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Outsourcing War: Examining Why States Rely on Private Military Companies : Exploring the economic, strategic, and political motivations of PMC use with a Case Study on Wagner in Mali.
No full textThe rise of private military companies (PMCs) has had a significant impact on contemporary conflicts, transforming and privatizing warfare and security. This thesis gives a brief history of mercenaries and soldiers of fortune’s transition into PMCs. This will aid in understanding the dangers of profit-driven, hired military. Moreover, using neoliberalism and principal-agent theory, this thesis will attempt to analyze why modern states employ PMCs. By looking in-depth at the benefits and risks of outsourcing security to private firms to get a deeper understanding of the subject. Similarly, this thesis aims to investigate Russia’s use of PMCs, most famously the Wagner group. In order to do this, the paper provides a case study regarding the Wagner group and their operations in Africa, with an emphasis on Mali. The thesis shows that enlisting PMCs is a much more cost-effective and flexible option, albeit with the risks of PMCs acting in their interest instead of the states. Furthermore, the study demonstrates how Russia’s use of private mercenaries allows them to operate high-risk political & military missions with plausible deniability, at the cost of human life, accountability, and democracy
Digital tools – Used or deprioritised? : A comparative study on digital tools in visual education.
No full textDenna uppsats syftar till att studera i vilken utsträckning och på vilket sätt dagensbildundervisning i grund- och gymnasieskolan inkluderar digitala medier genom att genomföraen enkätundersökning. Vidare vill vi sätta undersökningsresultaten i relation till de slutsatsersom Marner och Örtegren kommit fram till i sin utredning från 2013. Metoden har genomförtsmed hjälp av en strukturerad undersökning avsedd för konstpedagoger i grund- ochgymnasieskolor i Sverige. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultaten att majoriteten av bildlärareanvänder digitala medier i sina bildlektioner men används sparsamt när det gäller digitaltbildskapande. Analog bildskapande är fortfarande majoriteten av bildlektionerna. Lärareuttrycker ett behov av bättre digitala resurser såsom lämpliga datorer, licenser eller behov avfortbildning
A special military operation : A discourse analysis of how Swedish and Finnish Swedish-language newspapers framed the invasion of Åland
No full textThis essay will explore how Swedish and Finnish Swedish-language media reported on the Åland invasion during World War I. It will also examine whether coverage of the invasion and its surrounding factors changed over time. Articles from Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Hufvudstadsbladet and Vasabladet will be analysed using discourse analysis and framing theory. The essay will investigate how the conflict and the various actors involved were portrayed, how the invasion was described, and whether the news articles included any moral judgments or statements. This essay found that Swedish and Finnish Swedish-language newspapers reported on very similar aspects of the invasion of Åland, although their opinions were generally divided by national lines. Swedish newspapers focused on the political aspects by choosing to discuss the strategic significance of the Åland islands and the threat they could pose to Sweden after they had been remilitarised following the outbreak of the Great War. The newspapers were also sympathetic to the Ålanders wishes to become part of Sweden citing cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties. The Finnish Swedish-language newspapers instead mainly reported on the defensive aspects of Åland and framed its remilitarisation as a move to prevent an invasion by Germany. They were also opposed to the prospects of Åland seceding from Finland, stating that its inhabitants had more in common with the Swedish speaking population in Finland than they had to Sweden.
Disgusting Bodies, Disgusting Actions : The Disruptive Power of Grotesque Transmonstrosity in Manhunt
No full textThis thesis investigates the ways that Gretchen Felker-Martin’s 2023 debut novel Manhunt challenges constructs of normativity that support colonial capitalism. Based on Quijano’s concepts of the coloniality of power and colonial capitalism, in conjunction with Moore’s critiquing of the Capitalocene, I will show how the novel Manhunt disrupts the gender binary as a method of confronting the ongoing socio-environmental degradation of our planet. The thesis demonstrateshow transmonstrosity and the environmental grotesque (working from Bakhtinian concepts) are revealed through trans bodies, resulting in the construction of a number of different forms of disgust. The thesis thus examines the ways that different forms of disgust (as conceptualized by Sara Ahmed and Sianne Ngai) exist within the text, and specifically how moral disgust may disrupt the dehumanizing disgust felt towards non-normative bodies. The thesis argues that through its use of grotesque transmonstrosity, Manhunt creates opportunities for readers to compare disgusting actions and disgusting bodies, or rather, morally disgusting actions, and what colonial capitalism has constructed as disgusting bodies. In doing so, I posit that this text disrupts normativity and the intersecting hegemonic binaries (human/nature, fat/thin, queer/straight, white/black, cis/trans) that are the supporting pillars of colonial capitalismin favour of a transecology. In shaking these pillars, texts like Manhunt can destabilize toxic normative values. This aggressive confrontation towards embracing, rather than resisting, queerness, is increasingly crucial for the survival of our planet, as humanity must accept the transness of the web of life to resist its continued degradation
A Critical Discourse Study on the Representation of Climate Change in the BBC and Al Jazeera News Coverage 2021–2023
No full textThis study sheds light on how people are represented in the news coverage of climate change in two major news media outlets, BBC and Al Jazeera, during 2021-2023. This study is theoretically anchored in Critical Discourse Analysis and the ultimate aim is to uncover ideologies related to the positioning of people in the news coverage of climate change in the two online media platforms. The textual analysis uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for text analysis to examine the study object. First, quantitative tools were used as an entry point into the data, which helped identify ‘people’ as an important content category. In order to study the representation of people, the categories of age group and living conditions were created inductively in the data processing. Furthermore, transitivity analysis was used to explore the processes that people are involved in. The findings reveal that both news media outlets portray people participants as vulnerable and disempowered in different ways. The BBC was found to portray people participants as Actors in negated Material processes where they fail to act or in Mental processes where they experience negative emotions such as climate anxiety. In contrast, the people participants in Al Jazeera were represented as vulnerable primarily due to their practical living conditions, and they mostly performed the role as Goal in Material processes. In addition, the analysis revealed a tendency, in particular in Al Jazeera’s news coverage, to represent people participants in aggregated form, emphasizing their disastrous situation. Given that people’s worldviews can be influenced by media representations, it is noteworthy that both these two major news media outlets cast people participants in this helpless and passivizing light, which could have implications for how news readers see themselves in the face of climate change.
