Masteruppsatser / Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion

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Lydnadsteologier i judisk reception av Akedan
(2025-10-06) Spånberg Sverdrup, Martin; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
In this thesis, I examine theologies of obedience in the Jewish reception of the narrative of the Akedah in literature from the later second temple era and the classical rabbinic period and discuss the theological-ethical difficulties of Genesis 22:1–19. In my analysis, I translate and comment Genesis 22:1–19, I study the representations of the Akedah in Jewish reception, and I present different theologies of obedience that can be expressed from the Jewish reception of the Akedah and discuss these in relation to the ethical issues of the Akedah and Genesis 22:1–19. My theoretical framework is based on the propositions that a text holds no one true or original meaning but rather has capacities for different meanings, that reception of biblical text is mainly reception of narrative as a cultural trope, and that a biblical text or narrative can be contradictory. There is a variety of representations and interpretations of the Akedah within Jewish reception of the narrative. A recurring theme is Isaac’s consent to be sacrificed by Abraham. Some theologies of obedience can be formulated from these representations of the Akedah: obedience understood as a performative display, as a readiness in following God’s command, as rational rather than blind obedience, in terms of reciprocity, and as an interplay between Abraham and God. Furthermore, I make a distinction between ideology of obedience and theology of obedience within the reception of the Akedah. While the actions of Abraham in the Akedah are celebrated within Jewish reception, the act of sacrificing a child is generally understood as immoral and I identify some implicit criticism of the Akedah within the reception. Even though the Akedah could be understood as an ambivalent narrative, the ethical and theological problem that Abraham either would have sacrificed or actually sacrificed his son is not resolved. Finally, I propose that an ethical reading of the Akedah rejects the obedience of the narrative and demands empathy with the victim of sacrifice.
Pilgrimsvandring i Jon Fosses "I svarte skogen inne" - En motivstudie av irrandet
(2025-09-29) Svenning, Erik; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
After a decade-long break from writing plays, Jon Fosse returned to the genre in the early 2020s. One of his new plays, "I svarte skogen inne" (2023), bears a close resemblance to his short story "Kvitleik" (2023), in which a man also finds himself lost in a dark forest. Previous research has pointed out intertextual links between "Kvitleik" and Dante’s "Divine Comedy" and John Bunyan’s "The Pilgrim’s Progress", a connection that is further explored in this thesis. The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine the motif of wandering in "I svarte skogen inne" within a Christian and absurdist framework, drawing on biblical and literary intertexts. In the first part of the thesis, I compare "I svarte skogen inne" and "Kvitleik", suggesting that "Kvitleik" can be read as a successful pilgrimage, with the protagonist eventually returning to the right path, whereas "I svarte skogen inne" can be read as a failed pilgrimage in which the protagonist continues to wander. In the second part, I examine the motif of wandering in the context of the absurdist literary tradition of the twenty-first century, where no definitive path exists. I compare "I svarte skogen inne" with Samuel Beckett’s "Waiting for Godot", showing that both plays portray an absurd worldview, though in Fosse’s play the characters keep moving. In the third part, I interpret "I svarte skogen inne" and the motif of wandering using monologue theory as a tool. I argue that continued searching is Fosse’s response to Beckett’s claim that God is dead. In the final section, I discuss the depiction of the pilgrimage in "I svarte skogen inne" and find in the theme of being lost a source of hope.
Framstegstankens omformuleringar En undersökning av historieuppfattningar i den socialdemokratiska tidskriften Tiden 1950–79
(2025-09-03) Lindelöf, Samuel; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The idea of Progress - the assumption that history is constituted by a series of improvements - has been understood as constituting the temporal orientation of modernity. This thesis, examining the perception of history in the Social democratic periodical Tiden during the years 1950–79, highlights the political role of the idea of Progress. Building on the theorizations of the temporal orientation of modernity by Reinhart Koselleck and François Hartog, it is shown how different formulations of the idea of Progress interacts with assessments of the political situation and with expectations on what the future holds. During the 1950s, economic growth and technical development were in Tiden seen in an optimistic light as the driving force of historical progress, where the development of these factors were expected to create a future of socialism in an almost automatic way. This formulation of the idea of Progress gradually lost its legitimacy when economic growth and technological development increasingly were understood to be in conflict with both human welfare and nature. In a reformulation of the idea of Progress during the 1960s, the historical process was still perceived as predisposed towards socialism, but its driving force were now understood as the will and actions of the social democratic political subjects. During the 1970s, expectation of a disjuncture with a capitalist economy in the near future were tied to the Wage earner funds proposal. As the proposal became a political disappointment, and the political and cultural landscape was reshaped in a neoliberal direction, the idea of Progress was put into question by the authors in Tiden. A shared lack of faith in what the future would bring indicates what Hartog calls a time crisis, and this uncertainty in the temporal orientation was also soon identified as a political problem.
