den som ett hot mot individen. Ytterst beskrivs identitetspolitik som ett hot mot det öppna demokratiska samhället. Avslutningsvis föreslås att användningen av begreppet gynnar liberaler då de själva sällan räknas in i begreppet, samtidigt som de kan rikta det mot samtliga ideologiska motståndare. De största förlorarna föreslås vara den identitetsbaserade vänstern vars politiska frågor alla kan slås ihop och avfärdas av motståndare med hjälp av identitetspolitikbegreppet, oavsett definition.

The overall purpose of this paper is to investigate how the concept of democracy was used in Swedish parliamentary debates before the great franchise reform 1919-1921. To use conceptual history to study parliamentary debates is a relatively recent phenomenon and when it comes to Sweden it has mostly been about the period around and after the mentioned great reform. This paper therefore takes a step back and concentrates on the years 1902, 1907 and 1912 when bills and motions were presented that advocated more inclusive voting rights. It is not only a period that has been less researched but an inquiry into these years also complete and enhance the understanding of the later great reform. Since the concept of democracy rarely appears in the parliamentary debates during the first years studied the paper also investigates the context in which the concept was used with a special focus on who were to be allowed to take part in an enlarged franchise. The final analysis shows that the concept of democracy went through substantial change during the period in question. Not only did it become used more frequently in the debates, but most politicians also accepted the future-oriented quality of the concept. The context of the debates shifted during the period but most importantly the view of who among the people were supposed to be included in a democratic society changed. Some of the uses of the concept of democracy that was to reverberate during the debates leading up to the great franchise reform 1919-1921 can also be found during the period here studied.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Swedish right-wing party Allmänna valmansförbundet (AVF) made citizen into a key concept within their political vocabulary and practice. This thesis examines the distribution, meaning and function of the concept of citizen within the AVF between 1915 and 1936. By using theoretical and methodological perspectives from both the English (Skinner) and German (Koselleck) side of conceptual history vis-à-vis Begriffsgeschischte, this study illuminates how a discursive framework took place within the AVF and expanded throughout the organisation. The constitutional reforms 1918/1921 and the organisational strength from opposite parties, stressed the importance for the AVF to assemble the citizens around conservative value laden concepts: responsibility, ansvar, and public participation, offentlighet. This new situation in political and social life, pushed the AVF towards a reorganisation. The aim was to educate the masses, women and youth into conservative citizens. Citizen became the sole tool in (i) upholding the traditional heritage between folk–state, and (ii) enabling the AVF citizen discourse to spread throughout the society. This study shows the multiple meaning and functions of the citizen concept within the AVF.  It provides a new understanding of how collective concepts became an important part of the struggle for power during the democratization process in Swedish political history and must in that respect be seen as an antithesis to the collective concepts of the Social Democratic Party during this period.

Hunting ground graves were distinguished as a separate category during the 1930s.         There is however no clear definition of what a hunting ground grave is. They have been constructed over a large area over a long period of time (200 BC-1200 AD) and their morphology varies. This paper investigates how the archaeologists have discussed the hunting ground graves since they were distinguished as a separate category until today. It investigates what concepts that have been used to define and categorize the graves as a group. It also investigates if the choices of concepts are depending on a broader societal perspective. To find the answers to these questions two surveys have been done. In the first one, texts about the hunting ground graves, written by scientists from 1931 to 2009, are analyzed. The second survey is a questionnaire sent to archaeologists working at museums and at the County Administrative Board in the regions of northern Svealand and Norrland.     The source material in both surveys is mainly studied qualitatively, where phrases and choices of words are analyzed using the concepts and methods derived from the research tradition of conceptual history. In the second survey quantitative elements is also analyzed, which aims to show how different views on the hunting ground graves are spread over different counties. The results of the surveys show that the concepts used to define the graves contain locked dichotomies concerning location, economy and ethnicity. The research from the twenty-first century is however increasingly thinking about hunting ground graves as an expression of meetings and mixtures of cultures. The second survey shows that there is no clear consensus on the concept of lake graves (the concept lake graves was used in the questionnaire) among the archaeologists answering the questionnaire. On the contrary, they consider the concept unclear and difficult to use.

This G-3 essay aimed to study how people on three American left leaning social medias appoint queer identities to historical people and the discourse around this appointment. This was studied through the theoretical lenses of queer theory and the use of history. The source material consisted of posts from Tumblr, Twitter and Reddit and it was studied both quantitatively and qualitatively through the method of conceptual history. The historical people examined were Queen Christina of Sweden and King James VI and I of Scotland and England. This essay discovered that a wide variety of queer identities were appointed to the royals. However, all queer identities appointed were identities that matched the discoveries scientists have made about the royals’ lives. Furthermore, between one third and half of all posts used sources to justify the appointment of queer identities. The use of history in all posts were found to be either existential in nature – showing a desire to find connections with other queer people through history – or moral – using history to argue against current injustice against queer people.

