Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether and, if so, how the child perspective forms a basis for the social workers work with young people/children who are exposed to honour-related violence/abuse. The following questions are specified; how do social workers describe their work with honour- related violence and oppression? How can the choices the social workers makes in the work with honour-related violence against children be understood in relation to the child perspective? Method: The study is based on six qualitative semi-structured interviews with social workers at the social services. The results in this study have been analyzed with the help of theory childhood sociology and previous research. Result: The study results show that all interviewees experienced difficulties in the work of handling different cases. Among other things, they considered that with the information they receive, it is difficult to make a correct risk assessment. Interviewees experienced difficulties in the individuals changing their stories. The study also shows that the social workers try to help children become involved in issues that concern them and that they take into account the child's perspective and the child's best interests.

Understanding illness and health care in the ancient world, and especially within ancient Israel, is not an easy undertaking. Most of the research done on Israelite health care focuses on the identification of disease rather than their sociological implications. This study hypothesises that to truly understand ancient Israel’s thoughts on illness and health care it is important to take the wider social context, in which a sick person would have found himself, into account. This study analyses the illness of King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:11-23) against the backdrop of the ancient Near East’s understanding of illness and health care, Israel’s view of Yahweh’s role in illness, as well as the interwovenness between illness and the social values of honour and shame. The notions of purity and impurity and the role they played in Israel’s understanding of illness, as well as the role of the temple and other consultative options are also taken into account in the study. In so doing the study intends to shed some light on the interwovenness between illness and social values in ancient Israel and thus enabling a better understanding of 2 Chronicles 26:11-23 and illness and health care in ancient Israel. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Ancient Languages / unrestricted

Studiens syfte var att undersöka skolors och skolkuratorers arbete med att uppmärksamma, förebygga och motverka hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck. Intervjuer genomfördes med sex skolkuratorer i en kvalitativ intervjustudie. Resultatet visade varierande erfarenheter gällande skolans arbete med och kunskap om problematiken. En stor del av skolkuratorerna beskrev en avsaknad av en handlingsplan och riktade insatser specifikt mot hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck medan ett fåtal beskrev ett mer utvecklat och inriktat arbete mot problematiken. Mänskliga rättigheter och barnkonventionen visade sig vara grundläggande beståndsdelar i det förebyggande och motverkande arbetet och att kunskap och relationen till eleven är av vikt för att kunna uppmärksamma och upptäcka problematiken. Samverkan, organisatoriska faktorer samt sociala konstruktioner ansågs påverka handlingsutrymmet och arbetet med hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck. Resultatet visade även ett behov av ständig kompetensutveckling samt att det förebyggande och motverkande arbetet alltid måste utvecklas och uppdateras. / The aim of the study was to examine how schools and school counselors pay attention to, prevent and counteract honour related violence and oppression. Six school counselors were interviewed in a qualitative study. Results showed varying experiences regarding the school’s work with and knowledge of the problem. A majority described a lack of an action plan and specific interventions against honour related violence and oppression while a few described a focused work against the problem. Human rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child were fundamental components of the preventive and counteracting work and that knowledge and the relationship with the student are important to be able to pay attention to and identify the problem. Collaboration, organizational factors and social constructions affected the work and discretion. The results demonstrate a need for constant competence development and that preventive and counteracting work must always be developed and updated.

Previous research on the social services' work with honour-related issues has shown that knowledge is limited and poorly recognized among professionals when exercising official authority. This has led to many consequences including misjudgement in cases regarding victims of honour-based violence. The aim of this study has been to investigate social workers' conceptions of working with young women who are exposed to honour-related violence. Five semi-structured interviews with social workers in one of Stockholm's west district administrations, were conducted and the subsequent data has been analysed using a thematic content analysis. Results show that social workers' perception of honour-related violence is affected by their preconceived notions. The difficulties in their work have primarily been in the complexity of the problem, more specifically in maintaining relationships with the young women and to involve the family in transformation work. The results of the study on social workers' notions of honour-related violence and oppression have shown that the phenomenon is associated with cultural customs. It is concluded that a prerequisite for social workers in the investigation process and during the transformation work is a good relationship with the victim and other parties involved. / Enligt tidigare forskning om socialtjänstens arbete med hedersrelaterade frågor har det visat att kunskaperna är begränsade och dåligt erkända bland yrkesverksamma vid myndighetsutövning. Detta har lett till konsekvenser såsom felbedömningar i ärenden för offer som utsatts för hedersrelaterat våld. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka socialsekreterares föreställningar om att arbeta med unga kvinnor som är utsatta för hedersrelaterat våld. Insamlingen av empiri har gjorts genom fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialsekreterare vid en av västra Stockholms stadsdelsförvaltningar och data har analyserats ur en tematisk innehållsanalys. Vidare har de huvudsakliga resultaten visat att socialsekreterares föreställningar om hedersrelaterat våld påverkats av deras förutfattade meningar. Svårigheterna i arbetet har bestått av problemets komplexitet och att involvera familjen i förändringsarbetet. Slutsatserna i studien kring socialsekreterares föreställningar av hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck har visat att fenomenet är förknippat till kulturella sedvänjor. En förutsättning för socialsekreterare i utredningsprocessen och under förändringsarbetet är en god relation till den våldsutsatta samt andra involverade parter.

