En nationell sorg En analys av effekterna av mordet på utrikesminister Anna Lindh utifrån ett nationalistiskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: In September 2003 the Swedish minister of foreign affairs Anna Lindh was murdered. The murder shocked Sweden and the picture of a safe homeland was challenged. The Swedish people joined together in different manifestations and rituals to show their appreciation for the minister and to mourn together. A few days later the nation was going to vote on whether Sweden should join the euro and the minister was involved in the campaign. The aim for this thesis is to understand how this national crisis was handled in Sweden. To study this I have used theories of nationalism and ritual. My material has mainly been memorial books and newspaper articles from this period. I argue that this crisis made the nation question its self-image and made a transformation necessary. By using the ritual concept of rites de passage I argue that the nation acted like a nation where no conflicts existed the days before the referendum. My argument is also that the murder is incorporated in a national mythology where Lindh becomes a national hero and that the memory of these events is a part of a national self-image. Keywords: Anna Lindh, national grief, rites de passage, referendum on the euro, national mythology