This study brings into focus the issue of reproduction and transformation ofcultural authority in the so-called post-Soviet context. It seeks to examine howintelligentsia may be presented and what empowering narratives it may articulatein a concrete locality, namely, in the post-1991 West Ukrainian city of L’viv. Theauthor argues that claims for cultural authority stemming from the socio-culturallocation of intelligentsia are decisive in discussions about Ukrainian nationalidentity and cultural development, which gained momentum after independence.Despite significant discursive transformations, after 1991 intelligentsia is stillpresented as the essence of the nation, as its typical and brightest representativeswho assume the right to speak for the whole nation and to extrapolate own valuesand choices to it. The debate focused on the issues of ‘the national’ actualizes a very significantissue of whose class vision is to become a winning concept for the Ukrainiannation-building. Post-Soviet ‘normalization’ in L’viv implies that cultural patternstypical of the privileged and educated urbanites have been rehabilitated andpresented as both nationally authentic and culturally superior ones. In the post-1991 L’viv the representations embedding the urban community into variouslocal, regional, national, and supranational symbolic contexts resonate with effortsof the intelligentsia to (re-)gain control over reproduction of their own socialpositions and cultural narratives about the nation. This study suggests that analysisof the nation-building processes in Ukraine should pay more attention to symbolicrepresentations of cultural authority which are exploited by local actors runningtheir empowering projects. / Denna studie tar upp frågor om sociokulturell reproducering och omvandling avkulturell auktoritet i en postsovjetisk kontext. Studien undersöker de sätt på vilkaen intelligentia kan representeras och de maktanspråk som den genom berättelserartikulerar i den västukrainska staden L’viv efter självständigheten 1991.Författaren hävdar att de anspråk på kulturell auktoritet som intelligentianuttrycker har principiell betydelse i de diskussioner som förs kring ukrainsknationell identitet och nationens kulturella utveckling. Trots betydande diskursivaomvandlingar som intelligentian genomgått har den behållit sin position somnationens centralfigur. Intelligentian representeras som nationens mest typiskaoch framstående representant med rätt att tala i hela nationens namn, vilket gör attden också kan överföra sina egna värderingar och åsikter till sina landsmän. Diskussioner om det nationella temat sätter mycket betydelsefulla frågor ifokus, inte minst de som handlar om vilkas klassvisioner som kommer att fågenomslag i det ukrainska nationsbyggandet. Den postsovjetiska”normaliseringen” i L’viv har inneburit att de kulturella mönster som är typiskabland privilegierade och högutbildade stadsbor har återupprättats, ofta framställdasom nationellt genuina och kulturellt överlägsna. I det postsovjetiska L’viv ärsymboliska representationer av urbansamhället färgade av olika lokala, nationellaoch supranationella symboliska kontexter. Dessa kommer väl till pass iintelligentians försök att (återigen) kontrollera reproducering av sina socialapositioner och de kulturella berättelserna om nationen. Avhandlingen sätterdärmed fingret på hur kulturell auktoritet utnyttjas av lokala aktörer som strävarefter ett socialt och politiskt övertag samt uppmärksammar betydelsen avsymboliska framställningar i analyser av nationsbyggandeprocesser i Ukraina.

Kultur är ett oerhört komplext och omfattande begrepp som finns omnämnt i de olika läroplanerna och i kursplanen i engelska. Eleverna ska bland annat reflektera över levnadssätt och kulturer i engelsktalande länder och kunna göra jämförelser med egna erfarenheter, även känna till något om vardagslivet i något land där engelska används. Det här är mål som ska uppnås i årskurs fem enligt kursplanen i engelska. Mitt syfte var att undersöka om läroböcker i engelska riktade till de yngre barnen, överensstämmer med vad styrdokumenten säger. Jag har gjort en text- och bildanalys av fyra olika läroböcker för att se vilka engelskspråkiga länder som representeras, hur de representeras, om eleverna får insikt i den mångkulturalitet som finns i världen och om de även kan göra jämförelser och få en förståelse av talad engelska i olika situationer. Mitt resultat är dock nedslående och slutsatsen jag drar är att läroböckerna inte utgår från vad styrdokumenten säger. Så gott som inga möjligheter att jämföra med den egna kulturen finns, någon mångkulturalitet är det inte frågan om i någon av böckerna och de enda länder som antyds är England, USA och Canada. Den information som ges om dessa länder är genomgående vag.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to explore how the media through a certain discourse constructs a view of the labor market and the power relations between companies, unions and employees. The goal is to explore this through studying the media coverage of SAS’ financial situation between September-December 2012 and our research question is the following: What view of the labor market and its power relations was constructed and reproduced by Swedish newspapers through their portrayal of SAS during September-December 2012? Method: This study analyses the findings with the help of questions based on theories of social constructivism, discourse, agenda-setting and power. A content and discourse analysis was compiled of 360 articles from five Swedish newspapers that addressed SAS and their situation from September-December 2012. The results of these analyses were further processed using power analysis and John Gaventa’s power cube. Results: In this study we conclude that the medial discourse constructs identities of the different actors and affect power relations between them, in favor of the company. We conclude that media’s portrayal of SAS benefits the interests, wishes and ideas of the company. The company’s acts and behavior is legitimized through the identities created by the medial discourse, and the portrayal of the causes and solutions for SAS’ situation. The identities constructed enable greater legitimization on the part of the company compared to the unions or the employees. Especially since their identities restrict them in complying with the company’s demands, or else they risk being seen as perpetrators through illegitimate actions. The result of the study highlights how newspapers have great influence on different actors’ ability to act. The social practice that is affected through the medial discourse is that readers may be less inclined to join unions, as they are either seen as obstacles or as weak organisations with no real power or purpose. The solution proposed is a heightened awareness of how medial discourse affects power relations on the labor market.

