Intresset av att studera den institutionaliserade diskrimineringen, det symboliska våldet och de mekanismer som skapar inne- och utestängningsmekanismer på grundskolan härstammar från erfarenheter under mina år som student och lärare i Sverige. Forskning inom ämnet visar på att skolan är en sorteringsarena där symboliskt våld upptar en stor plats. Skolan som den är idag är långtifrån att vara en arena ”för alla” utan vissa personer lider av exkluderande praktiker medan andra njuter av inkluderande praktiker. Jag har använt mig av self-reportmetoden för att undersöka förekomsten av det symboliska våldet ur ett elevperspektiv, samt för att undersöka vad skolchefer gör för att hantera problemet och på så sätt återge alla samma möjligheter i ett medvetande av ”en skola för alla”. Studiens aktionsradie är grundskolan. Elevernas berättelser pekar på brister i lärarnas yrkesetik och visar att det symboliska våldet tar sig uttryck i förhållningssättet hos vissa lärare. Eleverna berättar om olika former av diskriminering såsom i betygssättning, bemötande i klassen i samband med sent ankomst och användandet av mobiltelefoner. Eleverna vittnar om bestraffning av olika typer. Detta sker vid bråk mellan dem och elever av annat etniskt ursprung eller vid betygssättning. Eleverna gör en tydlig koppling mellan bemötandet de möter hos lärarna och deras kultur och/eller etniska bakgrunder. Främlingsfientlighet och fördomar menar eleverna är stark hos några lärare. Dessa elever känner sig maktlösa och stigmatiserade. Utanförskapet hanteras genom att söka stöd hos de kamrater de har i skolan. Det eleverna berättar matchar teorierna om skolan som en arena för symboliskt våld, och i detta fall gentemot elever med annan bakgrund än den svenska. Skolcheferna medverkar i studien med hjälp av samma undersökningsmetod som för eleverna. De berättar hur de hanterar situationen samt redogör för sina erfarenheter som syftar till en dekonstruktion av den institutionella diskrimineringen. Skolcheferna satsar på värdegrundsarbete, utbildning av både personal och elever, integrering av modersmålundervisning i reguljära undervisningar och arbete med likabehandlingsplaner bland annat. Skolcheferna gör det de kan inom ramen för vad staten har bestämt men för att hantera problemet krävs lite mera: en Lex Sarah eller en inblandning av fackföreningen är några punkter jag föreslår. Denna studie kan uppfattas som en ögonöppnare för lärarstudenter, lärare och skolpersonal på alla nivåer, skolchefer, rektorer och statstjänstemän som arbetar med diverse skolfrågor. För lärarutbildare som beslutar om innehållet i en lärarutbildning, är studien också något att reflektera över. / My interest to study institutionalized discrimination, symbolic violence and themechanisms that create pull-in and push-out mechanisms in primary schools arose fromlived experiences both as a student and as a teacher in Sweden. Research on this subjectshows that school is a sieve, a place where symbolic violence is alive. School as it istoday is far from being an arena “for equal opportunities” since some pupils suffer theeffects of push-out mechanisms while others enjoy those of pull-in mechanisms. I haveused self-report as an investigative method to probe into the occurrence of symbolicviolence as experienced by pupils. School directors efforts to curb such practices andfoster equal opportunities within the context of “equal opportunities for everyone” havebeen looked into. Pupils’ experiences as narrated in this study by the pupils themselves,is indicative of weaknesses in portraying the code of ethics teachers are expected toadhere to. This symbolic violence is shown in the way these kids are treated in schoolby some teachers. These pupils tell about different forms of discrimination such as inawarding scores, teachers reaction with respect to late coming and the use of mobilephones in class. They relate stories of varying forms of punishment. Punishment isunleashed in case there is a squabble between them and ethnic Swedes or when scoresare to be awarded. These kids make a clear connection between the way they are treatedand their cultural background as well as their ethnic origins. Xenophobia and prejudiceare believed to be part of the reasons for such treatment in school. These kids feelpowerless and stigmatized. Alienation is struggled with by seeking solace amongst thefriends they have in school. What they recount to me creates a synchrony with thetheories of school as an arena for symbolic violence afore mentioned, and in this case,pupils of non-Swedish heritage. School directors have also been interviewed using thesame self-report method as for the pupils. They give an account of their experiences inconnection to deconstructing institutionalized discrimination. Such efforts by theseschool directors are geared towards working with fundamental values, educating bothpupils and teachers in interaction techniques, incorporating mother tongue teaching intoregular classroom teaching as well as working with equal treatment directive amongstother things. A Lex Sarah option or an involvement of the workers union has beenadvanced as possible solutions. This study can be seen as an eye-opener for students ofpedagogy, teachers and school employees at all levels, school directors, principals andgovernment officials dealing with school issues of all sorts. For those who plan coursesin teacher education, much can be learnt from this thesis.

