The knowledge that excluded

The following study examines the process behind the legalization of homosexual acts in Sweden between the years of 1933-1944. This is done through Michel Foucault’s thoughts about bio-power and episteme. The study also relies on the definition of heteronormativity found in Tiina Rosenbergs book Queerfeministisk agenda. I have made use of public Swedish government publications in the form of Statens offentliga utredningar (loosely translated to public investigations by the government) and motions, propositions and protocol from the Swedish parliament between the investigated period (1933-1944). The goal of the study was to identify the most influential episteme which in turn was analysed to see, if it in any way, influenced the discourse against homosexuals in a positive or negative way. Results from the study confirms that the contemporary episteme named after Emil Kraeplin which concludes that homosexual behaviour was seen in the light of being something socially constructed and could therefore be spread between individuals in the means of homosexual manipulations. This lead the episteme to influence the discourse against homosexuals to be viewed as a disease and a mental illness. By looking at homosexuality from the outlook of the Kraeplin episteme the Swedish law was formed in a way to protect the Swedish youth from being able to be manipulated into spreading the homosexual acts