This paper is an attempt to construct the conceptual context of one of Walter Benjamin’s central notions - the ”dialectical image”. Its aim is to actualize it for a philosophy dedicated to a concept of knowledge that corresponds and gives justice to the concrete and unique in experience (Erfahrung). Having as a point of departure Benjamin’s reading of Surrealism, mainly Louis Aragon and André Breton, this paper argues that Benjamin’s definition of the surrealist ”image” is to be conceived as a reference for his own concept of the dialectical image. In order to explicate this concept one has to conceive of what Benjamin finds as a direction in the surrealists’ image towards the sphere of praxis. Reading Benjamin’s sublation (Aufhebung) of the surrealist experience, praxis becomes a crucial methodological notion through which the question of the material and technological conditions of man correspond directly to the time-space complex of the knowledge of contemporary (synchronistisch) now-time (Jetztzeit) as actuality. Praxis is for Benjamin the true object of experience but also its just method in terms of construction. The ”construction” as a dialectical sublation of surrealist experience engenders a thematization of the historical dialectics not just in terms of then/now, but also of dream/awakening. In order to explain the philosophical significance for Benjamin of the notion of the dialectical image this paper will examine the correspondence between Benjamin and the thinking of early Marx. In this correspondence the construction of praxis becomes crucial in establishing the transcendental relation between man and his true property as a unique but universal being. The marxian term of appropriation (aneignen) becomes the very praxis in which man finds himself in an image-space (Bildraum), a space which, according to Benjamin, the Surrealists were the first to illuminate (erleuchten). For Benjamin this image-space is a space in time conceived both as a collective body and as a unique being that through and by revolutionary actions can be entered and inhabited and whose form is inseparable from its content. Their convergence is crucial for the definition of Benjamin’s ”image”. In that sense the notion of uniqueness becomes the criterion for how a proper historical articulation is to be understood, that is not as a realization of how the past really was, but as an appropriation in remembrance (mémoire involontaire) of a forgotten image, hidden in the world of things (Dingwelt). The dialectical image then becomes a question of historical reading, not of the past, but of the now in and of the past.

Denna undersökning belyser hur elever med utländsk bakgrund framställs i medlemstidningen Skolvärlden under 1969-1979 samt vad det kan innebära för det skolpolitiska idealet ”En skola för alla”. För att belysa detta undersöks vilka diskurser som kan urskiljas i framställningen samt hur andrafiering och stigmatisering tar sig i uttryck kring diskurserna. För att möjliggöra detta användes Norman Fairclough kritisk diskursanalys som tillvägagångsätt samt Stuart Hall tolkning av stereotyper och Erving Goffman definition av stigmatisering som tolkningsramar i analysen av källmaterialet. Resultaten av analysen omfattas av tre identifierade diskurser. Dessa är: ”Ett offer och en dyr belastning”, ”Socialt isolerade och sociala problem” och ”En odefinierad svenskhet, det nya pluralistiska & jämlikhet”. Diskurserna och resultaten visar att invandrare och elever med utländsk bakgrund stigmatiseras och andrafieras. Något som kan leda till att målgruppen kan känna sig utstött och diskriminerad. Diskurserna visar också att framställningen av invandare kan skapa fördomar som således ger förutsättning för rasism och att etniska grupper marginaliseras. Undersökningen visar att kategorisering av individer och skapandet av dikotomier har negativa följder som hindrar och begränsar för ett tillstånd av verklig integration mellan grupper. I uppsatsen fanns ett önskemål att belysa fackförbundets förhållningssätt och ståndpunkt om elever med utländsk bakgrund. Trots att Skolvärlden lyfte fram det pluralistiska förhållningssättet i sina artiklar och poängterade att dåvarande samhälle behöver förhålla sig till detta, visade diskurserna att det råder en nationell samhörighetskänsla i texterna som exkluderar vissa folkgrupper. Något som också motsäger det skolpolitiska idealet.

