The aim of this study is to fill the gap in mathematics education research concerning the relationship between identity and positioning in mathematical collaboration in groups. This study elaborates on the relationship between how pupils see themselves as math students in sixth grade, how they show their identities as math students, in contrast to how they position themselves reflexively in group collaboration while engaging in mathematical problem solving. The theoretical concepts linked to this study are discourse, identity and positioning. Discourse is used to describe and form the setting and context of the study. Identity is seen as a transient and elusive concept formed by the students own perceptions of self through narratives. The reflexive form of positioning, where the students choose to position themselves in discourse, is derived from acts and speech in group collaboration. This form of positioning is then used as comparison to the narratives of identity to explore the relationship between these two concepts. Data has been collected through participative observation and dialogue, and discourse analysis is partially used to identify the relationship. The results may have implications for future structuring and planning of mathematics education in our classrooms, and the findings provide a narrowing of the gap in mathematics education research within this area. The findings also open up new questions concerning the social constructions of identity among children. Finally, the findings related to the need of reflexive positioning among children in their early teens, and how educators can benefit from this need, are other aspects worth further research.

”Between normal and abnormal” is a qualitative literature study about adults with Aspergers syndrom. The study aims to understand how a person with Asperger syndrome understand himself. The study is built around two issues. These are; how does a person with Aspergers syndrom describe himself and how does the diagnos influence the self-image. The study interpreted four autobiographical books written by individuals with Asperger's syndrome based on a social constructive and social psychological approach. There is a risk that people who do not have the right or enough information about what an Asperger Diagnosis involves misunderstand the individual. This increases the risk that individuals with Asperger's syndrome may be devalued or get expectations of themselves that will be difficult to achieve. This may in turn have implications for self-esteem and self-perception. The results demonstrate that all writers feel that they are misunderstood, failed and different. The comparison is made with the "normal" and the feeling of being different gives a negative association. However, it also appears that when the diagnosis is obtained, there is a change in their understanding of the difficulties and life experiences they have. The feeling of being different gets a more positive association when their behavior becomes more legitimate, and there arises a sense of being part of the Asperger group which strengthens their self-esteem. Understanding themselves as deviant and odd change to a feeling of being normal though normal in a different way. This is also confirmed by other research (Larsson, 2007). The study also demonstrates that there is a dilemma between being the diagnos and being ones own person with ones own personality.

The following essay describes a study made of eight American films, where the purpose of the study was to analyze how veganism was portrayed in the chosen films. Through a semiotic analysis, the aim was to investigate how views on traditional gender roles are reproduced in the way that the practice of veganism and discourse on veganism is portrayed in modern cinema. The reason for this study was firstly because most vegans are women, with a sizeable margin; close to 80% of vegans in America are women, while almost half of vegetarians are men. The question why so many vegans are women is something worth studying closer. Secondly, there has been very few studies made on this topic. There is a sufficient amount of texts which acknowledge and discuss the correlation between the practice of not eating animals and gender issues. Further there are accounts made on how vegans are typically portrayed in media in a society where the norm is to exploit animals. These accounts demonstrate that vegans are often portrayed unfavorably. However scientific studies made on how vegans are portrayed in film are practically nonexistent. This despite cinema being a large and powerful media tool for reproducing social and cultural values. The discourse on gender and veganism were missing a valuable angle and this was something that this essay aimed to bring to the discussions of both veganism and gender. By searching on internet for films which include either vegan characters or the word vegan, there were eight films found. And through an analysis of these the results concluded that veganism is indeed portrayed negatively in movies as well, however there is also another dimension to this negative perspective towards vegans: these negative portrayals of veganism in film is grounded in archaic views and values on traditional gender roles and equality.

