This essay is about uncovered women's faith and worship in an urban setting in contemporary Turkey. It researches the possibility of any common factors for uncovered Sunni Muslims' faith and worship as well as what parts of classical Muslim faith they have found negotiable. The essay relates to current literature and research on the topic as well as provides an insider perspective based on interviews with Turkish women.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the late modern man's opinions manifest themselves with regards to education, work, leisure, travel, consumption and faith. Furthermore, I examine whether the informants and their views may be linked to Mary Douglas's cultural theory of cultural types. I also want to analyze whether they are classifiable as David Brooks` recently introduced type, BoBos. Finally, I examine whether my informantsare typical of today's late modern society.

The conclusion I came to was that the informants are typical of today's late modern society and that they usefully can be referred to as BoBos. They are individualistic, relativistic and partly paradoxical, which is apparent in their views of themselves as being classifiable as a group.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the informants interviewed for the study believe that ecological awareness is a trend or a permanent aspect of the clothing industry and whether ecological thinking manifests itself in the work and private life of the informants.  The interviews investigated their views on environmental issues and the ethical aspects of organic production. Similarly, analysis of informants can be categorized as an analysis of a newly introduced cultural type, Bobo.

The conclusion I achieved was that the informants have an ecological awareness which manifests itself in their work and personal life. Their views and awareness can be characterized as boboitian and is considered to be timely for today's society.

The aim of this study was to examine four women’s experiences of and attitudes towards breastfeeding. In order to achieve this end, the four women were interviewed individually. Breastfeeding is a controversial subject, which is also mirrored by the women and the different advice and recommendation that they meet. Consequently, each woman has to take a stand for what she thinks is suitable regarding her individual situation. Moreover, breastfeeding is embedded in complex historical, political and cultural systems. This becomes obvious in the contemporary principle of breastfeeding on demand, according to which breastfeeding is adapted to the child’s needs. Thus, a majority of the interviewees have difficulties with combining breastfeeding on demand with ideas of gender equality. Due to breastfeeding on demand, the women must also breastfeed in public. In those situations, the women are keen on breastfeeding as discretely as possible.

This thesis aims to examine how four sexually dominant women understand their sexuality. It specifically concentrates upon how the women defines themselves as sexually dominant and what dominance means to them sexually but also what it means to them in everyday life and in general. Additionally this essay examines how the informants understand their sexual dominance in relation to their identity and in shaping their identity. In order to carry out the purpose of this thesis four women who define themselves in one way or another as sexually dominant have been interviewed. Furthermore the study focuses upon women who practice their sexual dominance through activities and expressions that are common in the world of bdsm.

Syftet med min uppsats är att försöka förmedla hur man ser på anime, ett så typiskt japanskt fenomen, här i väst? Vidare så har jag genom litteraturstudier försökt presentera för läsaren vad anime är för något. Detta görs genom en kort historisk presentation av anime för att sedan djupare visa strukturen i anime, karaktärer, innehåll och slutligen huruvida anime återspeglar nutida oro i det egna samhället. Även en viss diskussion förs gällande anime och dess legitimitet som japanskt kulturarv. Mina informanter får också berätta hur dom tycker att anime särskiljer sig från övriga animationer, då främst från väst samt hur den svenska marknaden och dess tittare ställer sig till anime.

This paper is about culture, cultural meeting in a new place or organization, and also about identity and how identity takes form with the help of culture. The information is gathered from three informants, and their information is connected to research in those areas; culture, globalization, identity, study and work. With the information that I will get through interviews with my three informants is to help explain if there are differences and similarities. I go through how these three individuals think and act in their meeting with a new place’s culture. I use that information to find ways to make it easier to go and work or study abroad, and be prepared that culture differences will occur, and hopefully this paper will give some insight into how to deal and cope with these problems.

This thesis in social anthropology is based on the essence of Scottishness i.e. Scottish identity and Scottish clans. The thesis intends to raise the meaning of Scottish history for the Scottish identity and to analyse the relation between Scots and Englishmen. It is also meant to study how Geertz and Lewellen’s theories work in the Scottish field. This thesis intends to contribute to a better understanding and deeper insight into the uniqueness of Scottish culture.