Muslim women’s rights, and gender equality in the Muslim world, are commonly discussed subjects within the academic world. Feminism, as a term, is often connected to this topic of discussion. This thesis aims to analyze two different perspectives concerning how these rights should be achieved: Islamic feminism, using internal resources, and Muslim feminism, using external resources. Islamic feminism, as a strategy, proposes that by interpreting the Quran, the ultimate revelation of God, Islam could provide the central and egalitarian meaning of the Quran. There is disagreement within the academic community whether Islamic feminism would enable these rights. Muslim feminism, as a counterpoint to Islamic feminism, proposes that the state must become secularized. Rendering Islam and the state as separate entities.    This thesis will utilize the theoretical perspective on Islam and feminism from five feministic academics. They all have different backgrounds, standpoints, and approaches towards the development of Muslim women’s rights, as well as what strategies they suggest to improve them. These strategies encounter different kinds of difficulties. The Islamic feminism, which uses the Quran, runs the risk of being too heavily associated with already established interpretations of the Quran. It may be seen as intertwined with existing fundamentalist views. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Muslim feminism may create a divide between Islam and women’s rights. This thesis aims to present the potential of different theoretical perspectives on Islam and feminism as well as the limitations on suggested strategies for improvement of Muslim women’s rights.

Today, several interreligious organisations are publishing joint statements of obvious moral character. These may regard such things as environmental issues, peacebuilding, or freedom of thought. This raises the question of how such statements are to be justified and what role different theological and religious traditions play in justifying joint values. This study seeks to understand and critically examine these questions.  The theoretical foundation is derived from Marianne Moyaert's development of Paul Ricœur's critique of joint interreligious ethics. From this, three main areas are analysed in four interreligious documents. First, what space is given to individual traditions as a source of moral knowledge? Second, to what degree is an ethic of consensus or compromise expressed? Third, how are pluralism, particularism, and radical pluralism expressed?  The study suggests three conclusions for justifying interreligious statements. First, joint published documents should include both theological resources from different traditions and an explicit invitation to dialogue. Second, a dialogue that seeks common values but accepts tension, seen as a critical instance, should be appreciated. Third, interreligious dialogue and its statements could be understood as a way of, with the help of different faith traditions, examining their own and other instances' values.

Denna essä ämnar fördjupa förståelsen av yogalärarens profession genom att undersöka dess vardagliga praktik i ljuset av filosofiska och historiska grunder. I synnerhet undersöks villkoren för dagens moderna yoga i en narcissistisk kultur och hur den moderna yogaläraren kan förhålla sig till dessa villkor utifrån en filosofisk förståelse om yoga som självtranscendens. Modern yoga har blivit ett exempel på sakraliserad självdisciplin och möjligen en form av ritualiserad narcissism. En narcissistisk kultur som sådan med den upanishadiska självtranscendensens språkbruk, tillsammans med en kommersiell nyandlighet uppmanar oss att perfektionistiskt söka uppnå känslan: jag är gudomlig. Essän undersöker dock potentiella vägar och praktiska kunskaper hos yogaläraren som inte leder undervisningen i en narcissistisk riktning utan snarare söker vända blicken mot en värld vi gemensamt delar offentligt med andra människor. / This essay aims to deepen the understanding of the yoga teacher's profession by examining its everyday practice from philosophical and historical foundations. In particular, the conditions of today's modern yoga in a narcissistic culture are examined, and how the modern yoga teacher can relate to these conditions of yoga from the perspective of self-transcendence. Modern yoga has become an example of sacralized self-discipline and possibly a form of ritualized narcissism. A narcissistic culture as such with the language of Upanishadic self-transcendence, together with commercial spirituality, urges us to achieve the feeling: I am divine. However, the essay explores potential paths and practical knowledge of the yoga teacher who does not want to lead the teaching in a narcissistic direction but instead seeks a common world publicly shared with other people.

Denna essä undersöker fenomenet trötthet som det framträder i psykoterapeutens yrkesutövning och tar stöd i filosofen Emmanuel Levinas tankar om trötthetens ögonblick som uppkomsten av ett varande i varat, och författaren Peter Handkes utforskande av en trötthet som öppnar sig mot världen. Kampen mot tröttheten, som den tidige Levinas beskriver, innebär gestaltandet av en existentiell fördömelse medan att släppa taget och bejaka tröttheten (Handke) utgör en möjlighet att möta världen utan själviska avsikter. I ljuset av psykoterapeutens uppiggningstekniker och ett samhälle som starkt betonar ett energiskt görande framträder tröttheten i vissa lägen som en etisk praktik som kan relateras till den sene Levinas tankar om den Andre som oändlighet. / This essay examines the phenomenon of fatigue as it appears in the psychotherapist's professional practice and is supported by philosopher Emmanuel Levinas' thoughts on the moment of fatigue as the emergence of a being in being, and the writer Peter Handke's exploration of a fatigue that opens up to the world. The struggle against fatigue, as the early Levinas describes, is an embodiment of an existential condemnation, while letting go and affirming fatigue (Handke) constitutes an opportunity to face the world without selfish intentions. In the light of the psychotherapist's invigorating techniques and a society that strongly emphasizes an energetic doing, fatigue emerges in some situations as an ethical practice that can be related to the late Levinas' thoughts on the Other as infinity.