Titel: Är blod tjockare än vatten? En kvalitativ studie om familjen och den biologiska betydelsen. Författare: Lotta Didanovic Nilsson   Syftet med denna studie har varit att ta reda på om och i så fall varför det är så viktigt för individen att känna till sina biologiska föräldrar. Utgångspunkten har varit personer som vuxit upp med den ena av sina biologiska föräldrar och träffat den andre biologiske föräldern först som vuxen. Jag har valt att titta på vad som händer i detta möte och hur olika inblandade reagerat och påverkats av detta. Vad som styr och formar individen/gruppen, såsom media, familjepolitik, sociala konstruktioner med mera och vad som anses ”rätt” förfarande i en viss kontext, samt på olika nivåer lyfts och diskuteras. Studien är av kvalitativ karaktär med semistrukturerade intervjuer av sex stycken informanter varav jag själv ingår. Därför blir uppsatsen en autoetnografi då min egen historia och mina erfarenheter lyfts in och analyseras tillsammans med mina informanters. Resultaten visar på en mångfacetterad bild där slutsatsen jag drar är att det biologiska spelar en viktig roll för förälder och barn-relationen men kanske av andra orsaker än vi hittills trott. Det krävs vidare ett socialt sammanhang med en vardag för att denna relation ska växa samman och bli till något betydelsefullt. / Titel: Is blood thicker than water? A qualitative study of the family and the biological significance. Author: Lotta Didanovic Nilsson   The purpose of this study has been to investigate whether, and if so, why it is so important for individuals to get to know their biological parents. The point of departure has been people who have grown up with one of their biological parents and met the other biological parent only as an adult. I have chosen to look at what happens in this meeting and how the people involved reacted and were affected by this. What controls and shapes the individual/group, such as the media, family-policy, social structures and what is considered proper procedure in a certain context and at different levels will also be discussed. The study is qualitative with semi-structured interviews with six informants, myself included. Therefore, this thesis will be an auto-ethnography as my own history and my experience is lifted and analysed together with my informants’. The results show a multi-faceted picture where the conclusion I draw is that the biological plays an important role for the parent- and child-relationship but perhaps for other reasons than we have previously thought. It further requires a social context on a day to day-basis for this relationship to become something significant and deep.

This paper presents a critical analysis of the cultural and social constructions of aging and the aged which pervade public discourse around the growing population of elders in the U.S. Elders are socially 'othered' through processes of medicalization and categorization as an "at risk" group. Furthermore, elders are culturally constructed as unproductive and overconsumptive collective resources. As elders become increasingly central in social and political discourse surrounding health care and the division of resources, these culturally and socially constructed stereotypes have a real impact on social identity and policy decisions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of anthropology in contributing a critical perspective to the study of elders.

The research investigated how men perceive constructions of masculinity in the talk of male rape. Research on gender relations and masculinities is a growing area of interest. The topic of male rape however, remains underrepresented within this. Male rape draws on discourses of gender, trauma, sex, sexuality and violence. It further offers a controversial topic that participants could engage in to further make sense of the multitude of masculine identities that exist, and how these directly influence responses to gendered phenomena. It is therefore likely to elicit significant constructions of masculinities and hence was used as a vehicle to further add insight into the constructed nature of masculinities. This was achieved through the use of a group of thirteen men who were divided into three focus groups. Each focus group made use of a vignette and a semi-structured interview schedule. Through this method the masculine identities that arose in their talk on male rape were examined. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis in which a social constructionist perspective was applied. It was found that participants strongly adhered to a hegemonic masculine point of reference in discussions. The patriarchal nature of this masculine identity that is subordinating of both women and other masculine identities was consistently used in discussions, thus representing the relatively stable influence of hegemony in gendered relations. Subordinated masculinities emerged more subtly, illustrating a growing acceptance of multiple forms of masculine identities. The results were understood as largely representative of broader society that still elevates the constructed standards of hegemony in conceptualising masculinities. This study thus sheds light on the social constructionist nature evident in society that continually influences the connotations attached to gendered identities within it. The significance in considering the masculine influences in responding to male rape lies in the multiplicity of factors that each involves as these collectively shape society's continued gendered understanding in shaping reality. A topic such as male rape, that directly threatens constructed notions of masculinities, thus allows for a new understanding to emerge in its consideration of the masculine identities that arise in responding to this traumatic experience.

In Sweden the decisions that are made regarding young people who are to be prepared care are made after the law with special provisions on the care of young people (LVU) (SFS 1990:52). The aim of this study was to investigate how the court, in its grounds of law with special provisions on the care of young people, produces gender norms. The essays method was based on a qualitative content analysis and a social construction approach to highlight the grounds for reflecting their assessments in LVU cases. The purpose of the study was not to give a definitive picture of how the grounds are designed, but merely to illustrate the process of vulnerable young people in society. The study was based on 84 LVU cases including paragraph 2 and 3, which had a fall off with 19 cases. In analysis of our results, we applied previous research on the subject which contained norms´ impact on social work, youths constructed behavior out of a gender perspective, the complex going on behind the human surface and the impact of abuse in young people. We have also analyzed our results from theoretic perspectives as gender norms, parts of the socialization theory and how norms take part in the society. To illustrate how the court may have judge the young people from the genders norms in Sweden which describes how boys and girls should behave. This study found out that the differences in how the court judged boys and girls were minimal but in some cases of paragraph 3 the differences were easier to find than in paragraph 2. The most common in the results was that there were larger differences between girls and girls, boys and boys than between girls and boys. The study also showed that boys and girls that has the same social problems are assessed under different evidence. This caused that the law is therefore not used as the propositions referenced that they should have been used. This study has therefore attempt to highlight the importance of that young people that are in an exposed situation should have the same possibilities to get the help they need. The court should not rely on gender constructions in cases of the law with special provisions on the care of young people.