How do museums work with plurality in their organizations and in the production of exhibitions and other activities? This paper examines how civic museums, provincial museums and state museums work with plurality from a perspective of culture policies, particularly in relation to the government bill Tid för kultur, issued by the Swedish government in 2009. All together I examine 25 museums and their efforts to include marginalized groups in their activities and exhibitions. To do so I have studied four possible measures that are available for the museums. This includes the following: projects that pay attention to a marginalized group or their living conditions; projects that are specifically created for a marginalized group; projects that include a marginalized group in the museums preparations; and projects were museums give full responsibility to a marginalized group. I have also examined how plurality have been presented – as isolated cultures and cultural expressions or as hybrids and interchangeable phenomenons – and to what extent the museums are ready to involve marginalized groups in their physical environment and in their exhibition and activity programs. Based on three different levels of conduct I evaluate how far the museums have reached and what differences there are between civic museums, provincial museums and state museums. My research shows that Swedish museums in general are on their way to work successfully with plurality and establish a plurality perspective in the whole organization. The research also shows that there are differences between civic museums, provincial museums and state museums. In general, state museums are better to include marginalized groups in their productions and to firmly establish a perspective of plurality in their organization. On the contrary, the research shows that many museums lack certain features in their efforts to work towards a marginalized group. One of those features is the ability to make these efforts part of the museums permanent activities. Civic museums and provincial museums also have a greater freedom of strengthen their regional identity than compared to the state museums ability to strengthen the national identity. A circumstance that can have consequences for culture policies in Sweden and the future of plurality efforts at the museums.

The aim of this paper is to apply Robert N. Bellahs theory of civil religion, within a Swedish societal context. Bellahs theory was designed in, and influenced by American culture. Therefore, the “translation” of Bellahs theory does not come without problems. A methodological discussion concludes with methods focusing on national self-conceptions. Through this method, the Swedish social democratic notion of the “folkhem” can be related to the notions included by “the American way of life”. The “folkhem” as well as “the American way of life” includes ideas of the nation, made up by specific historical events, in both nations. Those ideas are vital parts of the national self conception in both nations. Historical premises are constantly reborn through the rhetorical reinterpretation, and through the eyes of Bellah, the notion of the folkhem creates a national embracive, ethical value system. The notion of the folkhem still is viable in the Swedish society. Contemporary use of the folkhem-notion is discerned by the threats of globalization and neoliberlismic tendencies. In the light of these threats, the folkhem-notion includes the preservation of Puritanism ideals.

This master thesis deals with the subject of mass graves as a result of war and violence; how, where and why they are created, what they represent and how they are used throughout the Scandinavian Iron Age and Middle Ages. To analyze and discuss these questions, I have used nine case studies as well as several literary sources such as Beowulf, Tacitus and Jordanes. To further increase the depth of this discussion and to help us understand the mass graves themselves, I have also included subject of warfare in the form of a walkthrough of violence and social psychology. Together, these pieces have helped me form the basis for an analysis and discussion of the three acts I have created: The Ingroup act of deposition, The Outgroup act of deposition and the Triumph act of deposition.

