The Western world’s view of Muslims became more negative after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. International as well as Swedish studies show how negative attitudes towards Muslims increased after the attack. This study analyses discourses regarding Muslims and non-Muslims in Swedish press in relation to two terrorist attacks. This is done by a critical discourse analysis on three newspapers reports on the terrorist attack in Oslo and Utøya 2011 and the terrorist attack on the headquarters of magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris 2015. The study uses social constructionism and Orientalism as a theoretical framework. Study results show more differences than similarities in the portrayal of the offenders. Main findings include that Breivik was portrayed as an individual, unlike the Kouachi brothers who were portrayed as part of a larger group as well as the fact that the brothers in a high degree were linked to Islam. The study concludes that Swedish press differentiates Muslim and non-Muslim perpetrators. Media affect people’s actions and thoughts and ought to affect how authorities treat this group and it’s therefore important for social workers to be critical of media reporting’s in order to meet clients individually, rather than in a generalising manner.

Fashion creates reactions. It is a type of art form that constantly needs to be updated. This is the thrilling part about fashion, but it is also the part that can create unintentional reactions. In this essay I will examine two garments that have achieved a great amount of media coverage, both in Sweden and abroad. One of them is a jumpsuit from H&M that was criticized because of the resemblance to the uniform worn by the Peshmerga-soldiers in Kurdistan. The other garment is a children’s sweater launched by Zara. This one was criticized because of its connotation to what the Jewish people were forced to wear during World War Two. By doing an analysis of the two garments and then a critical discourse analysis I intend to find out if there is a difference in the way media treated the two garments. Another question that my essay will try to answer is who reacted to the two cases? Theoretical premises have been Edward Said’s Orientalism, Pierre Bourdieu’s Habitus and Roland Barthes contribution about Semiology. My main focus was to decide whether the human prejudice was the basis for their reaction on the examined clothes. The result shows that there are distinct differences in the media discourse about the two garments. It also proved that Said’s thoughts about a great diversion between east and west is still applicable and our earlier experiences are of great importance while facing new ones.

Šis tarpdisciplininis magistro darbas yra konceptuali galios ir realybės (tam tikra prasme ir autentiškumo) studija. Viena nuo kitos sunkiai atsiejamos pastarosios sąvokos yra analizuojamos per tris plačius teorinius pjūvius – hiperrealybę, orientalizmą bei šiuos procesus katalizuojančią ir iš dalies logistinę funkciją atliekančią antrąją modernybę. Galios ir realybės santykis darbe analizuojamas ne tiek per fizinį silpnesniojo pavergimą, kiek mėginimus modifikuoti tikrovę bei vaizdinių pagalba kurti hiperrealybę, subordinuotą galios subjekto interesams. Atvejo studijai pasirinkta galios implikuota Jungtinių Arabų Emyratų (JAE) hiperrealybė bei sąlygas jos atsiradimui paklojusi antroji modernybė. Atlikta empirinė ir teorinė analizė atskleidžia, jog įspūdingi Emyratų kultūros objektai, iliustruojami leksinėmis hiperbolėmis ir kvapą gniaužiančiais vaizdais, tėra simuliakras, neatspindintis tikrovės ar vietos kultūros, bet siekiantis pačią tikrovę pakeisti. Be to, JAE yra naujos rūšies simuliakras, kurio esminiu požymiu galima laikyti vertybiškai svetimos kultūros perėmimą bei pavertimą „sava“, siekiant simbolinio pripažinimo. Šio Emyratų, kaip globalaus pasaulio galios centro, pripažinimo, kuris yra ir šalies modernizacijos katalizatorius, ir nedemokratinio valdančiojo režimo legitimacijos įrankis, siekiama drastiškai aukojant autentiškumą bei kuriant „faraoniškus“ kultūros projektus, kurie šiame darbe laikomi kultūros utopija. Be to, autentiškumo ignoravimas ir Oriento (JAE)... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This interdisciplinary Master thesis is a conceptual investigation of power and reality (in a sense of authenticity as well). The following concepts which are hardly distinguishable from each other are analyzed via three theoretical layers – hyperreality, orientalism and the late modernity which works both as a catalyst for these processes and as a logistical tool. The relation between power and reality is revealed not through physical subjugation of the weaker but rather through the attempts to modify reality and with the help of images to create hyperreality that is subordinated to self-interests of the mighty. As the case study the power implicated hyperreality of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the second modernity that conditioned it has been chosen. Empirical and theoretical analysis reveals that spectacular Emirati cultural objects, illustrated by lexical hyperboles and breath-taking images merely is a simulacra that does not reflect reality or local culture but seeks to alter that reality. Furthermore UAE is a new kind of simulacra characterized by accepting and transforming into “their own” the foreign culture that is alien to the one found within local cultural context in order to obtain symbolic recognition. The symbolic recognition of Emirati as one of the hubs of global power is both the catalyst of Emirati modernization and the instrument of legitimacy of the ruling elite. This recognition is pursued by ‘pharaonic’ cultural objects (cultural utopia) and... [to full text]