The integration policy in Sweden has received criticism for being disintegrating due to the structure of division between those that integrate and those who are to be integrated, a division between “us” and “them”. In 2010 the reform Act on introduction activities for certain newly arrived immigrants (2010:197), was carried out to facilitate the integration of newly arrived immigrants on the labor market. The purpose of this thesis is to study power and discrimination structures within the reform by applying an intersectional theoretical framework. Intersectionality is based on the notion that different forms of discrimination such as gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation etc. do not act independently. The theory rather advocates that these categories interact. This essay will focus on how three of them, sex, class and ethnicity interact within the reform by studying the questions: How is the relationship between sex, ethnicity and class described and valued in the reform? In what way does the reform highlight or conceal power structures? The result shows that norms about sex, class and ethnicity are reproduced within the programs related to the reform. Prejudices about foreign women hampers newly arrived women from getting education and employment training that are individualized.

This thesis aims to examine the nature of the medial compartment regarding the reporting of problems in conjunction with suburbs. Previous research on discrimination in the media shows that people living in the suburbs considers suburbs being portrayed negatively in the media. They perceive that this has a negative effect on integration which in turn increases the risk of stigmatization. This study strives to contribute to the clarification of whether medias means of reporting around this area can help in the development of problems in suburbs by examining whether there is a reflection of actual political focus in the media or if media only plays a stigmatizing role.   The research method used has been quantitative content analysis, making an overview of how much space is given to the different types of reporting. The thesis concludes that the reporting examined in this study did not appear to be of a structurally discriminatory nature, even if that type of reporting occurred. Overall, the study showed that when media reported about problems in conjunction with suburbs, there actually was a slightly larger space given for reporting of stigmatizing character than that was given to reporting with focus on illustrating problems in combination with how to politically enable their solutions.

Sweden has been named one of the most equal countries in the world and is a role model for many. Despite this, there are hierarchies within companies that favor white middle-aged men. This has raised questions about what gender equality actually looks like in practice. Several women in the advertising industry have spoken out in articles and books about the inequality in advertising agencies. Studies show how gender inequality in advertising agencies is based on a gender gap structure that keeps women out of management and ownership positions. This has opened the door to further investigation of the consequences of these structures. Therefore this research has analyzed the connection between silence and everyday sexism, by focusing on the consequences for media workers. Through semi-interviews, employees at four advertising agencies around Stockholm have shared their experiences in the workplace. This research shows that there is a clear structural sexism that bypasses several employees. It contributes both to women being silenced and to women choosing to remain silent. Sexism is embedded in the walls and the structure makes it difficult to achieve change despite the fact that people speak out. Instead, people in the advertising industry need to be more aware of the consequences of the structures for women and understand that different genders have different starting points. / Sverige har utsetts till ett av de mest jämställda länderna i världen och är en förebild för många. Trots detta finns det hierarkier inom företag som gynnar vita medelålders män. Detta har väckt frågor om hur jämställdhet egentligen ser ut i praktiken. Flera kvinnor i reklambranschen har i artiklar och böcker talat ut om ojämställdheten på reklambyråer. Studier visar hur ojämställdheten på reklambyråerna bygger på en könsuppdelad struktur som håller kvinnor borta från lednings- och ägarpositioner. Detta har öppnat dörren för ytterligare undersökningar av konsekvenserna av dessa strukturer. Därför har denna undersökning analyserat sambandet mellan tystnad och vardaglig sexism, genom att fokusera på konsekvenserna för mediearbetare. Genom semiintervjuer har anställda på fyra reklambyråer runt om i Stockholm delat med sig av sina erfarenheter på arbetsplatsen. Undersökningen visar att det finns en tydlig strukturell sexism som går flera anställda förbi. Den bidrar både till att kvinnor tystas och till att kvinnor väljer att vara tysta. Sexismen sitter i väggarna och strukturen gör det svårt att åstadkomma förändring trots att människor säger ifrån. Istället behöver personer inom reklambranschen bli mer medvetna om strukturernas konsekvenser för kvinnor och förstå att olika kön har olika utgångspunkter.

