This master's thesis explores the discourse in Swedish media concerning humanitarian crises resulting from war, with a focus on the crises in Ukraine and Gaza. The focus of the thesis is to analyze how the Swedish media writes about these humanitarian crises, as well as highlighting differences in their portrayal. The method and theory used in the study is critical discourse analysis, and the three-dimensional model developed by Norman Fairclough. According to Fairclough, an interdisciplinary perspective that combines textual and social analysis is needed when analyzing discourse. The model consists of three levels of analysis: textual level, discursive practice, and social practice. This study primarily focuses on the textual level, with brief discussions of the other two levels in terms of trends and tendencies. The findings suggest that there are differences in how the humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Gaza are portrayed, particularly in terms of responsibility attribution. The crisis in Ukraine is depicted as a consequence of Russia's actions, while the crisis in Gaza is portrayed more as a natural phenomenon or as a result of Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th of October 2023.

Zara Larsson and the male haters. A critical discourse analysis of the medias depiction of the singer Zara Larsson’s commentary on Bråvallafestivalen 2015 Zara Larsson, born in 1997, is a famous, young swedish singer. Besides her career in music she is also famous for her feminist thoughts in social media. In 2015, she critizised the swedish festival Bråvallafestivalen for its lack of female artists. This critizism was first published in the swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and afterwards there was a huge reaction in social media where lots of people critizised and threatened Zara Larsson because of her thougths. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how swedish newspapers reports about this situation and how Zara Larsson is portrayed, from a genderperspective. We are using a thematic analysis and a critical discourse analysis as a method. The analysis is based on articles and opinion journalism in swedish newspapers from all over the country. Theories we have used for the study is gendersystems and ideology. The main conclusion of this study is that the debate ended up to be very polarized, and that the supporting side of Zara Larsson dominated the debate, while the opposition tended to be some sort of hopeless contenders. We could also se that the main ideology was feminism, both visible and hidden in the texts. Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Thematic analysis, gender, Zara Larsson, Bråvalla festival.

The purpose of the United Nations (UN) peace operations is to help states navigate a path towards stability and sustainable peace, yet sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by the peacekeepers and other personnel is often an unintended consequence of the missions. Though the UN has employed several victim-centred measures to address the issue, peacebuilding practices often employ a simplistic discourse about the victims that recognizes only certain type of ‘ideal’ victims. It risks disregarding the different conceptualisations of justice that victims have, along with their individual wants and needs. Leaning on van Dijk’s view on social power that deems institutions as locations producing dominant discourses and influencing people’s minds, it is crucial to study which discourses the UN engages with. Thus, through a methodological combination of critical discourse analysis and policy analysis, this study scrutinizes the discourses about the victims present in the resolutions and training materials that specifically apply a victim-centred approach. The findings indicate that the discourses entail characteristics of both ideal and complex political victim discourses, and that above all, the UN positions itself as the saviour of the victims. As this discourse is likely to continue reproducing power imbalances that place victims into a dependant position, this study emphasises a serious need for re-evaluation of the UN’s own discursive positioning.

The study explores the phenomenon of girl trends on TikTok, specifically focusing on the Clean girl and Rat girl communities. It aims to understand how these communities influence self-representation and femininity, highlighting the significant role TikTok has in creating ones identity. The paper specifically researches how modern femininity is represented and which discursive strategies are leveraged to construct identity on the platform.  By implementing a multimodal critical discourse analysis, the study dissects visual, textual, and auditory elements from videos tagged with either #cleangirl or #ratgirl on TikTok. By utilizing a framework that combines Sensemaking theory with concepts of Respectability and Performativity, this study analyses the material within a Postfeministic context. The findings show that Clean girls align with more traditional notions of femininity, emphasizing an aesthetic lifestyle deemed respectable and desirable. Meanwhile, Rat girls subvert these ideals by promoting authenticity and non-conformity by distancing themselves from stereotypical norms. The analysis emphasizes the interplay between autonomy and gender expectations in shaping identity on TikTok. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of femininity, suggesting that TikTok both influences user engagement and reinforces stereotypical norms upon its users, thereby affecting the shaping of self-representation. Despite the surge of new and alternative expressions existing within the concept of girl trends, all interpretations still fall within the same context and expectations of femininity. This complex interplay negotiates femininity through a paradox where TikTok offers both freedom of expression and upholds societal norms when allowing its users to construct their identity.

English language textbooks in Swedish upper secondary education play a significant role in students' perception of culture. The cultural representation within these textbooks is vital to analyze due to the Swedish National Agency for Education (2022a, 2022b)guidelines regarding students' exposure to the English-speaking world. The study aimed to analyze how two Swedish ELT (English Language Teaching) textbooks present cultural representations in accordance with Kachru’s (1992) Concentric Three-Circle Model. The study also aimed to investigate Swedish students’ multicultural exposure to English-speaking countries through ELT textbooks. The study primarily implements a qualitative research methodology through document analysis of two Swedish ELTtextbooks for upper secondary school; however, the study also contains a quantitative aspect to clarify the cultural representations found in the textbooks per Kachru’s (1992)framework. Moreover, the study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze power relations embedded in the language and cultural representations found in two textbooks. The textbooks include examples from all circles of Kachru’s (1992)model but focus heavily on Inner Circle countries. Both textbooks provide insight into multicultural understanding and provide cultural norms, some of which are being challenged and problematized. The study's findings indicate a cultural bias and power imbalance in the cultural representations of the ELT textbooks, as the Inner Circle countries are presented as superior and normative. In contrast, the Outer- and Expanding Circle countries are marginalized despite being represented with a degree of critical cultural reflection. Further research could explore students' attitudes when working with other aspects, such as gender representation.

