"It is essentially about controlling women's sexuality". A critical study on on the communication of ‘honour-based violence’ in Swedish online courses.
(2023) SOCM04 20231Sociology
Department of Sociology
- Abstract
- Since the early 2000s, the issue of ‘honour-based violence’ has sparked significant discussions in Sweden, leading to governmental and civil efforts to combat this form of violence. An essential intervention highlighted in these efforts is improving knowledge among professionals in sectors such as social and healthcare, schools, and the judicial system. Recently, a new platform has emerged, offering easily accessible information and knowledge through web-based courses. However, postcolonial researchers have long criticised how Sweden and Western countries construct ‘honour-based violence’ in their sources of information and knowledge. Therefore, this thesis investigates how ‘honour-based violence’ is communicated specifically through... (More)
- Since the early 2000s, the issue of ‘honour-based violence’ has sparked significant discussions in Sweden, leading to governmental and civil efforts to combat this form of violence. An essential intervention highlighted in these efforts is improving knowledge among professionals in sectors such as social and healthcare, schools, and the judicial system. Recently, a new platform has emerged, offering easily accessible information and knowledge through web-based courses. However, postcolonial researchers have long criticised how Sweden and Western countries construct ‘honour-based violence’ in their sources of information and knowledge. Therefore, this thesis investigates how ‘honour-based violence’ is communicated specifically through Swedish web-based courses. To accomplish this, the thesis utilises two sources of data: web-based courses and interviews. The interviews have been conducted to gain a more comprehensive understanding of why the online courses were presented in the way they were.
The analysis of the data reveals three overarching results. Firstly, ‘honour-based violence’ is portrayed as an issue not culturally rooted in Sweden. This is evident through the use of binary oppositions in the online courses, where the normative standpoint, represented as ‘we’, is contrasted with the perceived ‘Otherness’ of ‘them’. Secondly, the overall understanding and communication of ‘honour-based violence’ in the online courses exhibit ambivalence, as they oscillate between viewing it as a matter of men’s violence against women and as a cultural phenomenon. Lastly, it is apparent that ‘honour-based violence’ is utilised as a means to create divisions between those who are deemed as being Swedish and those who are considered outsiders. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the emergence of ‘honour-based violence’ came to public attention following the deaths of Sara Abed, Pela Atroshi and Fadime Sahindal. These cases received extensive media coverage and sparked widespread discussion among society and the government. The unique aspect of the incidents was that the women were of foreign origin and were murdered by male relatives rather than by their (former) intimate partner. This brought forth questions on how to interpret such violence. Was it a manifestation of entrenched patriarchal structures, where men exert power over women, or was it specific to certain cultures or groups originating from particular countries? While the question of interpretation remains unsolved,... (More)
- In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the emergence of ‘honour-based violence’ came to public attention following the deaths of Sara Abed, Pela Atroshi and Fadime Sahindal. These cases received extensive media coverage and sparked widespread discussion among society and the government. The unique aspect of the incidents was that the women were of foreign origin and were murdered by male relatives rather than by their (former) intimate partner. This brought forth questions on how to interpret such violence. Was it a manifestation of entrenched patriarchal structures, where men exert power over women, or was it specific to certain cultures or groups originating from particular countries? While the question of interpretation remains unsolved, combating ‘honour-based violence’ has become a top priority. In addition to enacting laws, the government has emphasised the importance of improving knowledge among professionals who encounter victims daily, including social and healthcare workers, teachers, and individuals within the judicial system. Over the past few years, web-based courses have emerged as an effective means of disseminating information and knowledge. However, previous research on older sources of information has criticised how certain cultures and groups have been scapegoats as the cause of ‘honour-based violence’, leading to stigmatisation and the perpetuation of racism.
Since the online courses are a relatively new development, they have not been thoroughly investigated. This research examines how ‘honour-based violence’ is presented in the online courses and if the criticism of older information sources applies to these web-based courses. To achieve this, I have analysed the content of the courses and conducted interviews with individuals involved in their creation. The examination reveals that the previous criticism of older sources applies to the online courses. Firstly, ‘honour-based violence’ is depicted as unrelated to Swedish culture. Secondly, the confusion surrounding whether the violence stems from male domination or cultural factors persists. Lastly, ‘honour-based violence’ is utilised to categorise individuals as either Swedish or non-Swedish. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9133058
- author
- Carlsson, Evelina LU
- supervisor
-
- Erik Hannerz LU
- organization
- course
- SOCM04 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- honour-based violence, gender, postcolonialism feminism, liberal feminism, symbolic violence
- language
- English
- id
- 9133058
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-03 10:19:01
- date last changed
- 2023-08-03 10:19:01
@misc{9133058,
abstract = {{Since the early 2000s, the issue of ‘honour-based violence’ has sparked significant discussions in Sweden, leading to governmental and civil efforts to combat this form of violence. An essential intervention highlighted in these efforts is improving knowledge among professionals in sectors such as social and healthcare, schools, and the judicial system. Recently, a new platform has emerged, offering easily accessible information and knowledge through web-based courses. However, postcolonial researchers have long criticised how Sweden and Western countries construct ‘honour-based violence’ in their sources of information and knowledge. Therefore, this thesis investigates how ‘honour-based violence’ is communicated specifically through Swedish web-based courses. To accomplish this, the thesis utilises two sources of data: web-based courses and interviews. The interviews have been conducted to gain a more comprehensive understanding of why the online courses were presented in the way they were.
The analysis of the data reveals three overarching results. Firstly, ‘honour-based violence’ is portrayed as an issue not culturally rooted in Sweden. This is evident through the use of binary oppositions in the online courses, where the normative standpoint, represented as ‘we’, is contrasted with the perceived ‘Otherness’ of ‘them’. Secondly, the overall understanding and communication of ‘honour-based violence’ in the online courses exhibit ambivalence, as they oscillate between viewing it as a matter of men’s violence against women and as a cultural phenomenon. Lastly, it is apparent that ‘honour-based violence’ is utilised as a means to create divisions between those who are deemed as being Swedish and those who are considered outsiders.}},
author = {{Carlsson, Evelina}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{"It is essentially about controlling women's sexuality". A critical study on on the communication of ‘honour-based violence’ in Swedish online courses.}},
year = {{2023}},
}