Through discourse analysis of twelve Library and Information Science theses, covering the period between 1975 and 2007, this thesis examines representations of homosexuality and homosexual identities. By using queer theory as a point of reference aspects such as essence/construct, equality/difference, notions of gender and views on the historical and contemporary situation of homosexuals are brought to the fore in the analysis. It is shown how the material unequivocally posits the contemporary situation of homosexuals favourably in comparison to a past signified by prejudices and oppression. This can be seen as an implicit essentialism in the texts, though ambivalences open up the possibility that it in some cases may be only strategically used while explicitly adhering to constructionist views. In linking concepts of a homosexual difference to prejudices, frequently involving notions of inverted gender performances or sexual ?extremes?, the discourse of progression posits normalcy and assimilation as positive values.

The aim of this master?s thesis is to study the discourses on culture as developed by EU Commission. The method applied is a discoursebased historical analysis, where analysis of arguments and metaphors are functional to the enlightening of the construction of discourses within EU cultural policy. EU official documents constitute the empirical material studied. The theoretical framework of the thesis draws upon cultural public sphere theory as well instrumentalist cultural policy research.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to investigate the modern Swedishreader?s possibilities to understand the literary allusions in Jane Austen?sfirst three novels in light of young people?s decreasing readingand understanding of classic literature. This is done by examining historicaloverviews of literature written in Swedish, curriculums forliterature courses at three Swedish universities and library holdings inSwedish libraries, both public and academic.In the thesis three different elements are combined ? informationabout the alluded authors and texts, a comparison between the Swedishand the English versions of the novels and the result from theabove mentioned investigation. The description of the alluded authorsand texts provide information about the connotations that can be madeby an allusion to them.

This assignment focuses on the concept of ?school trips? and Gotland. Pedagogically, the school trip was initially focussed on practical and national aspects, the education to be made visible and the idea was to present Sweden, its nature and its industries. The Gotland administration chose to focus on the unique and cultural history, and it was unusual that visits were undertaken to factories and workshops. This was also the start of the current tourism trend where knowledge of the value of the countryside and the opportunities for tourism is a successful combination, which can be seen today even if the school trips now have different areas to visit.

In the essay the author examines how pilgrimage can be used as a tool to radicalise democracy in a late modern society marked by neoliberalism. Applying a dialectic perspective on social movements the essay puts forward how the pilgrimage movement Pilgrim?s Walk for Future, administrated by Church of Sweden, is working in line with the historical pilgrimage theology - a modern critical ecclesiology- to mobilise political action to prevent climate change. The result of the study shows how PWFF meet the neoliberal hegemony with a mobilisation of alternative values beyond the order of capitalism, in line with Christian theology and tradition. The mobilisation is made possible by new forms of identifications with oneself and the social world that meet a modern power/knowledge- regime based on rational thought, and which questions norms and practises by paying attention to their negative effects on nature and on human life in general.

This essay will discuss the Roman God Janus, as a figure of speech, in four different texts written by Publius Ovidius Naso, Michel de Montaigne, Francis Bacon and Elijah Fenton. The Janus figure could also illustrate the relationship between the past, the present and the future, because of the attributes of looking back and forward, in both space and time, that Janus was said to possess. Reinhard Koselleck's ideas of space of experience and horizon of expectation will be used as an analytical approach, thus creating a dual purpose for this essay. On one hand to understand texts about Janus, which implies an understanding of the changes over time associated with the history of ideas of Janus, and on the other the past's importance in relation to the future, which includes an understanding of Janus via Koselleck's thesis about the change in relationship between experience and expectation.The question formulations are as follows: How has the Janus motive changed over time in the researched texts? How can the literary use of Janus show the changed relationship between the space of experience and the horizon of expectation, and in a wider context between the past and the future? Janus has gone from being a physical presence, as the arcs of the Forum Romanum in ancient Rome, to becoming a tool for authors, one that spans many literary rooms.

