Män som anlägger mordbrand : En analys över motiv till mordbrand mellan åren 1878 och 1907 och kopplingen till manlighet

Sammanfattning: This thesis strives to investigate the felony arson as a method of violence in Sweden between the years 1878 and 1907. It questions the estimated sum of arson cases during the time, what motives were given as well as how the masculinity of the arsonists can be comprehended in relation to the crime case. The perspective used to comprehend the actions of the arsonists is derived from the theory of hegemonic masculinity and the criminological application as formulated by James W. Messerschmidt. To describe the historical context statistical material as well as the prevailing law of 1864 is used. For the compilation of motives the source material is biographical books from the central prison in Malmö which denotes details about prisoners and their committed crime. As for the analysis of masculinity four cases are looked at more in depth with the help of trial protocols and testimonials from the cases concerned. The final results concludes that there is no extensive historical research that can say the true amount of arson during the years but that arson cases with the existing historical statistics can be amounted to 20 per year. The motives for arson can be divided into two equally recurring categories of motives, logic-rationalistic and affective motives. Logic-rationalistic motives mostly includes economic reasons while affective motives mostly include motives of vengeance. With the theoretical perspective at hand the qualitative analysis concludes that the crimes can be explained by lost power and therefore also lost masculinity. It is also stated that arson is used similarly to other methods of violence during the time as a means of reclaiming power in a time where the rights of women increasingly advanced.