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Scouting out Swedishness: A Cultural Analysis of How Swedishness is Performed by Swedish Scouts

Nordin, Matilda LU (2023) TKAM02 20231
Division of Ethnology
Abstract
In the summer of 2023, the international World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) will take place in South Korea. A Swedish scout delegation will participate in the camp and provide a Swedish food house. In an international context such as the WSJ, the Swedish scouts will express their own nationality, through both the Swedish Food House and other national symbols. This expression of nationality is essentially an expression of their idea of Swedishness. In this thesis I ask: How is the idea of Swedishness performed by Swedish scouts? With the Swedish Food House project and a scout badge design competition as case studies, I investigate this question through the theoretical lens of Performance, along with the methods of interviews and visual content... (More)
In the summer of 2023, the international World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) will take place in South Korea. A Swedish scout delegation will participate in the camp and provide a Swedish food house. In an international context such as the WSJ, the Swedish scouts will express their own nationality, through both the Swedish Food House and other national symbols. This expression of nationality is essentially an expression of their idea of Swedishness. In this thesis I ask: How is the idea of Swedishness performed by Swedish scouts? With the Swedish Food House project and a scout badge design competition as case studies, I investigate this question through the theoretical lens of Performance, along with the methods of interviews and visual content analysis. I also use the seven steps of empirical phenomenology in my process to arrive at an answer. In my analysis of the material, I find that there is a dichotomy of tradition versus modernity present, where tradition takes the leading part in this performance while modernity has the supporting role. The performance of Swedishness also takes place on multiple levels, at the individual, group and societal levels. The findings from this research can be used in scouting or other international contexts where countries are representing and promoting themselves. Moreover, the findings can be used as a starting point for reflection on nationality and the subsequent expression of it. (Less)
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author
Nordin, Matilda LU
supervisor
organization
course
TKAM02 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Swedishness, identity, scouts, performance, banal nationalism, imagined communities
language
English
id
9186060
date added to LUP
2025-06-28 15:47:34
date last changed
2025-06-28 15:47:34
@misc{9186060,
  abstract     = {{In the summer of 2023, the international World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) will take place in South Korea. A Swedish scout delegation will participate in the camp and provide a Swedish food house. In an international context such as the WSJ, the Swedish scouts will express their own nationality, through both the Swedish Food House and other national symbols. This expression of nationality is essentially an expression of their idea of Swedishness. In this thesis I ask: How is the idea of Swedishness performed by Swedish scouts? With the Swedish Food House project and a scout badge design competition as case studies, I investigate this question through the theoretical lens of Performance, along with the methods of interviews and visual content analysis. I also use the seven steps of empirical phenomenology in my process to arrive at an answer. In my analysis of the material, I find that there is a dichotomy of tradition versus modernity present, where tradition takes the leading part in this performance while modernity has the supporting role. The performance of Swedishness also takes place on multiple levels, at the individual, group and societal levels. The findings from this research can be used in scouting or other international contexts where countries are representing and promoting themselves. Moreover, the findings can be used as a starting point for reflection on nationality and the subsequent expression of it.}},
  author       = {{Nordin, Matilda}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Scouting out Swedishness: A Cultural Analysis of How Swedishness is Performed by Swedish Scouts}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}