This thesis in social anthropology is based on the inner essence, manifestations and tendencies of Scottish nationalism and regionalism. The thesis intends to investigate how Scottish nationalism and regionalism are related to each other. It is meant to highlight the meaning of the Wallace-myth for maintenance of the Scottish national consciousness and to illuminate factors lying behind this myth. It is also meant to study how Turner, Lévi-Strauss, Anderson, Eriksen, Hobsbawm and Hettne’s theories work in the Scottish field. This thesis intends to contribute to a better understanding and deeper insight into Scottish nationalism.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate what it means to be a punk in Linköping, Sweden today. This is done by interviewing four informants on a number of topics. The topics being discussed are appearance and values. The topics “values” contains a number of sub-topics, but the emphasis is put on D.I.Y-ideals and equality.

D.I.Y-ideals (Do It Yourself-ideals) are important. The informants are more or less involved in the D.I.Y-networks in which record labels, bands, fanzines and other things are a part.

This and other things being discussed shows an image of punks that is different from the traditional image. The informants are of the opinion that the general image of punks is wrong.

"Shoot, dig, and shut up !" Differing perceptions of wolves in urban and rural Sweden The wolf population in Sweden has grown considerably in recent years, which has created conflicts in society. Urban people and national authorities are in favour of the strict protection of wolves, while rural people and the indigenous Saami reindeer herders are increasingly frustrated over wolf damages. Despite national protection efforts, the number of illegally killed wolves each year is increasing, and it is possible today to talk about the ethnic dimensions of a "wolf conflict" between urban and rural people in Sweden.

My essay is a result of an investigation of letters written in a diary between 1952 and 1954 by 24 primary school teachers who had just finished their final exam in the College of Education in Norrköping, Sweden during the summer of 1952. They had promised each other to write letters of three pages in a diary and to let the book circulate between all the participators. The letters should include the experience of their work as schoolteachers but also important parts of their private lives. The books, 23 of 25 in all, were donated to the Arbetets museum in Norrköping a few years ago. I have read the letters and made an effort to analyse their educational work, their private lives, their community activities and their secrets as found in the texts of the diary. The teachers were employed for some months or for one or two terms. One third of them was engaged or married during the first year and a few gave birth to children. Their intimate friends consisted of schoolteachers but they also kept contact with their old acquaintances from the College of Education. They took little interest in the political, cultural or social problems during the period I have studied. Certain questions of private nature were not discussed in the diary letters.

The pupose of this study is to describe the work experience of five pharmacists during a period of more than 25 years. I have made interviews of 80 -120 minutes duration and I have written down the result immediately after the end of the conversation. Three of the pharmacists have a Master of Pharmacy degree and two are Bachelor of Pharmacy. Four of the participants started their pharmaceutical studies directlyg after high school but one of the five was working as a pharmaceutical technician for many years before she was offered an academic education.

Three of my informants are retired. They started their working carriers before 1970/1971 (the years of the Swedish state monopole of Pharmacy) and they describe that the pharmacy was organized as a craft-guild. The other two are still working and they have got new carriers after 2010 when the state monopole in Sweden ended. Do the Pharmcies in Sweden have a future or are they developing inte an American drugstore?

This study focuses on the context and significance of the Swedish health care strike of 2008 and investigates its motivations. The study’s vantage point is three female nurses, who were all actively involved in the strike.

This thesis is about how four exchange students from India practice their religion. About how the religious practice can be different in India and here in Sweden. It is also about religious identity and how it can change in a new environment.

The conclusions I have achieved are that religious practice is more difficult to maintain in an environment where religion is not a natural part of the public. And also how the religious identity changes when a person change environment from a country where religion is a part of the everyday life to a country where religion is a private affair.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how women in Cape Town reflect over and deal with HIV/AIDS in their everyday lives and also how they explain the cause and spread of the virus. The thesis is based on two months of fieldwork in Cape Town, South Africa, where I got the opportunity to interview three women about HIV/AIDS and how they related to the disease as well as how people in general relate to it. The women I interviewed were all working with HIV/AIDS as counsellors and educational staff. The women work in Nyanga, Observatory and Wynberg, three very different areas in Cape Town.

This paper is about three informants. I have interviewed them in the context of their views about alternative discourses in contrast to the dominating discourses in medicine and society. Important parts in the paper touch healing, how treatment is carried out, basic thinking in alternative discourses and how disease is perceived?

