Hedersrelaterat våld som samhällsproblem : En kvalitativ textanalys av den svenska regeringens policydokument ur ett intersektionellt perspektiv

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how honor-related violence and oppression is constructed as a social problem in the Swedish government policy documents. The empirical material consists of two government documents; a government proposition and an action program. Through a qualitative text analysis, inspired by Carol Bacchi’s (2009) WPR approach, the study analyzes how the problem is presented, which actors and groups are made visible, and which assumptions about gender, family, vulnerability, and collective responsibility, shape the Swedish governments understanding of the phenomenon. The study applies an intersectional perspective together with the concept of othering to examine how different power relations and social categories are constructed in the material. The findings show that honor-related violence and oppression are represented as a serious social problem, a violation of human rights and specific form of crime requiring targeted legal and political measures. The government defines the phenomenon, not only through active violence, but through the purpose of control, particularly control over the individual in relation to family honor. Gender is central in the problem representation, as girls and women are constructed as especially vulnerable due to patriarchal and heteronormative norms surrounding sexuality, chastity, and family reputation. At the same time boys and men are also included as potential victims, particularly through expectations that they hold and reproduce honor norms. Women are also mentioned as possible perpetrators, although their role is less clearly developed. The analysis further shows that family and collective structures are central to how the problem is understood. Certain groups, such as children, HBTQI-persons and people with intellectual disabilities, are constructed as particularly vulnerable. However, the analysis also shows that some dimensions, such as class, citizenship, education and socioeconomic conditions, are less visible. Overall, the study shows that the government’s problem representation both captures important aspects of the complexity of honor-related violence and oppression, while also leaving certain power relations and social conditions insufficiently problematized.