The aim of this study is to examine how victims and perpetrators of honour-related violence are portrayed in discourses of Swedish administrative authorities who have a national mission to combat honour-related violence. Carol Bacchi’s what’s the problem represented to be is used as an analytical tool together with the concept of cultural and universalist speech. This is used to analyse the problem representations on which honour-related violence is based on, how victims and perpetrators of honor-related violence are portrayed and with what consequences. The analysis shows that there are three salient problem representations: “lack of knowledge”, “failed integration” and “inadequate cooperation”. The analysis also show how victims and perpetrators of honor-related violence are portrayed in both cultural speech and universalist speech in a complex and intertwined social construction.

The purpose of this essay is to use a systematic literature review to examine what previous research highlights about honor-related violence and oppression. With a focus on women's vulnerability, but also to study what definition the term “honour” has in previous research, as well how different forms of violence are used in the maintenance of honour. The method that was used to be able to compile previous research is a systematic literature review that drew inspiration from hermeneutics. The essay is based on previous research consisting of 20 scientific articles, which have been systemically analyzed in order to be able to answer the purpose of the study and questions that consist of themes,; Definition of “Honour” – honour as sexual purity, the male versus female honour, ÿeref and namus,; The influence of power structures – factors that work together to maintain honour, roles within the family and the ideal victim, patriarchal values, laws that limit women’s rights, honour within culture, religion and ethnicity,; What forms of violence are used/expressed – violence triggering factors, isolation methods and different forms of violence. The results show that honour related violence and oppression is a difficult to define problem with complex roots and deadly consequences. Where the order of power and gender, female sexuality, sexual purity, and reputation are decisive factors that make the woman a subordinate individual and she is marked by the culture of honour within the patriarchy as the bearer of the honour of the family and the community. A man’s honour is his alone, while a woman’s rests on the whole family. Violence that women are exposed to is of various forms ranging from latent violence, psychological and physical violence, socioeconomic and socially structured violence, as well as various isolations in everyday life. / Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att med hjälp av systematisk litteraturöversikt undersöka vad tidigare forskning framhåller om hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck, med fokus på kvinnors utsatthet, men även studera vilken definition begreppet “heder” har i tidigare forskning, samt hur olika maktstrukturer påverkar kvinnors utsatthet och vilka olika våldsformer används det i upprätthållandet av hedern. Metoden som användes för att kunna sammanställa tidigare forskning är en systematisk litteraturöversikt som hämtat inspiration från hermeneutiken. Uppsatsen utgår från tidigare forskning som består av 20 vetenskapliga artiklar, som systematiskt analyserats för att kunna besvara syftet och frågeställningarna. I resultatet presenteras olika teman som är kopplad till studiens syfte och frågeställningar som består av teman; Definition på “heder” – heder som sexuella renhet, den manliga kontra kvinnliga hedern, ÿeref och namus,; Maktstrukturers påverkan- faktorer som samverkar för upprätthålla heder, roller inom familjen och det ideala offret, patriarkala värderingar, lag som begränsar kvinnans rätt, heder inom kultur, religion och etnicitet.; Vilka våldsformer används/uttrycks – våldsutlösande faktorer, isolerings metoder och olika våldsformer. Resultatet visar att hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck är en svårt definierad problematik med komplexa rötter och dödliga konsekvenser. Där maktordning och könstillhörighet, den kvinnliga sexualiteten, sexuell renhet och rykten är avgörande faktorer som gör kvinnan till en underordnad individ och hon är märkt av hederskulturen inom patriarkatet som bärare av familjens och gemenskapens heder. En mans heder är bara hans, samtidigt vilar kvinnans heder över hela familjen. Våld som kvinnor utsätts för är av olika former allt ifrån latent våld, psykisk- och fysiskt våld, socioekonomisk och socialt strukturerad våld, samt olika isoleringar i vardagslivet.