The translation of financial records of foreign subsidiaries gives rise to currency translation adjustments that affect total group equity. If unwanted, fluctuations in translation adjustments can be avoided using net investment hedges. This study aims to find the extent of net investment hedging in Sweden today and in a short historical perspective, and find explanations to varying levels of hedging and firms' decisions to hedge. Based on annual reports, we determine Swedish firms' net investment hedging policies and their level of hedging. The 32 largest companies listed on the Stockholm stock exchange in the years 1993, 2004, 2006, and 2009 are studied.

The thesis "Jaummuov?rrie Flower Meadow: An Assessment of Species Diversity and Cultural History," provides a detailed botanical examination of Jaummuov?rrie flower meadow in the Ammarn?s area, focusing on its biodiversity and cultural significance. The study aims to evaluate the species richness of the meadow and explore its role in the cultural heritage of the region. In addition to its ecological importance, the thesis delves into the cultural history of Jaummuov?rrie flower meadow, tracing its significance to the local community and traditional practices.

The aim of the study is to examine how the executive leadership and the decision-making process are shaped by the leadership environment in a transition democracy as Venezuela. The questions I intend to answer are: What kind of leadership environment surrounds the leadership and what kind of consequences does it have on the leadership and the decision-making process in Venezuela? To answer my questions I will use the literature: Political Leadership in Liberal Democracies (Elgie, Robert 1995, London: Macmillian), together with the method ?The cultural determinist school of history? by Tomas Spencer, later reproduced by Kellerman. The leadership environment provides unique opportunities for a leader to gain control over the decision-making process. Institutional structures and the needs of the society are major parts in determining how the political leadership is exercised.

For some time, there has been a general thought that churches built in the Early Middle Ages in Scandinavia, around the 12th century, directly replaced cult buildings or cult sites from the Late Iron Age. There are archaeologists who have criticized this and were instead skeptical that churches at all were built on places where a pre-Christian cult building existed. Several examples from Scandinavia contradict this and show a continuity of place and cult from the Late Iron Age to the Early Middle Ages. The aim of this thesis is through a spatial analysis, study Late Iron Age archaeological sites in the landscape around thirteen churches located around lake T?kern in the western part of ?sterg?tland, to see if there is a place and cult continuity from the Late Iron Age to the Early Middle Ages at the selected locations.

Abstract Squares, these public rooms have always fascinated me. I find them interesting because of their variety in shapes, functions, design etc. Stortorget in Lund is one of Sweden?s oldest squares, this essay is dedicated to this particular square. Of all the possible ways that you could approach Stortorget in Lund I have decided to do it from an urban design point of view.

The focus of this thesis is the library at the Swedish school in Berlin, Germany. Being a school in a foreign country, and playing a role also as a public library, the conditions for the library are somewhat unusual. Considering those conditions, how should the library be organised and developed to meet the users' needs in the best way possible? To put the library in Berlin into a greater perspective, the first chapters of the thesis are dedicated to the issue of school libraries in Sweden; their historical development, their importance in the school curriculum and their present situation. Swedish research in the field of school libraries is presented and includes descriptions of theoretical analysing models.

Forecasting stock market returns is an interesting topic since more and more Swedes enter and invest in this market. Theory implies, however, that such exercises should be impossible. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the possibility to forecast future stock returns by looking at macroeconomic variables? history. The study is limited to the Swedish market as it is based on the OMXS30-index which represents the 30 most exchanged stocks on Stockholms¬börsen, the Swedish stock exchange.

This thesis analyzes and discusses the role of institutions concerning countries' abilities to create economic wealth. The countries that we are analyzing are the former members of the Warsaw pact and former Yugoslavia. These countries are referred to as transition countries. In order to analyze the transition countries institutional structure we are using Douglass C. North's theory regarding institutions and institutional building.

Purpose: The main purpose of the thesis is to examine the profitability of Momentum Strategies on the Nordic stock markets. This will provide insight and contribute to the debate on efficient markets. Finding profitable Momentum Strategies will provide strong evidence of inefficiency in the market. A secondary purpose is to examine factors which might cause or impact the profitability of the Momentum Strategy. We will look closely at the relationship between the profitability and factors such as risk (CAPM-beta), market capitalization, trading volume and seasonality.