Under konstruktion : En diskursanalys av ungdomsbegreppet i två svenska bibliotekstidskrifter 2010–2020

Sammanfattning: Introduction: This thesis examines the concept of youth in two Swedish library journals. The aim is to identify prevailing discourses about youths as well as how they are portrayed. In addition, the potential consequences of the discourses are examined. Method: The empirical material consists of 133 articles from the journals Bibliotek i samhälle and Biblioteksbladet published between the years 2010 and 2020, all of which cover the concept of youth. Analysis: Discourse analysis is used to examine the articles. The analytical framework combines theoretical concepts developed by Laclau and Mouffe with the approach of Fairclough. First, the designations, associations, themes and actors prevalent in the articles are identified and examined. Then, the discourses are identified, and their potential consequences discussed. Results: The results show that the concept of youth is multifaceted, and primarily constructed through associations and themes relating to technology, reading, unruly behavior, and societal commitment. The actors involved in the construction of the concept are primarily adults that work in libraries or have a connection to the library field. Four discourses are identified: the discourse of youths as dependent, the discourse of youths as problematic, the discourse of youths as capable, and the discourse of youths as participants. Conclusion: The study indicates that the portrayal of youths in the journals may influence how they are perceived by library personnel. Furthermore, the construction of categories of youths in discourse may shape and maintain power dynamics between youths and library staff. Since the voices of youths are often absent within the material, the discourses can also provide insufficient or inhibitory understandings of youths, which in consequence may influence the quality of library services offered for, as well as how librarians interact with, youths. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.