This thesis investigates how the ambiguous concept of ‘structural racism’ has attained its popular status within Swedish social science during the incipient decades of the 21st century. Drawing on the analytical framework for conceptual analyses presented by Loïc Wacquant in his book The Invention of the “Underclass” (Wacquant 2022b), this investigation examines the use and understanding of ‘structural racism’ by agents in the social fields of journalism, politics, social science, and the state. It reveals that ‘structural racism’ initially became a tool among journalists to highlight and explain the heretofore unprecedented levels of marginalization and exclusion of Sweden’s immigrant population during the mid-to late-1990s. The ambiguous nature of the concept allowed it to be widely applied to all forms of inequities displayed among immigrants, so aiding in its dissemination. Journalistic usage brought attention to ‘structural racism’ of prominent politicians, who in turn utilized the powers of the state to combat it. It is argued that the state’s validation of ‘structural racism’ led to the wide acceptance of ‘structural racism’ among social scientists seen today. Additionally, it is also argued that ‘structural racism’ arose as a “counter concept” to ‘multiculturalism’ and its constituent element of immigrant marginality as being an issue of “cultural deficiency” on the part of the immigrants, to being an issue of structural barriers on the part of society. In conclusion, the study proposes that ‘structural racism’ be replaced with more precise conceptual tools. Additionally, social scientists are urged to be watchful of external powers, such as the state, which can steer academic interests to potentially faulty concepts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-530794 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Norrman, Johan |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Sociologiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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