The following study is a qualitative interview that studies the student as a resource during the swedish religious education lessons. The essay foucuses on the students feelings of stress and anxiety when their teacher in religious studies inquire them to share their religious experiences for their classmates. Which religion is more stressful to represent for the student? The aim of the study is also to examine the students suggestions on how the teacher in religious education studies can create a safe enviroment in the classroom. In order to answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative method was used. The material that was used to answer the purpose was through seven junior high students whom I got to interview. The result shows that junior high students find it more difficult to share their religious experiences if they have an islamic faith in comparison to christianity and buddhism. The students suggestions on how the teacher could create a safe classroom was among lived religion, the importance of receiving the question and the teachers responsibility to create a safe classroom. The results showed that the pupils suggestions were consistent with previous research. My intention with the following essay is to assist current and future religion teachers in order to manage the student as a resource in a safe way, but also to feel safer in the classroom.

This essay focuses on exploring societal limits regarding sexual relations. It tries to discover where – and possibly why – the line is generally drawn in western society between what is usually seen as morally correct, incorrect, taboo, normal, etcetera. In addition to this, the essay sets out to challenge societal confirmative views on what is regarded as normal versus perverted sex. In order to do this, there will be a focus on what is seen as moral, immoral, natural, and unnatural sex according to a handful of prominent philosophers who are active within the subject, as well as their own thoughts on how someone might think around sexual philosophy. Some things will be disregarded in this paper's discussions, such as rape, as I find that the morality on such a subject is not relevant to this discussion. I make this distinction since there are other moral implications, and complications, than just the sexual aspects of rape. My reasoning for this exclusion is that I wish to only explore what could be regarded as consensual sexual acts, in order to distinguish between what could be genuinely seen as immoral and what could possibly only be regarded as taboo, possibly closer connected too feelings rather than real moral objection. In short, one might say that the answer is not an easy one and that – as is the case in so many societal situations – there can be many ways to draw a line between the morally right and wrong. As to where the line is drawn; this essay will provide some clarity in regard to a few possible answers, such as psychological, social, and individual aspects of the distinction between the perverted, the immoral and the natural in regard to sex and sexuality. The main result shows that the idea of sexual perversion or immoral sexual acts seem to stem from personal – and not always logical or rational – opinion. Furthermore, what is considered right or wrong might not always be based in arguments with consistent moral merit. These results show that every individual might need to keep more of an open mind and turn to reason when making judgement regarding sexual acts or relations, rather than running risk at basing their opinions in pure feeling. / Denna uppsats fokuserar på att utforska samhällets gränser berörande sexuella relationer. Uppsatsen försöker upptäcka var – och möjligen varför – gränsen ofta dras i västvärldens samhällen vad beträffar moraliskt riktigt, fel, tabu och normalt med mera. Utöver detta har uppsatsen som mål att utmana socialt förankrade synsätt kring vad som anses vara normalt kontra perverst sex. För att kunna göra detta kommer fokus att ligga på vad som anses vara moraliskt, omoraliskt, naturligt och onaturligt sex enligt en handfull dominanta filosofer som är aktiva inom subjektet. Dessa filosofers egna tankar och idéer kring hur man kan tänka kring sexualfilosofi kommer också behandlas. Vissa samtalsämnen kommer att uteslutas i uppsatsen, såsom våldtäkt, eftersom jag upplever att sådana akter har ytterligare omoraliska implikationer och komplikationer utöver de sexuella aspekterna. Varför jag gör denna avgränsning är för att jag endast önskar undersöka sådana akter som skulle kunna anses falla under samtycke. Samtycke är relevant eftersom jag genom uppsatsen kommer försöka skilja på sådana akter som genuint skulle kunna anses vara omoraliska och akter som möjligen endast skulle kunna räknas till vad som kallas för tabu; Alltså akter som möjligen förkastas på grund av känsloargument snarare än verklig moralisk utvärdering. I korta är svaret – som det så ofta är i samhällsbaserade frågor – inte enkelt. Det kan finnas många sätt att dra gränser mellan vad som ska räknas som moraliskt riktigt, eller moraliskt fel. Vad beträffar vart gränsen dras kommer denna uppsats tillgodose läsaren med ett antal möjliga svar, såsom psykologiska, sociala och individuella aspekter bakom skillnaden mellan det perversa, omoraliska och naturliga beträffande sex och sexualitet. Det huvudsakliga resultatet visar att idén bakom sexuell perversion, eller sexuellt omoraliska akter, tycks bottna i personliga åsikter – ibland utan bakomliggande logik eller rationalitet. Vidare visar resultaten att vad som anses vara rätt eller fel inte alltid bottnar i moraliskt konsekventa argument. Dessa resultat visar att varje individ kan behöva hålla sig mer öppen och förhålla sig till förnuftet när hen skapar sig åsikter om sex, snarare än att riskera grunda dessa i ren känsla.