This thesis will deal with the development of the situation of the Roma minority in the Swedish school system in the period between 1954 to 2010, based on two Swedish Government Official Reports of the group's situation in the Swedish schools. The study is done by the report Zigenarfrågan (SOU 1956:43) and with the report Romers rätt (SOU 2010:55). The report Romers rätt was written by the Delegation for Roma issues and gives an updated picture of the situation of Roma in the Swedish school system. The state investigation Zigenarfrågan, is also important as the latter resulted in the Roma children enrolled in Swedish schools. This work will look at the various governmental investigations by the theory used for analysis called ”structural discrimination theory”. Comparison of these two reports by structural discrimination as theory has shown that Zigenarfrågan good vision and belief in the assimilation proposals, did not lead to desired results. Instead of achieving a homogeneous school, it resulted in a discriminatory school that still lives by the principle of homogeneity. Many of the proposals made in the report Romers rätt shows that Swedish school much because of its international bonds, trying to counter the structural discrimination directed against Roma and other minorities. But the work becomes very difficult when the structural discrimination norms are deeply ingrained in society's various institutional bodies.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences and treatment of Muslim women in their encounters with the social services. The primal themes for this study was: How does Muslim women experience the treatment of their case in the social services in a situation of need? How can the encounter and experience with the social services affect the clients trust in the social services?  What is the ideal treatment of women with a Muslim identity by the social services? The aim of this study was to investigate and capture the respondents lived perceptions and experiences with the social services, and thus the qualitative interview methodology was implemented to answer the research questions and hypotheses. Seven interviews with Muslim women were conducted in various districts of Stockholm, a city in northern Sweden. Five of the respondents were of ethnic Swedish origin and two were of other ethic origin. The results show that the majority of the respondents experienced a negative response at least once when in contact with the social services. Respondents emphasize that the unsafe and insecure meeting with the social worker was due to a non-verbal body language which they experience as an indication of preconceived notions about Muslim women, which is particularly experienced and described by the respondents with the Islamic headscarf. The trust in the social services decline in connection with the negative reflection of the respondents. However, the lived experiences with the social worker and the social services have not all been of a negative nature. The suggested ideal is also taken from the respondents own lived experiences with the social services.  A pervasive and consistent ideal is that the respondents want to be listened to, understood and respected for who they are as well as empowered rather than suppressed.  Key words: treatment, attitudes, Muslim women, social services, symbolic interactionism, trust, reliance (confidence) ideal, Rothstein, Mead, structural discrimination.   Nyckelord: bemötande, muslimska kvinnor, socialtjänsten, symbolisk interaktionism, tillit, förtroende, ideal, Rothstein, Mead, strukturell diskriminering.

This essay examines the theories of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Queer Legal Studies (QLS). CRT scholars argue that racism is not simply the product of individual prejudice but is also embedded in the legal system and other institutions. QLS scholars argue that LGBTQ+ people are subject to discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity, and that the law must be reformed to protect their rights. The first part provides a theoretical and historical background to the theories. The second part presents an empirical study of the theories' impact on Swedish law. The third part analyzes the Swedish constitutional provision on discrimination RF 2:12, with a focus on race and sexual orientation. The fourth part provides a practical analysis of Swedish court cases using the theories' methods. The fifth and final part discusses the theories' potential for the future of Swedish law. The Swedish development of anti-discrimination legislation can be understood through Hübinette and Lundström's periodization of Swedish race relations and proposes a future period of "White Understanding" and argues that the Swedish self-image is still influenced by the politics of the 20th century. The essay finds that the shame of the racist policies of the past has influenced the language of Swedish legislation. More importantly, the essay finds that the interests of the state have been prioritized over the interests of minorities. The empirical study found that the theories have had little impact on Swedish legal sources. However, the theories had a brief period of increased influence between 2004 and 2008. It also found that the theories have had some influence on the Swedish Supreme Court, as evidenced by the cases of Skattefjällsdomen and Girjasdomen.