In the 1700’s, natural history played an essential part in constructing the western view of the east and its inhabitants. Based on this assumtion, the primary aim of this study has been to examine how two of Carl Linaeus’ apostles (Petrus Forsskål and Fredric Hasselquist) wrote about their specific cultural encounters while travelling.   In its essence, the results of the study has been that Mary Louise Pratts  previous writings are applicable also on the travel writings of Forsskål och Hasselquist. Altough with a few significant deviations. For example it seems that the apostles considered the native history more relevant than what Pratts theory would give them credit for.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Wesleyan University, 2005. / CD-ROM includes recorded examples and figures. Includes bibliographical references (v. 4, leaves 957-999)

This essay seeks to investigate identity formation and the role of the oriental other, the Calormene, in C.S. Lewis popular children’s books, The Chronicles of Narnia, as well as the threat levelled at Narnia and what it constitutes. The oriental other as a threatening corruption is a common image in European colonial discourse, therefore a brief summary on post-colonial theory and critique thereupon and a background on the occidental attitude towards the discursive Orient based mainly on Orientalism by Edward W. Said, as well as a short account of Emile Durkheims theory on social divisions of labour and identity formation in groups is provided in the first theoretical section, Images of the Other. In the second section the Narnian identity and what it is composed of is examined. Here I argue that the Narnian identity is connected to an ideal and primordial English identity. This is shown primarily through the linking of Narnian nature and food with the English countryside and its “plain food”. Consequently, food in the Narnian space possesses a great power. The food of the Other corrupts while the hearty Narnian or English food holds the power to redeem those corrupted. The third section is dedicated to the threat against Narnia. This is composed mainly of Calormenes and Witches, both of which are described to be ancient and whose evil, I argue, nonetheless is an eventual consequence of rational thinking and modernity. In the fourth section the Calormene, the Other in Narnia, is examined. The Calormene society is inextricably linked to slavery, which is portrayed as the utmost consequence of rationality, and characterized by its spiritual poverty. This section also discusses how the Narnian can be corrupted and turned “Other”.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate how the attitude towards immigrants during theend of the 20th century in Sweden is described in the state's public investigations. This isdone by examining three different investigations, all of which are final or main reports duringthe 70s, 80s and 90s. The investigations are analyzed through a critical discourse analysisbased on a postcolonial theory. The study illustrates that immigrants in all threeinvestigations, from the different decades, should be integrated rather than assimilated, but onthe Swedes' premises. The study also shows that the attitude towards immigrants isconsistently positive, but that adaptation towards Swedish society is accelerated for everydecade.

