Publikationer från Södertörns Högskola
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Back to the pleasures! : Homosexual mobilization and the private-public issue as a background to Michel Foucault’s project on the history of sexuality
No full textThis master’s thesis, named “Back to the pleasures! Homosexual mobilization and the private-public issue as a background to Michel Foucault’s project on the history of sexuality”, investigates a political and cultural context that shaped the publication of one of the most important works produced among the French gay intelligentsia. By surveying a set of crucial documents from the contemporary homosexual movements, along with texts produced by some of their significant representatives, the study analyzes how these movements developed different concepts of sexual liberation based on varying concepts of homosexuality. Foucault rarely supported any of these movements publicly, and the first volume of The History of Sexuality must therefore be considered his main contribution to the topic of homosexual liberation. I suggest that Foucault’s critique of homosexual identity indicates an intellectual proximity to the radical leftist homosexual movements of the 1970s, who consistently challenged the idea of identity as something fixed and stabile. However, I also suggest that he differed from most of the homosexual movements in one important respect: they associated secrecy and privacy with repression and thus understood liberation as homosexuality being-made-public, either through revolution or extensive reform. In the first volume of The History of Sexuality, Foucault instead suggests that the making-public of same sex pleasures – confessing it to a medical authority, producing a science – was rather what enabled new measures for controlling and regulating pleasures since the 19th century, in terms of sexual deviancy. I argue that Foucault’s critique of various legislations involving sexuality following the publication of the first volume of The History of Sexuality must be understood as a modification of the idea of sexual liberation that developed in the homosexual movements of the 1970s. A liberation – not of a specific sexuality, but – from sexuality itself, thereby going back to the pleasures.Denna masteruppsats, med titeln ”Tillbaka till njutningarna! Homosexuell mobilisering och offentlighetsfrågan som bakgrund till Michel Foucaults sexualitetshistoriska projekt”, undersöker en politisk och kulturell kontext som formade ett av de viktigaste verken som producerats i den franska homosexuella intelligentian. Genom att studera några avgörande texter från de samtida homorörelserna, tillsammans med verk författade av några av deras mer tongivande representanter, analyseras hur dessa rörelser utvecklade olika idéer om sexuell frigörelse baserat på olika förståelser av homosexualitet. Foucault gav sällan sitt offentliga stöd till någon av dessa rörelser och det första bandet av Sexualitetens historia måste därför ses som hans främsta bidrag till frågan om homosexuell frigörelse. Jag föreslår att Foucaults kritik av homosexuell identitet indikerar en intellektuell närhet till 1970-talets vänsterradikala homorörelser, som genomgående utmanade idén om identitet som något fixerat och stabilt. Jag föreslår emellertid att han skilde sig från många av de samtida homorörelserna på ett avgörande sätt: de associerade en hemlig och privat homosexualitet med förtryck och såg det följaktligen som att frigörelse bestod i ett slags offentliggörande av homosexualiteten – i en förändring av samhället genom revolution eller omfattande reformer. I det första bandet av Sexualitetens historia föreslår Foucault i stället att offentliggörandet av samkönade njutningar – bekännelsen inför en medicinsk auktoritet, i produktionen av en vetenskap – hade möjliggjort nya metoder för att kontrollera och reglera njutningar sedan 1800-talet, i termer av sexuell avvikelse. Jag menar att den kritik Foucault riktade mot de lagstiftningar som involverade sexualitetens begrepp, efter publiceringen av det första bandet av Sexualitetens historia, måste förstås som en modifiering av den idé om sexuell frigörelse som tog form i 1970-talets homorörelser. En frigörelse – inte av en särskild sexualitet, utan – från sexualiteten, vilket skulle innebära en rörelse tillbaka till njutningarna
Från scroll till köp : En kvalitativ studie om unga vuxnas TikTok-shopping
No full textSocial media platforms have increasingly evolved into commercial environments where consumption is integrated into everyday user practices. TikTok has emerged as a prominent arena for social commerce, in which influencers play a central role in shaping consumers’ purchase decisions. The purpose of this study is to explore the motivational factors influencing young adults’ purchase decisions in TikTok shopping within a Western context, with particular emphasis on perceived influencer authenticity and the interaction between social and individual drivers.The study adopts a qualitative research approach and is based on two focus group interviews with a total of nine women aged 18–30 who had previously made purchases via TikTok. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and key themes in participants’ discussions.The findings indicate that perceived influencer authenticity, credibility, and relatability are central factors influencing purchase decisions. Social drivers such as recommendations, parasocial relationships, and social validation interact with individual motivations including convenience, inspiration, and perceived value. The results also suggest that the boundary between entertainment and commercial content on TikTok is perceived as blurred, which affects how marketing messages are interpreted and internalized by consumers.This study contributes to a deeper understanding of consumer behavior in social commerce and highlights the importance of influencer authenticity as a key driver of purchase decisions among young adults on TikTok