Title: How masculine is Donald Trump? – A comparative discourse analysis of how Donald Trumps masculinities are portrayed on The New York Times, The Guardian & Aftonbladets webpages The aim of this essay is to compare how Donald Trumps masculinities are portrayed in the news reporting by The New York Times, The Guardian and Aftonbladets webpages. The time period of the study capture Donald Trump before he was elected as president, after the election and then as the position as incumbent president to grasp one more dimension of his masculine identity throw different time periods and capture his subject position in the news reporting. The method that is used to examine this issue is Laclau and Mouffes discourse theory that work as a combination of discourse analysis as a method of analyzing the news text and locate different discourses. As well as in combination with theories about masculinities and previous studies about former presidents, macho culture and hegemonic masculinities. The result show Donald Trump with different masculine identities through both time and media channel. Donald Trump has first been seen as a masculine joke, a stunt like one of the Jackass-gang would pull in the TV-series. A man that is not afraid to take the challenge and run for president even if the odds are well against him, he represent a masculine crisis. Later on he take the form of a business man that hopefully will ”not” run USA like his worldwide affairs, fast and unpredictable. The latest chapter portray Donald Trump as a fearless president that do whatever he want in policy making and the media is afraid of what will happen to the world order. From a former identity of a ”business rockstar” that does what he wants with females and worldwide affairs to become one of the most fearsome manly leader of the western civilication. Alongside with the theory of masculinities Donald Trump try to defend the hegemonic masculinity of politics and business leders by playing on a possible ”mancard” like Ronald Reagan back in the 80 ́s, by reaching out to the industry workers that mostly are men and defending there chances of labour – when the society evolved form industrial to a more service economic society with women competing alongside men about workplace. The slogan ”America First” would rather be ”Masculinity First”, ”Make America Masculine Again” would be the text on the caps

Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka och analysera hur personer i gängkriminella miljöer konstrueras samt positioneras i den nyhetsmediala samhällsdebatten om gängkriminalitet i Sverige genom att studera publicerade debattartiklar från en specifik tidsperiod. Studien utgår från ett kritiskt diskursanalytiskt perspektiv som menar att verkligheten formas och tolkas genom språkliga diskurser, varför valda analysverktyg har ett lingvistiskt fokus där texternas lexikala aspekter undersöks, liksom deras anspråk på gängkriminalitetens orsaker och lösningar. Vidare analyseras debattartiklarnas innehåll genom ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv på de skildringar och identiteter som görs, samt utifrån teorier om stigmatiseringsprocesser och avvikarkarriärer Även själva fördelningen mellan debattörer samt presenterade perspektiv i debatten analyseras i relation till sociala makthierarkier. Uppsatsens resultat visar på att personer i gängkriminella miljöer främst tenderar att reduceras till deras kriminella egenskap i debatten, vilket konstruerar personerna som avvikare och förövare i samhället på sätt som stundtals får avhumaniserande effekter. I vissa fall nämns även personernas unga ålder samt icke-svenska etnicitet, vilket främst motiverar till förslag på ökade disciplinära åtgärder mot unga samt personer som saknar medborgarskap. Vidare präglas en stor del av debatten av ett fokus gentemot polisiära resurser och skärpta straff, vilket verkar osynliggörande för gängkriminalitetens bakomliggande sociala faktorer samt det sociala arbetets betydelse. Detta får även konsekvenser för personernas sörjbarhet samt ansedda rätt till sociala stödinsatser som fokuserar på förändring. I de fall sociala aspekter faktiskt diskuteras i debatten tenderar en sorts osynlig tröskel skapas mellan ”den unga som sörjbar” och ”den kriminella som straffbar” – vilket möjliggör till att vidmakthålla identiteterna "offer" och "förövare" i skildringarna på ett sätt som gör att problemets komplexitet undviks. / The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze how people within gang criminal environments is constructed and positioned in news media’s social debate about gang criminality in Sweden by studying published debate articles from a specific time period. The study is based on a critical discourse analytical perspective on reality as shaped and interpreted by linguistic discourses, why selected analysis tools has a linguistic aim that investigate the texts lexical aspects, as their claims on causes and solutions of gang crime. Furthermore the debate articles are analyzed through a social constructionist perspective on the descriptions and identities that is made, and also by theories about stigmatization processes and deviant careers. The division between debaters and represented perspectives is also analyzed in relation to social hierarchies of power. The result of the study shows that people in gang criminal environments mainly tend to be reduced to their criminal quality, which constructs them as deviants and perpetrators by ways that sometimes have dehumanizing effects. In some cases the persons young age and non-swedish ethnicity is mentioned, which mainly justifies proposals for increased disciplinary actions against youths and people without swedish citizenship. Further, the debate is characterized by a focus towards police resources and increased penalties which tend to overshadow the underlying social factors of gang crime and the importance of social work. This has consequences for their considered worth of sympathy and rights to social support that focuses on change. When social aspects is discussed it tends to create a invisible gap between ”the youth worthy of sympathy” and ”the punishable criminal” – which enable to maintain the identities of “victims” and “perpetrators” in a way that avoids the complexity of the problem.