Another time. Definitions of time in French encyclopedias, 1690-1835 The point of departure for this study is the common conception that the idea of time became "modern" in the late 18th century, meaning among other things a new, future-oriented and empowered individual. Such a view has been expressed by scholars like Lynn Hunt, Lucian Hölscher, François Hartog, Dan Edelstein as well as Reinhart Koselleck. This thesis investigates whether such a transformation is visible in eight French encyclopedias, published between 1690 and 1835. Definitions of time-related key-words are studied from a perspective of conceptual history and discourse analysis. The result of the study indicates a change in the notion of time. However, this change does not concur with the presumed breakthrough of "modernity". The dominant change is rather words that disappear during the period. The study argues that the dichotomy of time versus eternity was questioned, which changed the expectations. Definitions eventually turned away from a predetermined future, however they did not include an individual freedom to act. A new temporal consciousness is visible with the update of history, as pointed out by Koselleck. Mythology was mocked when definitions underlined rationality. The texts substituted religion with science. Diversity between individual definitions is visible mostly during the middle of the 18th century. Finally, the study discusses a possible time lag for encyclopedias used as witnesses of a discourse. / Autres temps. Les définitions du temps des encyclopédies françaises, 1690-1835 La notion de temps au sens moderne semble avoir pris forme vers la fin du 18e siècle. Cette conception du temps comme « moderne » implique entre autres choses que l'homme est conscient de la dimension temporelle, et de sa liberté de créer son propre avenir. Depuis les années 1960, plusieurs penseurs, dont François Hartog, Lynn Hunt, Lucian Hölscher, Dan Edelstein et Reinhart Koselleck, ont abordé ce décalage de la dite notion. Dans cette thèse sont examinés les changements de la notion du temps à travers les définitions de huit encyclopédies publiées entre 1690 et 1835. Au 18e siècle, les dictionnaires et les encyclopédies jouaient un rôle important quant au savoir et à la maitrise de la langue. Les analyses des définitions sont conduites à la lumière des théories conceptuelles et discursives. Les résultats de l'étude, dont le matériau s'étend sur 150 ans, confirment un changement de la notion de temps mais non pas celui dont a parlé la recherche antérieure. Les définitions témoignent d'un certain nombre d'effacements et de substitutions de différentes parties des textes. Les textes semblent avoir été plus homogènes au début et à la fin du 18e siècle et plus hétérogènes au milieu du même siècle. Les références religieuses s'y sont souvent substituées à des textes provenant des sciences naturelles, comme par exemple la mécanique. Successivement, les explications mythologiques étaient qualifiées de purs « mythes ». La dichotomie temps—éternité est remise en question et commence à disparaître. Selon d'autres chercheurs dans ce domaine, cela signifie une des conditions d'un futur non prédéterminé. Cependant, même au début du 19e siècle, les définitions parlent d'un futur contingent et non d'un homme maître de son propre futur. Pendant cette période (1690-1835), il y a aussi eu lieu un changement dans la façon de concevoir la notion d' «histoire », un phénomène qui a été souligné par Koselleck. Ce changement semble avoir entrainé une nouvelle conceptualisation de la temporalité. Dans la thèse sont discutées les encyclopédies comme étant des sources scientifiques et la possibilité d'un « time lag » dû aux définitions comparées au discours où celles-ci sont produites. Les résultats montrent l'introduction apparemment tardive d'un nouveau discours. / <p>Masterprogram i historiska studier, inriktning idéhistoria</p>

This thesis studies the uses of the concept of revolution in Swedish socialist press from 1917 to 1924. Political revolution and civil wars shook several countries. The Russian February and October Revolutions were soon followed by uprisings in countries such as Germany and Finland. While the social and political history of this period, with its mass demonstrations for bread and voting rights, often called the Swedish revolution, has been covered extensively in existing research, we know much less about the theoretical understanding of revolution among Swedish socialists. This thesis examines the concept of revolution from a perspective inspired by the Begriffsgeschichte of German historian Reinhart Koselleck. This foundation in the history of concepts aims at understanding how Swedish socialists, in a wide sense, understood their own time, how they related to the past and what they expected from the future, during the years of the First World War and the immediately following years. By focusing on what might be the most central, but also the most contested and most difficult to define, concept I hope to complement earlier research focusing on the social and political history of the period and its socialist movements. The main purpose of the thesis is to analyse how the labour movement understood revolution with particular weight placed upon the theoretical and ideological tensions between revolution and reform, determinism and voluntarism and localized and universal revolution. The starting point is the political and social changes in Sweden and abroad at that time and the place of the political press as opinion leaders capable of negotiating the space of political action. A secondary aim is to discuss how focusing on temporality can inspire new perspectives on the use of conceptual history. My research shows that how the concept of revolution was used was shaped both by already established notions regarding the socialist revolution as well as by the political situation at hand. The October Revolution forced a sharpening of its meaning, wherein different factions elaborated their understanding of it in relation to each other, which in turn determined how the concept was used fom that point on.