Are there Peacocks in Gothenburg? : Burgher Women’s Clothing in Estate Inventories From the 1830’s in Gothenburg
No full textThis study in fashion history aims to look into burgher women’s clothing in estate inventories during the 1830’s in Gothenburg, Sweden, by looking at what materials and textiles the women chose and how much money they put towards their wardrobe. This study also aims to see if there is any evidence of the conspicuous consumption theory in the source material; conspicuous consumption saying that people consume goods to show status and economic power. The study found that the burgher women in Gothenburg during the 1830’s to a high degree consumed imported textiles from around the world. Textiles from England, for example Norwich crepe and cottons from the US and India, as well as silk from China, and cashmere from the Kashmir region and fabric from Tibet are found in the estate inventories. The women do also put a substantial amount of money towards their clothing in the study. All of this points to the theory of conspicuous consumption being correct in this instance, as the women seem to tend to gravitate towards imported textiles, which are more expansive than the domestic fabrics, and also seem to be fine with paying large sums of money towards clothing, in relation to their economy.
PhD Education in Brazil and Sweden : A Comparative Pedagogical Analysis
No full textThis study presents a comparative analysis of doctoral programs in Sweden and Brazil, focusing on structural conditions, processes and products of doctoral education, such as the dissertation. The research highlights differences between the two systems: Sweden's model, which is characterized by formal employment status for doctoral students, strict qualification reviews and public dissertations with minimal subsequent corrections; and Brazil's scholarship-based model, which offers greater flexibility in research development, formal qualification processes and more iterative correction phases. By examining these differences, the study discusses how varied support functions and evaluation processes affect the quality of doctoral research and the candidate’s experiences.</p
The cost of parenthood in a police career : A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Parenthood on Female Police Officers' Career Development
No full textThis study explores the influence of parenthood on the career development of female police officers within the Swedish Police Authority, focusing on the intersection of gendered norms, organizational policies, and career progression in a male-dominated profession. Using semi-structured interviews with female police officers who are also mothers, the study investigates how parenthood shapes their professional choices and experiences. The findings reveal that while the Police Authority offers policies designed to support work-life balance, such as flexible working hours and parental leave, these measures are not always sufficient to mitigate the long-term career impacts of parenthood. Many participants described adapting their roles by transitioning to administrative positions or reducing working hours during early parenthood, which, although practical, can limit their accumulation of operational experience—an essential criterion for career advancement into leadership positions. The analysis draws on doing gender, glass ceiling theories, and the theory of gender as a social structure to illustrate how implicit expectations and workplace interactions reinforce traditional gender roles, often constraining women’s opportunities for progression. Despite the supportive policies in place, the findings suggest that deeply embedded informal norms continue to influence women’s career trajectories, highlighting the need for structural and cultural shifts to foster genuine gender equality. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on gender and careers by providing new insights into the unique challenges faced by female police officers who navigate parenthood and professional advancement
Impact of Sweden's NATO Membership on Alliance's Military Strategy in the Arctic regarding Sweden's Contributions to cold-Weather Operations
No full textThis study aims at exploring the impact of Sweden’s NATO integration on the alliance’s Arctic strategy from the perspective of operational preparedness, technological compatibility and environmental friendliness under the lens es of Realism and Liberalism. This research applies Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) and involves the collection of primary and secondary data from official NATO and Swedish government reports, scholarly articles, and think tank publications. The results indicate that Sweden’s strategic location in the Arctic region, strong military might, and focus on environmental protection effectively strengthen NATO’s strategy to deal with threats from Russia and China, as well as enhance Arctic monitoring and preparedness. However, issues emerge from Sweden’s neutral tradition and the compatibility of Sweden’s environmental concerns with the militaristic approach of NATO. Using the realist and liberal approaches, the study examines Sweden’s role to identify the impacts of the country to NATO, as well as identify the possibilities for NATO to incorporate sustainability in its Arctic strategy. It thus makes policy recommendations for how NATO can best incorporate Sweden’s strengths while navigating the challenges of regional security and environmentalism.
Nordic Preschool Teachers’ Views of the Physical and Psychological Literacy Environments Regarding Read-Alouds
No full textThis research aims to increase knowledge about how preschool teachers in three Nordic countries view their preschool’s physical and psychological literacy environment regarding read-alouds. A total of 222 Nordic preschool teachers (52 Finnish, 91 Norwegian, and 79 Swedish) responded to a survey about early literacy practices. Likert-scale questions that contained statements about teachers’ views of the physical literacy environment and methods of reading aloud were used. Scales indicating a physical and psychological literacy environment were created based on statements that reflected the respective literacy environment. The results revealed that the teachers, on average, rated their preschool’s physical literacy environment positively. Their attitudes towards the psychological literacy environment were, on average, high regarding reading aloud as an opportunity for meaning-making and even higher for language-stimulating interaction. The attitudes towards reading aloud to organise everyday activities scored very low on average, which was a somewhat unexpected finding.There were some statistically significant differences in the measures between countries and groups, such as educational level. Emphasising high-quality literacy environments as early as for one- to three-year-old children is discussed as being essential in preschool teacher training and in-service training