<p>The aim of this study was to explore transsexuals’ identity formation and experiences related to cross-sex hormone treatment, as well as to become absorbed in the narrative approach. To be able to participate in transsexuals’ identity formation, life stories were well suited as a theoretical approach. Life stories can be seen as socially situated actions according to Mishler, where individuals’ identity formation can be seen as both identity performances and identity claims. These narratives are seen as identity performances, where we construct and perform our identities. The stories are viewed as co-constructed between the respondent and the co-constructors in a relational context, where the interviewers are seen as visible subjects. The results showed that hormone treatment, contributing especially growth of male beard, as an important factor for the respondent in passing as biological male in heterosexual contexts. The respondent’s identity expressions also showed that his identity claims and identity performances as male varied depending on relational and social contexts. The findings in the empirical data also showed that gender roles and gender stereotypes, played an important part in what identity claims and identity performances the respondent chose to portrait.</p>

The aim of this study was to explore transsexuals’ identity formation and experiences related to cross-sex hormone treatment, as well as to become absorbed in the narrative approach. To be able to participate in transsexuals’ identity formation, life stories were well suited as a theoretical approach. Life stories can be seen as socially situated actions according to Mishler, where individuals’ identity formation can be seen as both identity performances and identity claims. These narratives are seen as identity performances, where we construct and perform our identities. The stories are viewed as co-constructed between the respondent and the co-constructors in a relational context, where the interviewers are seen as visible subjects. The results showed that hormone treatment, contributing especially growth of male beard, as an important factor for the respondent in passing as biological male in heterosexual contexts. The respondent’s identity expressions also showed that his identity claims and identity performances as male varied depending on relational and social contexts. The findings in the empirical data also showed that gender roles and gender stereotypes, played an important part in what identity claims and identity performances the respondent chose to portrait.

Youth is a contested term which has been described as difficult to define and ‘pin down analytically’ (De Boek and Honwana 2005:3). In much youth development related issues, youth is categorised as a person between the ages of 15-24, which is defining a person only in terms of one’s chronological age. Age is a good indicator of where in life a person is, I used thus a wider range to include also older youth. Youth are often viewed in relation to other social categories as adults or children, and notions of youth are often as becomings, dependent, powerless, rebellious, risky (behaviour) and irresponsible, a focus merely on ‘negative’ aspects of youthhood, are these notions really describing the general youth? This study explores given youth identities in terms of behavioural patterns of being ‘in place’ and/or ‘out of place’. Identities are in this thesis approached as socially constructed, and people can hold multiple identities. This thesis therefore presents different identity narratives of Jamaican Youth ‘faces’. I used qualitative research methodology to collect and analyse the empirical data generated during fieldwork in Jamaica, Port Antonio in the period of February to beginning of May 2009. Methods such as informal conversations, observations, key informant interviews and photography is the main sources of the collected data, but also secondary data has been used in the analysis to grasp the surrounding realities. The youth participants of this study, 37, are persons who define themselves as youth and are viewed as youth by the Jamaica society based on their activities and behaviour, and are not dependent of their age, gender, class or occupation. In addition twelve (12) adults have contributed to the outsider’s views. The analytical concept of place is used to examine youth’s different behavioural patterns, based on socially accepted activities which are preformed in socially constructed youth places. The social meanings that identity performance have for the sense of being ‘in place’ and belonging to a place are explored to examine how this affects their identity building processes within a specific place. Also outside processes as national youth policy making, media representations and statements from ‘locals’, are evaluated as contributing to the present perceived Jamaican youth identities. I found multiple constructed ‘faces’of Jamaican youth; ‘the naughty’, ‘the nice’, the sexy’, ‘the wise’ and ‘the runner’ , are presented. These identities are fluid and transferable between different places in society and in time. The participants in this study each hold several of these ‘faces’, but often one which are more prominent in relation to the place one uses at that time. The located youth places; the youth centre place, the marina place and the dancehall place, are sites where the identity building processes takes form and social identities are constructed in relations to the socially acceptable conventions in the places in which youth occupy. These social conventions and identities may be negotiated, modified, reconstructed, challenged, contested or resisted in the ‘never-ending’ identity and place production processes. Identity, which is a complex term, holds several of attributes within categories as gender, race, age ect., but none of these attributes exist alone, and place as a contributor to the identity building processes is in this thesis seen as significant in the dynamic relation to all the attributes a person holds, which are preformed at different scales in society, both to be ‘in place’ and/or ‘out of place’. The youth ‘faces’ in Jamaica are also related and part of the national identity, they should therefore be accepted rather than rejected as ‘unwanted behaviour’, since a person rarely just hold one identity.