From Cross to Crown: The Sweden Democrats’ Instrumentalization of the Church of Sweden in Their Political Pursuit
(2025-06-17) Al Mohammad, Ali; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This thesis examines the intersection of populism, nationalism, and religion in Sweden, with a focus on the Sweden Democrats’ (SD) strategic use of Christian symbolism and the Church of Sweden’s responses. Grounded in theoretical frameworks of political theology, cultural nationalism, and discourse analysis, the study explores how the SD has appropriated Christian rhetoric to frame immigration and multiculturalism as threats to Sweden’s Christian heritage. By leveraging cultural Christianity, the SD constructs an exclusionary narrative of national identity, positioning itself as the defender of Swedish values against perceived external threats, particularly from Muslim immigrants. This strategy aligns with Rogers Brubaker’s concept of “civilizationism,” where religion serves as a cultural resource to delineate boundaries between “us” and “them.” In contrast, the Church of Sweden has actively resisted the SD’s co-optation of Christian symbols, emphasizing the theological principles of universal love, justice, and inclusion. Through public statements, campaigns, and practical initiatives, the Church seeks to reclaim the spiritual significance of Christianity and counter the SD’s exclusionary rhetoric. The Church’s advocacy for refugees and marginalized groups, particularly during the 2015 refugee crisis, underscores its commitment to embodying Christian teachings in practice. Using a qualitative research design, this study employs textual analysis of the SD party manifestos, speeches, and Church of Sweden statements, alongside case studies of key events such as the 2018 election campaign and the refugee crisis. The findings highlight the broader societal implications of this dynamic, including increased polarization and the challenges of navigating religion and politics in a secular society. The study concludes by emphasizing the adaptability of religious symbols in shaping collective identities and the potential for religious institutions to resist the politicization of faith, promoting messages of unity and justice in the face of exclusionary populism.
Det är minsann ingen lätt uppgift att vara barn. En komparativ motivstudie av barnet i den tidiga svenska arbetarlitteraturen
(2025-06-03) Nilsson, Camilla; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This essay examines how the situation of the working-class child in early 20th century Sweden is depicted in short stories by Elf Norrbo, Maria Sandel, Karl Östman and Maj Hirdman. These authors wrote about heavy topics such as child labor, alcoholism, child abuse, foster children and mental illness. The stories were written at a time when Ellen Key – with her world famous work "The Century of the Child" (1900) – had started a discussion about improving children´s conditions. However, this new idea of childhood filled with play and without class-struggle and social problems was not the reality for a working-class child at this time, a fact that these authors certainly proved. The main purpose of this essay is to see how the child is themed as a motif and to see what role the thematization of the child has in the cultural construction of class in these stories. In a comparative motif study the essay uses Magnus Nilsson´s and Sandra Mischliwietz´s article ”Barnet, arbetaren, arbetarförfattaren. Om barnet och den kulturella produktionen av klass i 1930-talets svenska arbetarlitteratur” (2011) as inspiration and discusses the cultural construction of class through Nilsson´s article ”Arbetarlitteratur, teori, politik. Utkast till ett marxistiskt program för forskning och undervisning om svensk arbetarlitteratur” (2015). Furthermore, the study uses Beata Agrell´s discussion about early working-class literature as “Gebrauchsliteratur” – a literature for use in the class struggle of the time that demanded a meditative reading. The text also invites intersectionality into the discussion through class, gender and age. Although the four authors do not use internally focused narrative voices which was the case in the 1930s, but neutral narrative voices, the reading shows that the children in these early stories are used as vehicles and political symbols of the working class, just as much as was the case in the 1930s. With the didactic focus of the neutral narrator´s voice and through the meditative reading, the same effect can be created in these older texts where the child motif may arouse compassion in the adult reader.
