<p>The purpose of this research has been to investigate possible reasons for why honour related oppression exist in Sweden as well as to find out how some voluntary organisations work to change honour oppression related attitudes. The questions that the reserachers were trying to answer were (1) What are the possible causes for honour related oppression in Sweden? (2) How can honour related oppression be identified? (3) What are the voluntary organisations doing to change these attitudes? To answer these questions a qualitative method was used. The reserachers examined what leading researchers in this area thought were the reasons to why honour related oppression exist and then carried out interviews with participants from four voluntary organisations. A social constructional approached were chosen as the theoretical framework for this research and the results were also analysed from several perspectives. The reserachers found that the reasons for the honour related oppression links to the upkeep of old traditions and customs as well as gaps in the Swedish integration of immigrants. The researchers concluded that the honour related oppression exist due to old habits that can change over time.</p>

The purpose of this research has been to investigate possible reasons for why honour related oppression exist in Sweden as well as to find out how some voluntary organisations work to change honour oppression related attitudes. The questions that the reserachers were trying to answer were (1) What are the possible causes for honour related oppression in Sweden? (2) How can honour related oppression be identified? (3) What are the voluntary organisations doing to change these attitudes? To answer these questions a qualitative method was used. The reserachers examined what leading researchers in this area thought were the reasons to why honour related oppression exist and then carried out interviews with participants from four voluntary organisations. A social constructional approached were chosen as the theoretical framework for this research and the results were also analysed from several perspectives. The reserachers found that the reasons for the honour related oppression links to the upkeep of old traditions and customs as well as gaps in the Swedish integration of immigrants. The researchers concluded that the honour related oppression exist due to old habits that can change over time.

Boij, A. 2002: Jorden är mörk och svart. Vad som rör pastorer i Svenska Missionsförbundet när de ska predika om samhället. (The world is black and dark. What concerns pastors in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden when they preach about society). Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum 16. 239 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-5488-7. The dissertation reflects a study of what pastors in the Mission Covenant Church in Sweden say in their sermons about society and social responsibility and represents an attempt at finding factors such as gender, education, age, values, and faith behind what has been said in the sermons. The results show that in general pastors have a negative picture of society irrespective of which of its aspects they are addressing. The pastors’ view of Christian responsibility for society is that it is primarily something for the individual to take, not for the congregation. Above all, Christian responsibility for society is about individual Christians' taking responsibility for her fellow human beings. For theoretical clarification the findings are discussed within the framework of the concept of secularisation, following Casanova (1994) sub-divided into differentiation, decline of religion and privatisation. In the study differentiation is identified when pastors do not relate theological reflection to their description and analysis of society. Thus they do not provide an integrated system of meaning for everyday life. As for privatisation, even when pastors are mainly speaking about public events, they are unable to place those events in a religiously interpreted context. According to the pastors social problems are to be met with private and individual solutions through Christians' actions to the benefit of their fellow men. The MCC is a part of what in Swedish can be called a popular movement, a kind of "social movement" or "voluntary organisation." The analysis shows that its pastors in their sermons do not embrace some of the central parts of the ideology that generally pertain to popular movements, namely concern with reforming society.

<p>Boij, A. 2002: Jorden är mörk och svart. Vad som rör pastorer i Svenska Missionsförbundet när de ska predika om samhället. (The world is black and dark. What concerns pastors in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden when they preach about society). Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. <i>Psychologia et Sociologia Religionum</i> 16. 239 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-5488-7.</p><p>The dissertation reflects a study of what pastors in the Mission Covenant Church in Sweden say in their sermons about society and social responsibility and represents an attempt at finding factors such as gender, education, age, values, and faith behind what has been said in the sermons.</p><p>The results show that in general pastors have a negative picture of society irrespective of which of its aspects they are addressing. The pastors’ view of Christian responsibility for society is that it is primarily something for the individual to take, not for the congregation. Above all, Christian responsibility for society is about individual Christians' taking responsibility for her fellow human beings.</p><p>For theoretical clarification the findings are discussed within the framework of the concept of secularisation, following Casanova (1994) sub-divided into differentiation, decline of religion and privatisation. In the study differentiation is identified when pastors do not relate theological reflection to their description and analysis of society. Thus they do not provide an integrated system of meaning for everyday life. As for privatisation, even when pastors are mainly speaking about public events, they are unable to place those events in a religiously interpreted context. According to the pastors social problems are to be met with private and individual solutions through Christians' actions to the benefit of their fellow men. </p><p>The MCC is a part of what in Swedish can be called <i>a popular movement</i>, a kind of "social movement" or "voluntary organisation." The analysis shows that its pastors in their sermons do not embrace some of the central parts of the ideology that generally pertain to <i>popular movements</i>, namely concern with reforming society. </p>