The aim of the essay is to explore how so called ”safe spaces” are built, and the part that creativity can play in this construction. The essay also explores the duality of idea-based social work that at the same time strives to support vulnerable groups and strives to make social and political changes. The essay has its empirical base in the RFSL Ungdom project ”Tusen bilder, tusen ord” (A thousand pictures, a thousand words). RFSL Ungdom is the Swedish youth organization for homosexual, bisexual and transgender rights. The object of ”Tusen bilder, tusen ord” is to increase psychological well-being amongst queer youth under the age of 26 by providing a safe space where they can meet, and by encouraging their creative expressions in various workshops which are led by queer-identified artists. The essay is conducted through semi-structural interviews with participants in the project, and through participating observations of some of the workshops. Its theoretical base is previous research in the concept of safe spaces, strategies of resistance, and creativity. The result shows that the safe space ”Tusen bilder, tusen ord” is constructed in various ways, for example identification with each other and a ”queer identity” and through the trust that participants in the project felt towards the organization RFSL Ungdom. The creative expressions established an air of openness and understanding in the group, and also served as ways to reshape and transform the heteronormative surroundings, through the project's art-exhibition, and through the inner queer fantasy space bricolage.

The aim of this study is to examine the collection One Thousand and One Nights (also: The Arabian Nights) from a european perspective, by comparing different european translations. The study focuses on three translations into Swedish from different periods of time and how the tales have changed in the translation process - depending on the prevailing line of approach and Western perceptions of Eastern standards. The thesis of the study is that Eastern culture, from a Western perspective, has been seen as exotic and different but not as a high literary culture and that this view has affected the translations into european languages. The study shows, among other things, that Western culture is many times considered normative in the translations and that the translators often give their own voices a prominent role, also that common Western notions of the East affects the translations. The word ”orientalism” is used frequently in the study and it refers primarily to the image of the Orient as it is described in Edward Saids' book Orientalism: as a Western construction whose main purpose is to strengthen its own conception of the Orient and thereby strengthen the Western identity as better than the Orient. The study shows, with basis in Saids' Orientalism, that the translation of One Thousand and One Nights often serves as a filter for Western beliefs and a fulfillment of expectations that already exist.

The purpose of this essay is to examine the construction of the norm-breaking characters Saga from the young adult novel Tusen gånger starkare written by Christina Herrström and Pippi Longstocking from the books written by Astrid Lindgren. In order to do this I have applied queer theory as well as theories of narrative in my analysis. To be able to study the breaking of norms, it has been essential to first examine the way the norm itself is manifested in the books. Because of this I have chosen to begin my analysis with an examination of two other characters who by their normative behavior contrasts against Pippi and Saga, namely Signe and Annika. The understanding of the normative discourse that Signe and Annika represent is crucial in understanding the way Saga and Pippi later turn against it. After that I examine in which ways Saga and Pippi breaks prevalent norms and how they as characters are constructed as being different. Subsequently I study the effects of Saga’s and Pippi’s norm-breaking, taking focus on how it influences Signe and Annika. Finally I discuss the view of Saga and Pippi as subversive characters, and however the books can be said to have a subversive effect. Even though the norms are revealed as arbitrary through Saga’s and Pippi’s behavior, the books about Pippi as well as Tusen gånger starkare send out a clear message about what the expectations of normative behavior look like.

Uppsatsen undersöker möjligheten till en rhizomatisk litteraturvetenskap, i enlighet med Gilles Deleuzes (och i viss mån Félix Guattaris) distinktioner mellan träd-tänkande och rhizom-tänkande, och mellan det släta och det räfflade, och strävar i detta efter att dels vara en teoretisk diskussion kring möjligheten till en sant rhizomatisk litteraturvetenskap, dels efter att själv vara ett praktiskt exempel på en rhizomatisk uppsats. Båda ansatserna hamnar på olika sätt i slutsatsen att en rhizomatisk litteraturvetenskap är svår (eller omöjlig) att uppnå, men att den för den sakens skull inte nödvändigtvis är mindre eftersträvansvärd.