Exercising freedom of speech: A cultural analysis of the Dawit Isaak Library

Abstract: This thesis investigates how freedom of speech is implemented in a Swedish library context, by examining what actions and practices the concept is translated into at the Dawit Isaak Library in Malmö, a library focused on freedom of speech and banned literature that opened at Malmö City Archive in 2020. The aim of the study is to illuminate and clarify discrepancies between the theoretical definition and the physical performance of freedom of speech, and it investigates the dilemmas that may arise there. Through the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s social field theory, the groups and individuals that interact and negotiate with each other in the Dawit Isaak Library are examined, to see how the interactions shape the library’s practices around the theme of freedom of speech. The study uses field material consisting of interviews with employees at the Dawit Isaak Library, and an official document from Malmö Stad with guidelines and regulations for the operation. The two material categories provide different perspectives on the subject, and can be identified as two different actors in the field. The thesis answers the questions of how freedom of speech can be understood in a library context in a democratic society, and how this understanding of freedom of speech is translated into practice. It argues that the Dawit Isaak Library can be seen as a unique field, in which freedom of speech is both mediated and exercised. By being an arena where people can react and relate to the concept of freedom of speech in a concrete way, the library works as a mediator of the theoretical definition of freedom of speech. The study sheds light on libraries’ role in a democratic society, and how they can contribute with knowledge on the subject of freedom of speech. It also shows why this topic is relevant to study in 2023.