The purpose of this essay is to investigate the construction of sexuality in Swedish school libraries through the lens of Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge. Five libraries were investigated, using two kinds of method: discourse analysis of titles, classification codes and subject headings of sex education materials, and qualitative interviews with librarians working at each of the libraries. Most sex education materials were classified within the medicine section, illustrating the continued authority of medical discourse in matters concerning sexuality. Books for younger audiences were often written for either boys or girls, reproducing a binary understanding of gender. Most library collections had a larger number of books written for girls, indicating that girls’ sexualities are subjected to a higher degree of discipline compared to boys’. Collections illustrated two combating discourses about female sexuality, one focusing on problematic aspects of sexuality such as rape and sexual abuse, the other constructing female sexuality as connected to lust and pleasure. Sex and love were constructed as intrinsically linked though the frequent use of the word “love” in titles and the concurrence of the subject heading “love” with “sex” or “sexuality”. Indexation patterns made LGBTQ-people stand out as exceptions to the heterosexual norm. Informants had differing views on what they thought should be part of their libraries’ sex education materials. Some mentioned a range of different subjects; others emphasized the need for “basic” books. When asked what materials they would not purchase informants mentioned pornographic, racist, violent and otherwise “offensive” materials. Most informants did not actively promote the libraries’ collections of sex education materials apart from signposting certain books. Regardless of the level of cooperation between teachers and librarians none of the informants had ever participated in the schools’ sex education classes. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum Studies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-253296 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Lundin, Karin |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för ABM |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Uppsatser inom biblioteks- & informationsvetenskap, 1650-4267 ; 652 |
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