Problematic Men and Restricted Women: A Discourse Analysis on Swedish Feminism

Abstract: Feminism is everywhere: in all sorts of media, in fashion, in entertainment, and in politics. By focusing on social media, this thesis examines how self-identified feminists construct feminism in Sweden. The construction is found in a popular Swedish feminist podcast, a debate on the premises of sisterhood, a women’s separatist Facebook group, and an interview with the second wave feminist Agnes Wold. Drawing on Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory and Carol Bacchi’s policy analysis, What’s the Problem Represented to be, this thesis examines how the hegemonic feminism is constructed across the identified discourses. These discourses, one of problematic men and one of restricted women, exist in relation to each other and contain the notion that men are a problem that affects women’s living conditions. With regard to what it excludes, the hegemonic feminism is heteronormative and constructed from the perspectives of the self-identified feminists. The discourse analysis also shows that the feminists protect and care for other women solely because they are women.