Föreställd o-gemenskap
Hur svensk press porträtterade frihetskampen i Tunisien och Ungern 1955 och 1956
SverigePressTidningarAftonbladetExpressenDagens NyheterTunisienUngern19551956Föreställd gemenskapEuropeisk universalismPostkolonialism
This essay is called Imaginary non-community, How Swedish press portrayed the fight for freedom in Tunisia and Hungary 1955 and 1956 and it describes how two similar struggles for freedom are portrayed through the eyes of the most popular Swedish news papers Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet and Expressen. In 1955-56 Sweden is a country where the focus lies within the nation itself with economic growth and the building of folkhemmet. The Swedish social program for a more improved living condition. Outside of Sweden the cold war is reigning and the Swedish international politics is careful and passive. The fear of communism makes Sweden side with the western powers and therefore they (Swedish politicians and news papers) do not object to the French military effort to strike down the rebellions by force in North Africa. Tunisia and Hungary are countries within the European hemisphere, Hungary as a former empire now as a satellite country for the Sovjetunion and Tunisia as a colony of France. Tunisia and Hungary may share similar assets, they both struggle to gain freedom from their dominant opponents and they are both part of the European hemisphere but is their similarities enough to make them portrayed the same in the Swedish news papers?European universalism and an imaginary community are definitions I have been trying to exemplify with my investigation of the Swedish news papers portrayment of Tunisia and Hungary 1955-56. And though it is easy to find literature about nationalism, post-colonialism and European universalism it has come to my conclusion that news papers and their impact in creating imaginary community and exclusion rarely has been investigated in Sweden.Tunisia and Hungary do have some similarities with each other but they are definitely not portrayed the same in the Swedish news papers. It was clear to me that the Swedish press sympathized with Hungary to a greater extent than with Tunisia in their struggle for freedom.