Striden om sprutan - en diskursanalys av sprutbytesdebatten
(2011) SOPA63 20111School of Social Work
- Abstract
- The fight about the syringe - a discourse analysis of the needle exchange debate
The debate about needle exchange had been going on for twenty years in Sweden when the Act (2006:323) on the exchange of needles and syringes was introduced in 2006. But still the syringe exchange program is only implemented in Skåne. The purpose of this study was to, with a social constructionist and discourse analytic approach, highlight the arguments in the debate and the assumptions and beliefs about the drug problem on which they are based. The aim was also to investigate what social impacts the debate could provide in a wider perspective. The empirical data consisted of contemporary opinion articles from three major Swedish newspapers. The analytical... (More) - The fight about the syringe - a discourse analysis of the needle exchange debate
The debate about needle exchange had been going on for twenty years in Sweden when the Act (2006:323) on the exchange of needles and syringes was introduced in 2006. But still the syringe exchange program is only implemented in Skåne. The purpose of this study was to, with a social constructionist and discourse analytic approach, highlight the arguments in the debate and the assumptions and beliefs about the drug problem on which they are based. The aim was also to investigate what social impacts the debate could provide in a wider perspective. The empirical data consisted of contemporary opinion articles from three major Swedish newspapers. The analytical tools that the discourse analysis was primarily inspired by was the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. I identified three central signifiers and symbols in my data; syringe, drug user and care/treatment. I found that the different positions, which I call the advocacy and the critical position, consisted of a struggle about the sensemaking of all the three symbols. The advocacy position consisted primarily of a public health and utility maximization discourse while the critical position in particular was marked by a moral discourse. What united the two positions, and represented a dominant and hegemonic view in the debate, was a non-questioning of what has been known as the “Swedish model” - a restrictive and repressive drug policy. The drug policy is best thought of as a national project in Sweden. Although needle exchange is part of a drug policy, the increased acceptance and legitimacy in Sweden is based on the consideration that it only deals with health policy. The restrictive drug policy acts as something that strengthens the national identity and distinguishes Sweden from other countries, but only in theory. It is no longer completely complied with in practical application as needle exchange and other “harm reduction” operations are becoming increasingly important and applied. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1973675
- author
- Broselid, Anette LU
- supervisor
-
- Mats Hilte LU
- organization
- course
- SOPA63 20111
- year
- 2011
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- syringe exchange, media discourses, drug policy, Sweden, assumptions
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1973675
- date added to LUP
- 2011-06-07 11:54:14
- date last changed
- 2011-06-07 11:54:14
@misc{1973675,
abstract = {{The fight about the syringe - a discourse analysis of the needle exchange debate
The debate about needle exchange had been going on for twenty years in Sweden when the Act (2006:323) on the exchange of needles and syringes was introduced in 2006. But still the syringe exchange program is only implemented in Skåne. The purpose of this study was to, with a social constructionist and discourse analytic approach, highlight the arguments in the debate and the assumptions and beliefs about the drug problem on which they are based. The aim was also to investigate what social impacts the debate could provide in a wider perspective. The empirical data consisted of contemporary opinion articles from three major Swedish newspapers. The analytical tools that the discourse analysis was primarily inspired by was the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. I identified three central signifiers and symbols in my data; syringe, drug user and care/treatment. I found that the different positions, which I call the advocacy and the critical position, consisted of a struggle about the sensemaking of all the three symbols. The advocacy position consisted primarily of a public health and utility maximization discourse while the critical position in particular was marked by a moral discourse. What united the two positions, and represented a dominant and hegemonic view in the debate, was a non-questioning of what has been known as the “Swedish model” - a restrictive and repressive drug policy. The drug policy is best thought of as a national project in Sweden. Although needle exchange is part of a drug policy, the increased acceptance and legitimacy in Sweden is based on the consideration that it only deals with health policy. The restrictive drug policy acts as something that strengthens the national identity and distinguishes Sweden from other countries, but only in theory. It is no longer completely complied with in practical application as needle exchange and other “harm reduction” operations are becoming increasingly important and applied.}},
author = {{Broselid, Anette}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Striden om sprutan - en diskursanalys av sprutbytesdebatten}},
year = {{2011}},
}