This research sets out to examine the main excuses, often mentioned in connection to the so-called “honour killings” in Pakistan. In this way, the aim is to discuss the idea of “honour killings” by looking at trends and patterns in this kind of homicides in Pakistan. This study also explores what legal and judicial obstacles stand in the way of putting an end to the abuse of killing women in the name of honour.The first part is mainly theoretical and analytical. In this part a set of concepts is theorized as the notion of patriarchy, public/private division and cultural globalization. These theories test the empirical data of “honour killing” in the last decade and try to find their role in the society of Pakistan. This study also analyzes the “honour killing” cases in a different way by telling stories. Second part contributes to the research regarding Islam the official religion of Pakistan. This section mainly concerns the status of women in Islam and their rights of life and free will to choose their spouses. This study also tries to remove the misconception in the minds of the West regarding Islamic teachings towards women.This study proceeds mainly under the qualitative method with the supplementary help of quantitative method. At the end, the thesis bears some finding under the abductive technique. The results show that the tested theories have a significant role in upholding the ancient practice of “honour killings” in Pakistan, and Qur’aanic and Prophetic Islam has no link with the abuse of “honour killing” in general. It is ancient tribal phenomena that have entered in some cultural norms of the society.

This thesis investigates gossip and rumours through a narrative lens in order to understand what kind of stories emanated from eighteenth-century Stockholm, and what these stories reveal about the moral values and concerns of the urban community. Using records from the consistory court and the lower courts of Stockholm, the thesis sheds some light on the stories which tend to go under the radar, and gives insights into the subtle facets of urban life, wherein gossip nurtured a culture of speculation and suspicion.  By uncovering the narratives which preoccupied the urban population of Stockholm, some thematical patterns have emerged: people gossiped about sexual immorality, marital disorder, financial dishonesty, and perceived threats against the Lutheran faith. Typically, these stories seem to have emanated from the neighbourhood or the household. The study also shows that gossip and rumours told the stories of those who violated core moral values – stories that heavily relied on a repertoire of narrative tropes and figures to portray those who transgressed social and moral boundaries. These stories reveal a deep concern for – even fear of – the hidden threats in the urban fabric: immoral characters disguised as honest members of the community. As inversions of core values, these narrative stereotypes were perceived as dangerous threats to social order and unity, whose actions could have far-reaching implications for society at large. As such, these were symbolically charged and value-laden stories. Through highlighting the coercive aspects of these stories, this thesis also argues that gossip provided urban communities with an opportunity to voice collective concerns and protect community values by unmasking hidden threats, and control or stigmatise transgressors.

This essay uses frame analysis to study changes in the descriptions of the hymen in Swedish printed press from 1989-2015. The study shows that the traditional story about the hymen has significant power in the dominant culture and affects the idea of what the hymen is and what is believed to be its functions. The study also showcases how our ideas about the hymen are socially constructed since the descriptions can shift widely but still be considered as the truth. The concept of the hymen has gone through a change over time, from a story of a hymen that breaks during first intercourse, to the hymen being a myth that doesn’t exist at all, to then emerge into the idea of the vaginal corona – another version of a hymen that is different from the traditional image. The study also shows that the traditional frame for describing the hymen does live on, and that the vaginal corona has not replaced the idea of the traditional hymen.

The concept of love abounds in the Bible but it is questionable whether the same un-derstanding that the antique audiences of the biblical documents could have had of this concept is prevalent in our time. The reason for such doubt lies, simply, in the noticeable absence of regard for each other among (even devout) people. The study was directed towards an investigation of theological and popular views on biblical love as well as a brief overview of lexicographical works by known scholars as regards the noun  and the verb . It was found that, despite the vol-ume of entries, not much in the way of clarification of the meaning of  and re-lated words is available. There is, indeed, a dire lack of contemporary social-scien-tific related data as regards this important concept and related matters. The world of the New Testament differs widely from the one we live in and a brief overview was given from social-scientific sources on the historical-cultural aspects of the first century Mediterranean world. This was done from the perspective of making use of such data in the exegesis of three shorts text-segments selected from the Gospel of John. The text-segments John 3: 16; 13: 34-45 and 21: 15-17 are well-known for the bear-ing they have on the noun  and the verb  in the Fourth Gospel as well as the popular meaning/s that is quite commonly ascribed to the texts. Exegesis was done from a grammatical-historical paradigm with joint usage of applicable historical-cultural data. / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Th. (New Testament)