Hellre kär i en vampyr än homosexuell : Gymnasielärares redogörelse om potentiella meningserbjudanden, makt och litterär representation i skönlitteratur

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to, through an intersectional perspective, examine the potential meaning making from the chosen literature and how literary representation and asymmetry of power are treated in the L1 classroom according to L1 teachers. Research shows that identification in literature can be of importance to the reader’s well-being (jfr. Felski, 2008; Nikolajeva, 2017; Rosenblatt, 2002). Previous studies highlight pupils’ attitudes towards reading and literature and shows that many pupils find it important to process the book together in different ways (Jfr. Bommarco, 2006; Schmidl, 2008). To be able to see a rightful representation of one’s self in literature can lead to a comforting feeling. All humans are a part of a network of social structures and intersectional power relations whom define their living conditions (Lykke, 2003), according to intersectional theory this network consists of the categories gender, ethnicity, age, class, and functional variations (eg. Disabilities). The study proceeded with qualitative methods. Firstly, a literary inventory and a text analysis was made to explore the chosen books’ potential meaning making. Secondly, four L1 teachers from upper secondary school were interviewed about how they teach the potential offering of meaning in the Swedish L1 classes. The study has social constructive theory as an approach and the data was analysed from an intersectional perspective to highlight the intercommunication between the different social asymmetries of power. The results show that a great part of intersectional perspectives hardly is processed in the classroom, even though all of the teachers noted the importance of processing injustices from the literature. Often were potential emotional difficult topics such as pedophilia, mental health or thoughts about one’s sexuality left out and never talked about. It is possible that the pupils have seen reflections of their self which they feel are inaccurate or emotional difficult to handle by their own, and then never get to discuss the material. With this study I hope to bring attention to the importance of reading and processing norm critical literature. Every reader deserves to see rightful representations of themselves.