This master thesis aims to identify and interpret alienation-related situations in two novels by the German-Romanian author Herta Müller, "The Land of Green plums" (Herztier) and ''The Appointment" (Heute wär ich mir nicht lieber begegnet). The events presented in the novels take place during the time of the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania, with some references to the time before the Second World War. Alienation is considered a central theme in both novels. The thesis uses the six dimensions of alienation as described by the American sociologist Melvin Seeman (University of California), and is based on the following research questions: 1) What literary descriptions of alienation-related situations can be found in Herta Müller’s two novels?; and 2) How do these literary descriptions emphasize the concept of alienation as defined in Melvin Seeman’s theory? In analyzing the novels, two aspects were taken into account: 1) what kind of society the protagonist lives in; and 2) what types of situations highlight the protagonist’s alienation. The process of identification and evaluation of texts describing alienation-related situations are based on a mixed method of thematic and biographic text analysis. The method of interpreting a written text rest on hermeneutics as described by Hans Georg Gadamer. The thesis identifies several descriptions of alienation-related situations in both novels. These situations are all various expressions of the protagonists’ experiences of living in a non-democratic society. Most of them relate to extreme situations causing fear and anxiety to the protagonists. The thesis studies the relationship between protagonists and society. The protagonists describe not only their own police interrogations, but also those of their friends. Alienation is also represented in the childhood memories of the protagonists.

Modern society’s industrial food system has led to several environmental problems and is compromising the fundamental aspects of agriculture such as fertile soil, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. In addition to this, the food system contributes to economic and social difficulties for actors within the agricultural sector. Hence, the food system requires a deep socio-economic change. Regionalwert AG is among other alternative food networks, an initiative to enhance sustainable agriculture by operating at a regional level. In this study, interviews were conducted with partner companies of Regionalwert AG with the aim to examine what motivates people to engage in alternative food networks, using Regionalwert AG as an exemplary case. A further aim was to examine the partnership between the partner companies and Regionalwert AG. The results were analysed using the study's state of knowledge and the theoretical framework, consisting of alienation theory. The study shows that the informants had unique stories about how they engaged with the network and that the partnership was constructed in three different ways: investment partnership, licensed partnership, and supportive partnership. The motivations that emerged from the study were divided into three themes: (i) economic, social and ideological, (ii) critical approach towards the food system, and (iii) re-connecting people with agriculture. The informants expressed that they want to spread knowledge and awareness about food production and Regionalwert AG makes this financially possible as well as provides a platform to spread the message about the value of food. / Det moderna samhällets industriella livsmedelssystem har lett till flera miljöproblem och det kompromissar fundamentala aspekter inom jordbruket som bördig jord, biodiversitet och ekosystemtjänster. Utöver miljöproblemen bidrar livsmedelssystemet till ekonomiska och sociala svårigheter för aktörer inom jordbrukssektorn. Därav krävs en stor socioekonomisk förändring av livsmedelssystemet. Regionalwert AG är tillsammans med andra alternativa livsmedelsnätverk ett initiativ till att öka hållbart jordbruk genom att verka på en regional nivå. I den här studien, genomfördes intervjuer med partnerföretag till Regionalwert AG med syftet att undersöka vad som motiverar människor att gå med i alternativa livsmedelsnätverk, genom att använda Regionalwert AG som ett exemplifierande fall. Ett ytterligare syfte var att undersöka partnerskapet mellan partnerföretagen och Regionalwert AG. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av studiens kunskapsläge och teoretiska ramverk, bestående av alienationsteori. Studien visar att informanterna hade unika berättelser om hur de anslöt sig till nätverket och att partnerskapet var konstruerat på tre olika sätt: investerings partnerskap, licensierat partnerskap och stödjande partnerskap. Motivationerna som kom fram genom studien föll under tre teman: (i) ekonomisk, social och ideologisk, (ii) kritisk inställning mot livsmedelssystemet och (iii) återknyta människor med jordbruket. Informanterna uttryckte att de vill sprida kunskap och medvetenhet om matproduktion och Regionalwert AG gör detta finansiellt möjligt samt utgör en plattform för att sprida budskapet om värdet bakom livsmedel.