Jag har i min masteruppsats, utifrån ett begreppshistoriskt perspektiv med transnationell tillämpning, analyserat begreppsöverföringen och etableringen från begreppet Holocaust till det svenska ordet förintelsen med dess nya betydelse Förintelsen. Jag har även analyserat när, hur och vilka som befäste begreppet Förintelsen i svenskt språkbruk. Ordet och begreppet Holocaust Min analys visar att begreppet Holocaust överförs till Sverige och etableras i Sverige genom det svenska ordet och begreppet Förintelsen. Ordet och begreppet Förintelsen Mitt arbete presenterar ett resultat som kullkastar tidigare uppfattningar om etableringen av ordet och begreppet Förintelsen i svenskt språkbruk. Etableringen av ordet och begreppet Förintelsen genomfördes på följande sätt. Bonniers Förlag lanserade år 1978 en översättning av romanen Holocaust, i Sverige marknadsförd med titeln Förintelsen. År 1979 premiärvisade SVT den amerikanska tv-serien Holocaust, i Sverige marknadsförd med titeln Förintelsen. Tidningarna fylldes från år 1979 av artiklar om det nazistiska folkmordet på judar under andra världskriget med rubriken Förintelsen samtidigt som Skandinaviska Institutet för judisk utbildning och kultur producerade läromedel för Sveriges samtliga skolor och bibliotek under begreppet Förintelsen. År 1982 repriserades tv-serien Förintelsen, omgärdad av faktaprogram, allt under det samlande namnet Förintelsen. Ordet och begreppet Förintelsen hade slutligen, efter fyra års intensiv användning, slagit igenom i svenskt språkbruk. Mitt arbete visar att det fanns en samstämmighet, en gemensam vilja hos Bonniers Förlag, SVT, massmedia och judiska organisationer att benämna det nazistiska folkmordet på judar under andra världskriget under den gemensamma benämningen Förintelsen. Alla samverkade för att befästa ordet och begreppet Förintelsen. Jag har i mitt arbete visat att det inte enbart var titeln på en tv-serie som befäste begreppet Förintelsen i svenskt språkbruk. Det krävdes en omfattande samverkan för att etablera ordet och begreppet Förintelsen i Sverige såsom ett samlande begrepp för det nazistiska folkmordet på judar under andra världskriget. / In my master's thesis, from a conceptual historical perspective with transnational application, I have analyzed the concept transfer and the establishment from the concept of Holocaust to the Swedish word förintelsen with its new meaning Förintelsen. I have also analyzed when, how and who consolidated the concept of Förintelsen in Swedish language use. The word and the concept of the Holocaust My analysis shows that the concept of the Holocaust is transferred to Sweden and established in Sweden through the Swedish word and the concept of Förintelsen. The word and the concept of Förintelsen My work presents a result that overturns previous perceptions about the establishment of the word and the concept of Förintelsen in Swedish language. The establishment of the word and the concept of the Holocaust was carried out in the following way. Bonniers Förlag launched in 1978 a translation of the novel Holocaust, in Sweden marketed with the title Förintelsen.In 1979, SVT premiered the American television series Holocaust, in Sweden marketed with the title Förintelsen. From 1979, the newspapers were filled with articles about the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II, entitled Förintelsen, while the Scandinavian Institute for Jewish Education and Culture produced teaching materials for all of Sweden's schools and libraries under the term Förintelsen. In 1982, the television series Förintelsen was repeated, surrounded by factual programs, all under the collective name Förintelsen. The word and the concept of Förintelsen had finally, after four years of intensive use, made its way into Swedish language. My work shows that there was a consensus, a common will at Bonniers Förlag, SVT, the media and Jewish organizations to name the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II under the common name Förintelsen. Everyone worked together to consolidate the word and the concept of Förintelsen. In my work, I have shown that it was not only the title of a TV series that consolidated the concept of Förintelsen in Swedish language. Extensive collaboration was required to establish the word and concept of Förintelsen in Sweden as a unifying concept for the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II.