CHILD AS METAPHOR A theological perspective on liberation and hope in texts by Jürgen Moltmann
(2025-02-13) Johansson, Katarina; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
Metaphors of the child are commonly used in theological contexts but rarely analyzed and problematized. This dissertation will examine how metaphors of the child are used and deconstruct the metaphors to identify the underlying discourse of children and childhood. The metaphor of humans as God's children will be analyzed to understand the images it holds of humans, children, and God. The reciprocal relationship between human and God means that these images intervene with each other. To exemplify the metaphor at use, I will analyze text from systematic theologian Jürgen Moltmann. How does he use the metaphor of the child? When deconstructing the metaphor, what underlying images or presumptions about the child, or about human as child of God, can one find? Can it be said to be liberating and hopeful? I will raise critical questions about Moltmann’s metaphorical use, through texts by Natalie Carnes and Lee Edelman. Stating that systematic theology concerning metaphors of the child, is of immense importance because it chances with time and context and concerns our understanding of children, humans, and God. Child theology has been an evolving field through the last decades. I want to engage in the important and interesting discussion on how the child is placed in the middle of theology. Considering metaphors, I tend to show that context and personal experience affects how we both use and interpret a metaphor. Child as ‘concept’ or children’s rights or place in society changes, the metaphor ‘child of God’, can be said to vary and then our image of God has changed with it. The field of child theology is broad in topics but share a common feature of advocating for its own existence, while also thinking new theology. My dissertation will be a contribution to this dialog, showing the need of a systematic theology on children. Theology on children is an ongoing project where we can learn something unique from the perspective of the child and should be acknowledged as an integral aspect of theological discourse, applicable to all individuals, as opposed to being restricted or limited to minor group or a special interest.
Metaphor as Microcosm – Metaphor in and through Maximus the Confessor’s Mystagogy
(2025-02-13) Ingmår, Alfred; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
In this thesis, I aim to cross-fertilize a composite theory of metaphor with the theology of Maximus the Confessor. The theory is primarily based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, complemented by the perspectives of Paul Ricoeur and Hans Blumenberg. In the first part of the analysis, I apply the theory to Maximus’ Mystagogy, with the goal of elucidating what is at play in the symbols of the text. I argue that the theory reveals a coherent metaphorical structure behind the symbols, anchored in bodily reality while also offering theological relevance. In the second part, I reevaluate the theory both in light of the results of the first part, as well as through Maximus theology more broadly. I argue that Maximus’ Christology both aligns with and redefines an embodied realism; that metaphor is realistic because it refers to movement; that symbolic structures are fractal by nature; and that metaphorical relations are reciprocal through being embedded in the Logos.
Kulturarvsapplikation: skapandet av en Augmented Reality-rekonstruktion av en medeltida kyrkas exteriör
(2024-12-03) Anna, Mernenko; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
St. Olav’s Path is a unique cultural route in Sweden with sixteen medieval churches located along it, including nine that are ruined or fully destroyed. This report outlines the creation of an iPad application prototype, aiming to provide historical information about the medieval churches located along the path and 3D reconstructions of their exteriors, along with a brief introduction to the St. Olav’s cult and the history of the pilgrim trail. As an example for the presentation of a lost church, the Undersåker church ruin was chosen. In the application, one can view a 3D interpretation of the church exterior in AR from two different points in time: the 14th century, when the church was most likely built, and the 19th century, when it was abandoned. This paper describes my research process, including the technical and methodological difficulties that I encountered while working on the project, as well as my strategies for overcoming them. It also includes reflections on the topic of creating a digital reconstruction of a ruined church exterior. The result of the work revealed the problematic nature of the interpretation process and the insufficient development of AR technology to create an in situ scene in landscape conditions with exact virtual model placement.
