The main issue of this master is to investigate what influence the phenomenon of postmodernity has on the Swedish public library. Is it possible to talk about the Swedish public library as postmodern, and if so, is it expressed by a postmodern discourse? The concept of postmodernity is defined as an open and inclusive value system where all kind of opinions and preferences take place. According to a postmodern point of view there is no such thing as an objective or general truth. A postmodern ideology does not talk about reality but about Realities.

What can make us identify ourselves with places? Why do we feel stronger for certain environments? Is it possible to change the identity and how can we do it? What exactly is building identity on a site, what elements it is safest to hang on to when the wind of change is blowing? In this paper, I?m going to discuss the subject identity in different ways and from different angles. Important questions I have had, has been how to analyze a site and what is the importance of identity and the possibility of changing it?The first part of the paper aims to provide an introduction to the concept of identity. I'm giving a short explanation of what identity is and how places relate to identity.

Libraries exist around us and for most of us they are a part of our every day life. But how often do we stop and think about their meaning?Libraries in fiction are usually not the center of the narrative, they play a role quietly in the background and offer a backcloth to the story. Yet they are a vital part of the story. Without them a big part of the magic in the stories would be lost.And what is their role in our lives? What do the libraries mean to the books they harbor, the readers who seek them out and society in which they have their axiomatic role?This essay?s focus is my story ?Between the shelves?, which is about the young girl Julia and the mysterious passageway she discovers in her local library.

The purpose of this study is to find out what preschool teachers think about antisocial children's literature. Based on five qualitative interviews with teachers at a preschool that works with a standard critical approach. In order to fulfill my purpose with this study, I focused on how these teachers felt that it was important to use the standard critical children's literature in preschool. I wanted to find out what the teachers' thoughts were on the concept of standard critical children's literature and how and whether they use it in their daily activities. When I analyzed the results of my interviews I used the queer theories that include standard critical pedagogy and literature in preschool.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 have done more to focus attention on the conjunction of religion and conflict than any other event in recent history. Although much international research has focused since then on the role of Islam, religiously inspired violence is also found in countries as diverse as Thailand, Burma, or Sri Lanka, where Buddhism plays a central role. This paper addresses how these Realities are reflected in two Swedish high school textbooks on religion. The thesis calls into question the manner in which Buddhism is presented in schoolbooks as the most probable candidate to be a conflict-free religion.Using Fairclough?s discourse analysis theoretical framework and Hellspong?s structural analysis, the thesis critically examines the relationship between text, the discourse practice in which text is produced and the wider social practices.

Hip-hop music has long been an expressive medium used by individuals from marginalized areas in Sweden to address social issues and shape their identities. Through interviews with Swedish hip-hop artists and analysis of lyrics, this bachelor thesis explores the self-expression of the artists and how they express their views of society. It focuses on how social problems are expressed and understood, as well as on how the artists view the depiction of contemporary Swedish hip-hop music in media. Additionally, the study investigates how hip-hop artists themselves perceive the significance of their music lyrics. Furthermore, I explore the impact of music on the identity of hip-hop artists from marginalized areas, as perceived by the artists themselves. To gain a comprehensive understanding, the ethnographic study employs semi-structured interviews and participant observation with four non-ethnically Swedish hiphop artists who live or have grown up in disadvantaged areas in Sweden.

Author: Elisabeth Wahlberg Title: ??I?ll just get mum to help me?About Young Adults? Strategies for Coping with Reading and Writing Difficulties in Daily Life  This study investigated how seven young adults, who during senior high school underwent a syllable based intervention due to reading and writing difficulties, developed their literacy skills, and what strategies they used to try to overcome reading and writing problems, whether at work, during studies or in their leisure time. The period from when the participants had left school ranged between three and eight years. Qualitative as well as quantitative data was compiled for the study. Qualitative data consisted of  semistructured interviews and quantitative data of tests performed before the intervention and on two occasions after, in order to compare results over time.

An issue of central interest today is the aspiration for wholeness, on the one hand referring to the concept of ?healing? (swed: helande), on the other hand to being ?whole? (swed: hel); body, mind, soul, spirit and relations. The need and desire to offer a more holistic experience is becoming prominent also within the Swedish Church. This paper addressed some events within the Swedish Church that cater to experiences of wholeness, with the aim of exploring how this is done in practise and how it?s rooted in Christian thought.