AI and Digital Transformation in Organizations : A Study of How Artificial Intelligence Affects Organizational Learning
No full textArtificiell intelligens (AI) har blivit en allt mer central del av organisationers digitala transformation och påverkar hur arbete organiseras, utförs och förstås inom IT-beroende arbetssystem. Trots det ökande intresset för AI:s strategiska och tekniska möjligheter har begränsad uppmärksamhet ägnats åt hur AI upplevs och tolkas av medarbetare i deras dagliga arbete, särskilt i relation till organisatoriskt lärande och kompetensutveckling. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka hur medarbetare i operativa och taktiska yrkesroller uppfattar införandet av AI i olika IT-beroende arbetsprocesser, samt hur dessa uppfattningar hänger samman med förändringar i lärande inom ramen för digital transformation. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsansats baserad på semistrukturerade djupintervjuer med yrkesverksamma från olika organisatoriska sammanhang. Det empiriska materialet har analyserats genom tematisk kodning, där både deduktiva och induktiva kodningsstrategier har kombinerats. Analysen har sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i Work System Theory och ett sociotekniskt perspektiv, vilket möjliggör en granskning av samspelet mellan teknik, mänskliga aktörer, information och arbetsprocesser. Resultaten visar att AI i huvudsak uppfattas som ett stödjande verktyg snarare än som en genomgripande förändringskraft. Förändringar i arbetsprocesser och arbetssätt sker gradvis och på individnivå, där AI integreras i befi ntliga rutiner snarare än genom omfattande organisatoriska omstruktureringar. Vidare framkommer att ansvar och beslutsfattande fortsatt är tydligt förankrade hos mänskliga aktörer, samtidigt som AI medför ökade krav på kontroll, verifiering och kritisk reflektion. Organisatoriskt lärande framträder som en central men utmanande aspekt av AI-införandet, där kompetensutveckling i stor utsträckning sker genom informationssökning och individualiserade lärprocesser snarare än genom strukturerade organisatoriska initiativ. Överlag bidrar studien till en fördjupad förståelse av hur AI påverkar lärande, ansvar och arbetssätt i IT-beroende arbetssystem. Resultaten understryker vikten av att betrakta AI införande som en socioteknisk förändringsprocess, där organisatoriska strukturer för lärande och gemensam förståelse är avgörande för att uppnå en hållbar och långsiktig digital transformation.Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly central component of organizational digital transformation, influencing how work is organized, performed, and understood within diffrent IT-dependent work systems. Despite growing interest in the strategic and technological potential of AI, limited attention has been given to how AI is experienced and interpreted by employees in their everyday work, particularly in relation to organizational learning and competence development. The purpose of this study is therefore to explore how employees in operational and tactical roles perceive the introduction of AI in IT-dependent work processes, and how these perceptions relate to changes in learning within the context of digital transformation. The study adopts a qualitative research approach based on semi-structured deep interviews with professionals from diff erent organizational contexts. The empirical material has been analyzed using thematic coding, combining both deductive and inductive coding strategies. The analysis is theoretically informed by Work System Theory and a sociotechnical perspective, enabling an examination of how technology, human actors, information, and work processes interact. The findings indicate that AI is primarily perceived as a supportive tool rather than a transformative force. Changes in work processes and work practices occur incrementally and at an individual level, with AI being integrated into existing routines rather than through comprehensive organizational restructuring. The results further show that responsibility and decision making remain firmly anchored with human actors, while AI introduces increased demands for control, verification, and critical refl ection. Organizational learning emerges as a central yet challenging aspect of AI adoption, where competence development largely takes place through information and individualized learning processes rather than through structured organizational initiatives. Overall, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how AI influences learning, responsibility, and work practices in IT-dependent work systems. The findings highlight the importance of viewing AI adoption as a sociotechnical change process, where organizational structures for learning and shared understanding are critical for achieving sustainable and long term digital transformation
Hur Riksbankens räntebesked påverkar den svenska aktiemarknaden på kort sikt : En kvantitativ eventstudie av OMXS30 med fokus på oförändrade räntebesked
