Medborgarens ansvar och skuld under pandemin : en diskursanalys

Sammanfattning: Almost three years ago the world was shocked by the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries were forced to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect their citizens. Leaders all around the world imposed lockdowns, curfews, and compulsory use of facemasks in the public sphere. Sweden, on the other hand did, none of these things. Instead, the politicians delegated responsibility to the National Pandemic Group (NPG), which consisted of representatives from the Public Health Agency (FHM), the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Medical Products Agency, the Swedish Work Environment Authority, the Swedish municipalities, regions, and the county administrative boards (Länsstyrelserna). No compulsory restrictions were imposed on the individual level, instead the Swedish citizens were urged and not forced to follow them.   The aim of this study is to understand the norms and presumptions behind the Swedish strategy, by analyzing the pandemic-discourse of the NPG. This will be done using Carol Bacchi’s - Whats the problem represented to be – method. There will also be a discussion throughout the text that connects to the theory of informal citizenship and Foucault’s powerknowledge theory.  The results show that by basing the strategy on the individual responsibility of every citizen, the NPG also held the public responsible when the strategy did not hold and people lost their lives. Also, the NPG, and especially the FHM, used knowledge to govern, and to emphasize their views on the virus and what measures to impose and to not impose. Finally, the NPG mediated a form of informal citizenship by emphasizing every citizen’s duty and obligation to follow the FHM: s public advice and recommendations, and by differentiating those who did not follow them.