The aim of this study is to critically analyze how the news media in Sweden reported about Folk och Försvar’s conference 2024 on TikTok. Considering the platform’s young audience, this will make it apparent how journalism for children can be constructed. Critical discourse theory, system functional grammar and sociosemiotics are used as a theoretical framework. The method used is Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and the material is collected from six national news channels that published about the event on TikTok. By analyzing the language and visual elements used, the result of the thesis shows which discourses were conveyed in the reporting. The main findings were five different discourses that were compiled into two more general discourses. One of them strengthens the threat of a military war in Sweden, while the other one defuses and problematizes the statement from the Swedish armed forces. The first one was more common in the commercially financed news media, whereas the second was found in public service media. The conclusion furthermore indicates that public service adjusts their journalism more to align with the young audience on TikTok. The critical discourse analysis showed that depending on which discourse was used, different messages were communicated to the audience. This contributes to a power imbalance between the journalists and the children, especially considering young children have not fully developed critical thinking. The news media that claim to be aimed towards Sweden's entire population, does not however consistently take children into account.

This thesis examines the discourses produced by Instagram's green influencers or greenfluencers, focusing on the intersection of capitalism and sustainability. Greenfluencers attempt to merge environmental awareness with lifestyle content, but often encounter friction between promoting sustainability and engaging with the capitalist system. With a focus on macro greenfluencers with over 100,000 followers, the aim is to unravel how they understand and  promote sustainability in their discourses, using the recontextualisation approach of critical discourse analysis. This thesis reflects some performative and contradictory practices of greenfluencers, revealing their recontextualisation of neoliberalism within sustainability discourses. Two key topics are identified: Self-serving sustainability, and Contradictory essence. The findings highlight how greenfluencers often bring forth personal achievements over call to collective action, promoting individual responsibility while perpetuating consumption culture. Despite occasional calls for environmental justice, their approach often lacks the depth and systemic perspective.

This study aims, through a critical discourse analysis (CDA), to elucidate discourses in Swedish parliamentary debates between 2019 and 2022 which relate to multilingualism in Swedish schools. Furthermore, the study aims to identify underlying language ideologies and examine the manner in which multilingual students are represented within the discourses. The results show four different discourses which all construe multilinguals and multilingualism in different ways. Permeating the first three is a dominant monolingual conception, in which other languages than the majority language are discarded or only deemed relevant in private affairs, which is reflected in part in the representation of multilingual students. Two of the identified discourses have an othering effect, where these students are represented as incompetent, linguistically and/or culturally deviant, as a burden on teachers as well as fellow students, or as victims in need of rescuing as a consequence of unsuccessful political attempts at integration. One of the discourses construes students' whole linguistic repertoires as resources for education and personal development, and students are represented as competent, curious, and in possession of valuable experience and knowledge. Despite a pluralistic shift in legislation and official policy pertaining to language and multilingualism, a monolingual norm still dominates political discourse regarding language and education in Sweden.

This essay aims to investigate how gender is constructed, represented, and reproduced in the reality dating shows Hotell Romantik and Love Island Sverige. Additionally, it explores whether generational differences affect these representations. To investigate this, a critical discourse analysis and a comparative analysis of the programs are employed. Theories used include encoding/decoding theory, gender theory, feminist critical theory, and discourse analysis. Fairclough's three-dimensional framework was utilized to analyze two specific themes: the description of the ideal partner and the selection of a partner. The results indicate that while both programs adhere to traditional gender norms, they also challenge them to some extent. Notably, women in both programs take the initial step in partner selection, contrasting with traditional norms. The study also reveals a strong emphasis on physical attributes among participants, a focus present in both shows that cannot be solely explained by age differences. In the comparative analysis, we found both similarities and differences in the programs that could be related to the age of the participants. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of gender representation in reality dating shows, shedding light on their implications for societal perceptions and norms. Our findings reveal that reality dating shows play a crucial role in the construction, representation, and reproduction of gender, simultaneously reinforcing and challenging traditional gender norms.

Barbie (2023) was the highest-grossing film in 2023, attracting worldwide attention. The film's commercial success is undisputed, especially considering its several nominations and awards. The film points out important questions about feminism, which draws attention to the film's gender constructions. The Barbie doll, on which the film's characters are based, has been criticized over the years for promoting unrealistic beauty standards for women and girls. This study aims to critically analyze how gender is constructed in the film Barbie (2023), using multimodal feminist critical discourse analysis and social semiotic analysis. In addition, the aim is to examine if gender constructions challenge or maintain normative assumptions of gender and power structures. The theoretical framework incorporates Hall's representation theory, social semiotics, feminist critical discourse analysis, intersectionality, and Dyer's theory of stereotyping. Six selected scenes in the film are examined using analytical methods and the theoretical framework to discover discourses about gender and power. The study finds that gender is constructed in the film by reinforcing and parodying stereotypes. Furthermore, comedy is employed to reinforce and criticize gender norms. In addition, the film both promotes and challenges norms and stereotypes that construct gender and power structures. Although the film has a clear feminist objective and an explicit feminist message, its inclusion of intersectional perspectives is limited. However, the film takes significant steps toward challenging and igniting debate regarding gender constructions and power structures in film and media.