My purpose with this thesis is to examine Adorno’s rethinking of the aesthetic concept of form, in his last work, Ästhetische Theorie. Artistic form has in the tradition of aesthetics been quite forgotten according to Adorno. He even calls it, “the blind spot of aesthetics”. To rework the concept of form he introduces a set of conceptual relationships that takes an indispensable part in the new multifaceted concept of form. In fact, there is a plurality of concepts that is being put to work, to arrive at a new understanding of form. My methodological approach has been to trace these conceptual relationships that revolve around the aesthetic form and to highlight their connections. My contribution with this undertaking is to accentuate the weightiness of the form concept in Ästhetische Theorie. In the concept, Adorno’s materialistic thinking also becomes discernible. This aspect is especially mirrored in the theoretical attention he pays to the aesthetic material and the artifact itself. Another purpose of this thesis is to explore how the aesthetic form can be critical and to fathom what it implies. Criticism in Ästhetische Theorie is closely related to what Adorno calls aesthetic truth, which is taking shape in the artistic form. The form is thus related to many of the essential concepts in Ästhetische Theorie, such as truth and illusion. The study further examines how the critical form can be autonomous, while at the same time being deeply enmeshed in society.

The aim of this study is to explore how the concept of sin, guilt and responsibility can be used in the contemporary discourse of the climate catastrophe. In a comparative textual study on Sallie McFague’s A New Climate for Theology and Richard Bauckham’s Bible and Ecology these concepts are analyzed. The conclusion is that McFague and Bauckham both uses “responsibility” frequently, but neither “sin” or “guilt” are well used in there works. Yet, when they reflect on “sin”, both of them abandons the (in the western theology classical) Augustine theology on sin. McFague when she argues that “evil” is a perversion of good rather than a consequence of an external reality, Bauckham when he claims that the fall of sin is an ongoing process rather than a momentary event.   Hannah Arendt and Alistair McFadyen are used as an interpretative and theoretical background to the conclusions of McFague and Bauckham in the discussion that follows the comparative textual study. Arendt and McFadyen reflects on sin, guilt and responsibility with the Holocaust as context. In the discussion, their thoughts on the Holocaust are essayed to apply on the contemporary climate catastrophe. Hannah Arendt talks about “collective responsibility” and “personal guilt”, concepts that in the discussion part, when applied on the climate catastrophe and in a better way fits the contemporary situation, inverts to “collective guilt” and “personal responsibility”. The talk of collective guilt tangent the Augustine teaching of original sin where sin is a common heritage from the fall of sin. McFadyen uses original sin to explain the mechanism of the German people during the Holocaust which in many ways are similar to the processes of the climate catastrophe of today.    In the discussion of this study, original sin is used as a model to better understand the fact that people cannot escape guilt in the contemporary situation and to comprehend why people act as they do. The study intends accordingly to in a constructive way contribute with new perspectives on sin, guild and responsibility to the ecological theology of today.