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Staten beväpnad med spekulum: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av Besiktningsbyråns legitimering under 1880-talet

Kristoffersson, Lovisa LU (2025) STVK04 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis explores how the Swedish system of regulated prostitution and the Inspection Bureau (Besiktningsbyrån) were legitimized during the late 19th century, with a focus on the 1880s. Using David Beetham’s theory of legitimacy - which includes legality, normative justification, and consent - the study conducts a qualitative content analysis of historical texts that defended the Bureau’s role and practices. The sources include parliamentary debates, official reports, medical articles, and letters from private individuals. The analysis shows that legitimacy was built through legal references, appeals to public health, moral arguments, and the authority of doctors. Legal claims were often supported by references to existing laws and... (More)
This thesis explores how the Swedish system of regulated prostitution and the Inspection Bureau (Besiktningsbyrån) were legitimized during the late 19th century, with a focus on the 1880s. Using David Beetham’s theory of legitimacy - which includes legality, normative justification, and consent - the study conducts a qualitative content analysis of historical texts that defended the Bureau’s role and practices. The sources include parliamentary debates, official reports, medical articles, and letters from private individuals. The analysis shows that legitimacy was built through legal references, appeals to public health, moral arguments, and the authority of doctors. Legal claims were often supported by references to existing laws and regulations. Normative justifications drew on ideas about gender, morality, and science. Consent came mostly from elite groups like physicians, while the voices of the women affected by the system were mostly missing. The study demonstrates how legitimacy depends on its historical and social context, and how it is shaped by existing power structures. By examining the links between medical, political, and moral arguments, the thesis adds to our understanding of how the state justifies its authority, especially in relation to gender, health, and control. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kristoffersson, Lovisa LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK04 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Legitimitet, legitimering, Besiktningsbyrån, prostitution, reglementering
language
Swedish
id
9189874
date added to LUP
2025-08-08 11:08:22
date last changed
2025-08-08 11:08:22
@misc{9189874,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how the Swedish system of regulated prostitution and the Inspection Bureau (Besiktningsbyrån) were legitimized during the late 19th century, with a focus on the 1880s. Using David Beetham’s theory of legitimacy - which includes legality, normative justification, and consent - the study conducts a qualitative content analysis of historical texts that defended the Bureau’s role and practices. The sources include parliamentary debates, official reports, medical articles, and letters from private individuals. The analysis shows that legitimacy was built through legal references, appeals to public health, moral arguments, and the authority of doctors. Legal claims were often supported by references to existing laws and regulations. Normative justifications drew on ideas about gender, morality, and science. Consent came mostly from elite groups like physicians, while the voices of the women affected by the system were mostly missing. The study demonstrates how legitimacy depends on its historical and social context, and how it is shaped by existing power structures. By examining the links between medical, political, and moral arguments, the thesis adds to our understanding of how the state justifies its authority, especially in relation to gender, health, and control.}},
  author       = {{Kristoffersson, Lovisa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Staten beväpnad med spekulum: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av Besiktningsbyråns legitimering under 1880-talet}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}