This study focuses on complementary medicine from the perspectives of four informants, and with reference to topical scientific discussions and currents. The background of this study is to be found in the growing use of complementary medicine in the society. The main goal is to shed light on important aspects of the informants’ use of complementary medicine. Much attention is focused on their views regarding the efficacy of the various methods, how it is defined and what concrete results they are striving for, or experiencing.

I de svagas tjänst, volym 1, är en studie i djurskyddsengagemang och syftar till att belysa något av det djurskyddare gör i sin strävan efter en djurvänligare värld. Djur, liksom människor, känner smärta och är en av den mest utsatta kategorin i vårt samhälle. Djurskyddarna har som mål att ge djuren en värdigare tillvaro och sätten att arbeta på är många. På Slaka djurhem ger man de illa medfarna djuren vård och omsorg, och när de återhämtat sig får de flytta till bra permanenta hem medan länsveterinären är bl.a. rådgivare i fråga om allvarliga problem som exempelvis vanvård och djursmitta. Djurskyddare kan även vara en privatperson som anmäler ett våldsbrott mot djur samt någon som matar fåglar i sitt närområde. Äkta engagemang har lika värde och om man bara vill är det lätt att hitta sitt sätt att vara i de svagas tjänst.

This study is based on a field study carried out in Thailand during November and December 2009. The material is based on in-depth interviews with nine women that live in the northern parts of Thailand. Seven of them belong to the Karen minority group. The purpose of the study has been to highlight the different perspectives that exist in the city, and in the rural region, in the question of education and employment, equality in the household, and participation in society within the political area. The theoretical perspective has been preceded from a democratic perspective at an individual level.

The results show that education is relevant in how women see themselves, and also gender equality in the household can be connected to influence in social life outside the household. This also shows that traditional norms play an important role. Especially in the case that the woman traditionally in Thailand has been responsible for the household, while the husband in the family has had responsibility for political decisions in society. Education can be seen to provide better conditions in life for women; an opportunity for more jobs, as well as an opportunity for an income. One difference is that for some rural women, educational aims are to learn to read and write Thai, while all the women in the city point out that a degree from the university is important.

The comparison for women's responsibilities in the household and child-rearing shows that the rural women I interviewed in general are taking a greater responsibility in the household since the husbands are working a lot. The women in the city split the household chores more often between husband and wife. The Karen women I interviewed have highlighted the importance of the family, and then also their relatives. In the past, minority groups have been more vulnerable in the country, which could play a part in that family and relatives still are an additional safety net.

In the area of participation in society outside the household, women in the rural area strongly believe that participation on a political level is an issue for men. And despite higher degree of education the women don’t have an increasing interest in participating. The women in the rural area though live close to the political authorities, which means that the majority of the women there have spoken directly to the leaders and thus can influence. Here, the level of education does not matter.  

The women in the city have not talked directly to the leaders to the same extent. Meanwhile, one of the women in the city has engaged herself politically. She thinks she could get respect, both as a woman and as Karen. She also sees that the possibilities for women to participate are growing in the cities, where the level of education generally is higher. Though, the other interviewees in the city would not want to be politically active. The only interest for them is to read about the situation and to vote. The women also speak about the leader as corrupt and selfish, which leads to low confidence in politicians.  

Finally, the study shows that traditional norms are still strong in the country, despite education and more equality in the household. Especially that woman should be responsible for the household, while the husband involve in social issues. This is shown particularly in the rural areas. In the city however, this is not highlighted in the same way. The women there have freed themselves more from the traditional norms. And two of the women with a higher degree, can run a household on only one salary. Several of my interviewees have also been moving between urban and rural areas. This makes transition between urban and rural areas not as strong as it were earlier, now it’d more gradual. At the same time the women have an everyday life in the specific social context, which result in that traditional norms are still stronger in the rural areas.

In this thesis you will meet people that are members of a “health-choir”. This people are singing together once a week and the purpose is to get a better health. You will also see if choir-singing can be seen as A rites of Passage. You will get a direct link to the informants. The choir singers who participate will speak to you.

People have different hobbies. The people we are going to meet here share the same interest - choir singing. Singing together in different choirs is their hobby (leisure time interest).

What brings them together is the singing, getting an opportunity to sing together with people they otherwise would not meet. In this essay you will learn some of the reasons behind the fact that choir singing is a big movement in Sweden (reasons behind choir singing having a great number of practitioners). You will get a direct link to the informants, without having to read answers that have been tampered with. The choir singers who participate will speak directly to you.