ALLMOSEGIVARENS ÅNGEST, EN KRITISK DISKURSANALYS AV TIGGERI I SVENSK NYHETSMEDIA

This bachelor thesis examines how “begging” is represented in Swedish newspaper during the period between October 2017 until the end of January 2018. The selection of time was made in connection to a bill suggesting a national begging prohibition. The thesis problematizes how the image of begging is constructed and represented in the press. The empirical material consists of publications from the three biggest newspapers in Sweden. The material is analysed in relation to the (re)production of normality and deviance, with special attention to the concepts of ethnicity and class. The thesis adopts a theoretical framework informed by an intersectional analysis, and the empirical study was approached through critical discourse analysis. Concepts such as social constructionism, discourse analysis and intersectionality are central to the study. The thesis includes discussions on ethnicity, class, representation and power as well as highlighting the hegemonic Swedish perspective in connection to research of established conceptions of beggars in Europe. The result indicates that begging is understood as a social problem that implicit threatens the Swedish welfare. Begging is mainly described as a problem derived from other countries. However, there are also arguments that claim begging to be a symptom of poverty. These arguments support an international cooperation, but this application is often underrepresented. Due to the description of begging, it is positioned as a problem that Sweden can not be held accountable for. Furthermore, begging in terms of a discourse, is positioned as an instrument to attract both readers but also voters for the election that is to be held the fall of 2018. These positions are maintained by systematical constructions of beggars as deviant from the hegemonic Swedish perspective, mainly based upon conceptions of ethnicity and class