Literature can today be used as a tool to promote fellowship within the society, to build bridges and create an understanding of other ethnicities and cultures. Therefore, as teachers it can be beneficial to analyze stories and break down the content and then create new content with the students without any preconceptions regarding "the Other". This study is based on the method qualitative content analysis, with focus on close reading. The theoretical framework for this study is based on the post-colonial theory and the perspective of power. Which will be used to examine two Swedish children's books and how the characters are presented. In this study, I argue that norm-deviating conceptions tend to be more visible when it comes to people with a non-Swedish background.

The increasingly universal information society has required also the Swedish Armed Forces to participate in the information flow, for example by publishing images from its operations in an open digital image archive. With use of the image archive’s photographs from the Swedish Armed Forces’ military operations in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012, the study seeks to examine the way in which the Swedish army depicts its involvement in the region. From a postcolonial perspective, based on Edward Said’s notions on Orientalism, this semiotic analysis examines the image publications in order to reveal what messages the images convey. How are Afghan women respectively Afghan men depicted in contrast to Swedish soldiers? How are Swedish soldiers portrayed in relation to their Afghan military allies? Such are the questions at hand. The study makes use of a methodological framework based on Roland Barthes and Charles Saunders Pierce and looks to reveal the denotative and connotative meanings in the image material. The result of the study shows a depiction of the military intervention in Afghanistan that largely portrays Afghan women and girls in need of saving and emancipation, while Swedish soldiers are ascribed the role of the hero. Moreover, images depicting Swedish soldiers as modern, powerful and progressive in contrast to weak and underdeveloped Afghan men are also recurrent in the material. The cooperation between the Swedish military and its Afghan allies is throughout the material depicted in a positive manner, and symbolic gestures of friendship between the two frequent the image publications. At large, a positive perspective permeates the Swedish military’s depiction of its operations in Afghanistan, and its soldiers are portrayed as powerful bringers of Western liberty and equality. Meanwhile, the East is depicted as all that the West is not: uncivilised, weak and infantile.

I denna studie analyseras bilder i svenska religionsläroböcker för högstadiet. Syftet med denna studie är att granska och analysera hur ikoniska och anikoniska gudabilder inom hinduismen lyfts fram genom bilder i olika läroböcker sedan läroplanen (Lgr11) infördes. Analysen avser att undersöka om bilderna representerar ett inhemskt perspektiv (det vill säga hinduisk ikonografi) eller exempelvis ett orientalistiskt perspektiv. Resultaten jämförs sedan med hur styrdokumentens skrivningar uttrycker att ikoniska och anikoniska gudabilder inom hinduismen ska lyftas i religionsundervisning. Studien innefattar semiotiska bildanalyser och analys av tillhörande texter samt analys av styrdokument. Resultaten visar att bilderna i läroböckerna står i relation till ett inhemskt perspektiv, men att tillhörande texter och förklaringar till stor del står i relation till orientalistiska perspektiv. Resultaten visar att bilderna överensstämmer med styrdokumentens skrivningar men att det ändå är en brist i information och fakta. Det kan påverka elevernas förmåga att förstå hinduismen utifrån ett inhemskt perspektiv och istället fortsätta influeras av det orientalistiska perspektivet. / Images in swedish schoolbooks for religions studies in secondary school will be analysed in this essay. The purpose of the essay is to review and analyse how iconic and aniconic images of gods within hinduism are presented in images from textbooks that are produced since the new swedish policy documents (Lgr11) were introduced. The intent with the analyse is to find if the images represent a domestic perspective (hindu iconography) or an oriental perspective. The results from that will then be compared to how the swedish school policies about religion education present that iconic and aniconic images of gods within hinduism should be mediated in religious studies. The essay includes semiotic analyses of the images and analyse of the belonging texts, also an analyse of the policy documents. The results shows that the images in the schoolbooks meet the hindu iconography, while the text and explanations that comes with the images have an oriental perspective. The result also shows that the images meet the school documents guidelines but there is a lack of information and facts. This may affect the students ability to properly understand what hindusim is from a domestic perspective and will instead continue the be influenced with an oriental perspective.