The purpose of this study is to find out which attitudes, norms and values exists about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families in preschools. Based on five qualitative interviews with teachers that work at a LGBT-certified preschool and one that is active in their work with norm critical pedagogy. To be able to fulfil my purpose of this study I concentrated on why these teachers believed that it was of importance to counter society?s heteronormativity, to prevent discrimination and mistreatments towards children and their LGBT parents in preschool. I wanted to find out what the teachers thoughts were on the concept of what a family is and how the diversity of families is shown in the preschools material and pedagogy.When I analysed the results of my qualitative interviews I used queer theories that include heteronormativity and norm critical pedagogy.

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine how Greece?s migration system functions and how immigration and asylum policies manifest themselves during the countries current severe economic crisis. More precisely, examining how the regulatory framework and policies regarding refugees' and migrant situation effects practical implementation. The research questions raised are; - How are refugees and other migrants' rights in Greece respected, from a legal, political and moral perspective? What impact can racism have on the treatment of refugees and other migrants? A contextual analysis of ideas through an analysis of the political programs/agendas was used and contrasted, through theories concerning racism, nationalism and globalization to further nuance the situation concerning refugees' rights.

This thesis investigates the possibilities offered to a working landscape architect by anincreased and altered use of digital 3D environments. A basic assumption is that increased useof digital three-dimensional environments promotes the creative processes and presentationoptions of landscape architects.The thesis is based on literature studies and communication with working landscapearchitects, and includes an investigation of the visualization methods available in the Blender3D modelling software. The thesis provides a thorough survey of what it means to model inthree dimensions, as well as of what modelling methods are feasible for a landscape architectto use. As landscape architects, we work with human and unique processes, and thus it isdifficult to develop standardized and automatic software for our profession. One possiblesolution is to turn to open source development, where software and models are shared andanyone can contribute.

This thesis investigates the possibilities offered to a working landscape architect by anincreased and altered use of digital 3D environments. A basic assumption is that increased useof digital three-dimensional environments promotes the creative processes and presentationoptions of landscape architects.The thesis is based on literature studies and communication with working landscapearchitects, and includes an investigation of the visualization methods available in the Blender3D modelling software. The thesis provides a thorough survey of what it means to model inthree dimensions, as well as of what modelling methods are feasible for a landscape architectto use. As landscape architects, we work with human and unique processes, and thus it isdifficult to develop standardized and automatic software for our profession. One possiblesolution is to turn to open source development, where software and models are shared andanyone can contribute.

Within the field of cinema studies, the question of visual representation is a fundamental pillar. An immense volume of theoretical work has been written on the subject, with various academic approaches such as feministic, postcolonial and gay/lesbian. Yet there is a large social group that seems to have been overlooked within the representational discourse: the elderly. This group of people appears to be a blind spot on the multicultural retina, too often neglected within the area of cultural studies. But as the baby boomer generation, who has always redefined the different stages of life (youth, adulthood, middle age), is entering old age, things are slowly changing.

The aim and purpose with this essay is to identify the natural conditions of the New Orleans City region, and to establish an understanding of the disastrous event of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Who lived in this area and how did this event affect the outcome of the disaster?The theory is based on two Swedish human geographers Torsten Hägerstrand and Thomas Lundén, and their theories on regional geography and political geography, also regarded as ?geopolitics?. Regional and Political Geography are explained as the relation between state and territory, power over the territory and the variables that affect the relations on different levels such as; economy, culture, technology, demography and communication.The author decided to use the quantitative method in the process of research, the essay underwent an overall analyzes of the media settings, articles, written literature and documentaries. The author has been very critical to the material and data that was presented by the American authorities, media and non governmental organisations.New Orleans City?s topography is unique in the matter that the city is constructed on a delta area, the Mississippi River, Missouri and Ohio River systems are all connected in New Orleans.

Mind the gap encourages you to beware of the interspaces. The project seeks to defend the gaps that occur in time and space and encourages the reader to care about the interruptions of the routine-like and planned, whilst also opening up a discussion about interaction and participation. Mind the gap is a project about the many opportunities the public space has in the contemporary city. What you have in front of you is the result of this project. As society constantly changes, new and different needs arise in the city and it is necessary that architects and planners understand and adapt to these changes. They have to be able to develop new ways of thinking and to challenge established perceptions of what the public space is and should be. This means being able to see that the public space could be different and to recognize the potentials for it to change. This project examines the underlying ideals of urbanism and investigates the potentials of the City when shaped by these ideals.