No full textStudiens syfte är att analysera hur Riksbankens oväntade räntebesked påverkar OMXS30- index på kort sikt, med fokus på alla offentliga räntebesked från 2000 till 2025. Räntebeskeden kategoriseras som höjningar, sänkningar samt oförändrade räntebesked, där de oförändrade räntebesked delas ytterligare till oväntade och förväntade oförändrade räntebesked. Studien är baserad på en kvantitativ ansats som kompletteras med en eventstudieanalys för att fånga den kortsiktiga effekten som räntebesked har på OMXS30- index. Eventet analyseras över en tredagars eventfönster bestående av en dag före beskedet, själva beskeddagen samt dagen efter. För att stödja resultaten jämförs studiens resultat med teorier om effektiva marknader, beteendefinansiering och informationsassymetri. Resultaten av denna studie visade att de oväntade oförändrade räntebesked genererade högre kumulativ abnormal avkastning (CAR) än de förväntade beskeden. Detta innebär att investerare som investerar i OMXS30-index reagerade starkt på det oväntade räntebeskedet, eftersom det gick emot deras förväntningar. Trots att de oväntade räntebeskeden uppvisade högre CAR ledde detta inte till betydligt högre volatilitet, vilket innebär att marknaden inkorporerade den nya informationen snabbt och OMXS30-index återgick till dess fundamentala pris direkt efter. Detta resultat var dock inte statistiskt signifikant, vilket kan bero på den begränsade datamängden. Den icke-signifikanta resultatet anses i detta fall som ett kunskapstillskott eftersom det bidrar till analysen av marknadsreaktioner
Cohabitation and presidential powers : A global examination of dual executives 1850–2022
No full textThe French term ‘cohabitation’ is commonly used to describe situations in semi-presidential systems where the prime minister and the president represent different political parties. The present contribution sets out to test to what extent cohabitation affects the powers of the president both in dual executives with popularly elected presidents and in systems with indirectly elected presidents. The purpose is also to assess to what extent the relationship between cohabitation and presidential powers is affected by whether cohabitation is broadly or narrowly defined. Empirically, the study is extensive in time and space. The research population consists of all democratic republics with a separate president and prime minister during the time period 1850–2022. The results show that presidential powers are reduced in times of cohabitation, but this relationship is detected primarily in semi-presidential systems with popularly elected presidents and when cohabitation is broadly defined
On Conflict and Cooperation : Dimensions of Warfare during the Nordic Bronze Age
No full textThe existence of armed conflict during the Nordic Bronze Age (1800/1700 BC) is now accepted by most researchers, and different scales of conflict having been discussed in recent years ranging from interpersonal violence to open field battles with perhaps thousands of participants. However, violent conflict is still often portrayed as purely destructive social force that destroyed intercommunal ties. While the destructive nature of raiding and other forms of warfare cannot be denied, this contribution seeks to explore how such practices could also foster local and even regional cooperation. The data includes bronze weaponry and depictions of warriors in rock art. Incorporating this wealth of data, we can additionally suggest that previous models have underappreciated the prevalence of small-scale warfare practices such as raiding. Such practices may have led to a permanently shifting and changing network of conflict and cooperation which was a major contributing factor to the outward cultural homogeneity of the Nordic Bronze Age that we perceive today
Money and War : The Contribution of Numismatics and Monetary History to the Study of Conflict
No full textThe paper gives a series of examples of various aspects of the theme Money and War: Coinage debasement to finance the war, making false coins to destabilize the enemy’s economy, minting following the army, loss of the war treasury during transport, soldiers unhappy with bad coins or no salary, coins found at battlefields, coins found in soldiers graves, hoards buried by fear of war and/or not recovered by owners possibly dead during conflict. The examples are predominantly from France and Scandinavia during the Middle Age and the Early Modern Period, but there is also one from the American Civil War. These examples illustrate the importance of money for financing the war, the war-induced monetary disorders and their severe social and political consequences, the logistic problems of providing the right money at the right place in the right quantities as well as the population’s reaction to the fear of war looting and plundering. The examples draw on a wide range of evidence taken from the fields of history, archaeology and numismatics. The aim of the paper is to give an overview of possible fields of research and hopefully inspire future trans-disciplinary work
An Arsenal of Mercy : Relief, Civil Society, and the US Congress during the Biafra Crisis
No full textThis working paper examines the complex dynamics between civil society, voluntary relief organizations, and the US Congress during the Biafra crisis (1967–1970). It investigates how grassroots advocacy and moral imperatives influenced the US Congress and public opinion, ultimately shaping the dynamics of humanitarian aid. Relief agencies employed moralistic discourses to garner support and donations, while members of Congress often used appeals for aid as a point of departure for making policy proposals, reshaping the landscape of aid. Initiatives that maintained a pro-relief posture were warmly embraced by legislators, in contrast to groups which were involved in political advocacy. At the same time, fundraising and political discourses constructed Biafran relief as an issue related to domestic concerns. The paper also situates the Biafran experience within the broader context of expressive humanitarianism, and underscores the evolving role of moral discourse in mobilizing public sentiment and political action, in a process in which media, celebrity advocacy, and civil engagement played crucial roles. By evaluating the implications of public awareness and congressional pressure on US relief policymaking during the Biafran War, the paper illuminates the interaction between domestic politics and international humanitarian crises, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between public advocacy, government policy, and the moral economy of aid.