I vår undersökning ville vi belysa unga förtagenerations-invandrarkvinnors identitets förändring. Dessa unga kvinnor lever under inflytande av två kulturer där deras identitetstillhörighet till sitt ursprung oftast bestäms av ett essentialistiskt synsätt, vilket innebär att den definieras av ett gemensamt ursprung och en speciell kulturtillhörighet. Men kvinnorna i vår studie visar att deras identitet egentligen bygger mer på ett konstruktivistiskt synsätt där den kulturella identiteten inte bestäms av en gemensam tillhörighet utan att identiteten förändras och omskapas hela tiden beroende på den situation man befinner sig i. Vi har gjort ett urval där vi har valt aktiva och kvinnor som har ansträngt sig för att integreras i det svenska samhället och inte valt ”den traditionella hemmafrun”. Syftet med vår studie är att få kunskap och att undersöka hur dessa kvinnor uppfattar sig själva och hur samhället uppfattar deras identitet samt i vilket sammanhang deras identitet förändras. Vi har valt att utgå utifrån olika teoretiska utgångspunkter så som integration, identitet, kulturell identitet, dubbla identiteter, fördomar och tillhörighet och utanförskap som kommer att användas i vår analys av intervjuresultatet. Med en kvalitativ metod ville vi besvara forskningsfrågorna: Hur uppfattar kvinnorna själva sin egen identitet? Hur tror de att andra i omgivningen uppfattar deras identitet? Hur förändras identiteten i olika sammanhang? Känner kvinnorna sig integrerade i det svenska samhället eller exkluderade? Vilka fördelar, respektive nackdelar finns det med att ha dubbla identiteter eller en identitet? / Abstract "Welcome home again" – a study of immigrant women’s identity changes in the Swedish society. In our research, we intend to highlight the identity formations and changes of young immigrant women. These young women live under the influence of two cultures where their belonging to their “origin” is often determined by an essentialist approach, which indicates that it is defined by a common origin and a specific cultural belonging. Yet, the women in our study suggest that their identity is shaped according to a constructionist approach, where the cultural identity is not determined by a common belonging; instead, their identity tend to change as it is constantly reconstructed in accordance with their (social) condition. We have made a selection, where we have chosen active women that have worked hard to integrate in the Swedish society, rather than the "traditional housewife". The purpose of our study is to explore, and thus understand, how these women perceive themselves, how the society perceives their identity, and how their identity changes. We have decided to proceed from different theoretical starting-points, such as integration, identity, cultural identity, dual identities, prejudices, inclusion and exclusion, that will be applied in our analysis of the interviews. By applying a qualitative method, our intention is to answer the following research questions: How do these women perceive their own identity? How do people in their surroundings perceive their identity, according to the women themselves? How does the identity change in different contexts? Do the women feel integrated in the Swedish society or do they feel excluded? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having dual identities and a single identity? Key words: first-generation immigrants, integration, identity, cultural identity, dual identities, prejudices, inclusion and exclusion.

This thesis explores the literacy practices in literacy history, in everyday life and in Swedish tuition for immigrants (sfi) of five Kurdish adults. The study analyses connections and dividing lines between literacy practices of the sociotextual domains of everyday life and literacy practices of the sociotextual domain of sfi. It also explores the interaction between literacy history and present literacy practices. Further, there is a focus on the connections between identification, learning and literacy practices. The methodological approach is inspired by ethnography, employing individual semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. Video documentation, audio recordings and field notes are used for documentation. Theoretically the study is influenced by the research field New Literacy Studies where literacies are conceived of assets of socially and culturally grounded practices. The interviews are analysed from two perspectives: focusing on content and on linguistic discursive practices. In the analysis of interviews and observations, a number of interacting aspects of literacy events and literacy practices are also researched, such as purpose, time, place, participants, verbal language and artefacts. A lack of connection between the participants’ notions of who they are and the identities offered to them in sfi impairs the conditions of their active participation in the literacy practices, and consequently also impairs their learning. Identities connected to literacy history are of importance in this process. To exemplify this, the professional career they had in Kurdistan is still of central importance for two of the participants of the study. This complicates their identification as sfi-students and their engaging in the literacy practices of the sfi-education. If sfi teachers know which identities from everyday life are important to their sfi students and try to find connections between the sfi teaching and these identities, the chances improve of the students accepting the identities which they are offered in the literacy events. Then it will also be more probable that the students’ participation in the literacy events in sfi will lead to deep learning. In the sfi classrooms, the participants take part in literacy events of everyday life. There are three types of overlap between the literacy practices of sfi and of everyday life. (1) Literacy events from other sociotextual domains take place in the sfi-classrooms, but without recontextualization into sfi. (2) Literacy events based in sociotextual domains of everyday life are recontextualized into sfi. (3) Literacy events belong to more than one sociotextual domain. In spite of these three types of overlap there are complications when it comes to students starting out from literacy practices of everyday life when they take part in the literacy practices of sfi. It is not possible to transmit literacy practices in their totality, from one sociotextual domain to another. The literacy practices are situated in a specific sociotextual domain and will undergo a transformation as they are based in a different sociotextual domain. On the other hand, it is possible for sfi students to make use of everyday micro practices (e.g. cooperation and non-linear reading) when they take part in the literacy practices of sfi.