Från teknokultur till digikultur - En teknofeministisk diskursanalys av digitalisering inom kulturarvs- och kommun- och regionsektorn
(2024-09-23) Jonasson Tolv, Julia; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This master thesis explores the way digitalization can be viewed as both as an enabler and an obstacle in society. Focusing on two projects, Digisam and Digitaliseringsindex, I employ a techno feminist approach analysing overarching digitalization discourses and how they influence the digitalization of cultural heritage and municipal services. Digisam's journey highlights the transitional nature of digitalization. It shifts focus from technical problem-solving to addressing complex social and organizational challenges in digital preservation, emphasizing the need for adaptive digitalization methods in the cultural heritage sector. The Digitaliseringsindex project, measuring digitalization at municipal and regional levels, raises concerns about the objectivity and relevance of measuring, particularly regarding gender-based dynamics and their effect on data collection and analysis. A techno feminist analysis reveals a tendency to isolate technology from its social context, risking the perpetuation of gender power imbalances within digitalization practices. Adopting a techno feminist viewpoint reveals how both projects lack critical reflection on how gender and power structures intersect with and shape digitalization processes. The analysis highlights the underrepresentation of women in IT and digitalization, raising questions about whether digital solutions serve the entire population, and how both projects are affected by the digitalization discourse of competition, prioritising technological advances over inclusive societal advances, potentially distorting the goals of digitalization. Future research should explore how ensure equitable digitalisation benefits, examine long term social consequences of current digitalization trends and cultures and how to include more intersectional methodologies in digitalization strategies and practices. A techno feminist lens can guide us in challenging underlying assumptions, leading to a more equitable and inclusive digital future.
Vad innebär agape och agapekultivering? En studie av samtida agapeteologi från feministteologiskt och psykologiskt perspektiv
(2024-08-06) Haglind, Anne; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The main purpose of this study is to explore and develop how the Christian conception of love as agape can be understood in light of feminist concerns, and how it can be cultivated in light of psychological research. Traditionally, agape has been defined as unconditional self-sacrifice for the sake of the other. Feminist theologians have highlighted repeatedly that an ethical principle of self-sacrifice might not be liberating for groups who have already internalized pressure to sacrifice their own needs for others. The main research questions are: 1) How may agape be understood in light of feminist concerns about its traditional interpretations? 2) How could a Christian community cultivate a form of agape that is responsive to feminist concerns? In order to answer these questions, the first part of the dissertation examines feminist concerns regarding discussion of agape, and then uses these concerns as a lens for analysing four themes in contemporary accounts of agape: community, care, humility, and mentalization. The second part of the dissertation then engages with contemporary research in psychology in order to develop accounts of practices through which a Christian community could cultivate agape. The conclusion to which the dissertation builds is that agape can be understood as a humble, selfdecentering but empowering form of care, a collective power that passionately desires the flourishing of the other, rather than a form of self-sacrifice. It is an affective collective dynamic of humble care that includes an embodied, mentalized, critical analysis that empowers agency against injustice and exploitation, the cultivation of which is the core of a divine desire for the Christian community.
Den olfaktoriska läsningen. Lukt i Sara Stridsbergs Happy Sally
(2024-06-29) Wurtzel, Nora; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This essay examines the olfactory reading as a possible way to make sense of a fragmented novel, in this case Sara Stridsberg’s debut Happy Sally (2004). Through close reading, the essay identifies the source of the smells, who perceives it, and how this is portrayed in the text. The smell’s position in the text is understood in relation to Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, where the body, as created in the literary text, is considered as a source of knowledge. From there, the focalizing character, as formulated by Gerard Genette, is identified, to find the answer to the question of who, in the novel, is experiencing the smells. The result shows how the focalizing character is variable, and that the smell comes from places as well as characters. The smells are also understood in relation to descriptions of location and characters, taking inspiration from Mieke Bal and the idea of different schemas being used in descriptions of location versus character. Here, the result shows how the boundary between character and location is sometimes loosened. A central question concerns smell in relation to time, especially regarding the concept of pro- and analepsis. Some objects, places, and characters are static in their olfactory qualities, while others change over time, and it is hence possible to talk about static and dynamic smells. In the dynamic ones, it is possible to identify breaking points in the story. Smell is also understood as a possible engine of the story, where it sometimes makes characters act, but we can also see that the action of a character can affect the smellscape of the novel.
The Possibilities of Supralapsarian Christology As Exemplified by Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar
(2024-06-18) Kjörk, Elias; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
Supralapsarian Christology suggests superior motives in the incarnation than God’s response to humanity’s fall. Several advocates thus speculate that the incarnation would occur even without a fall. Since this position has recently been actualized in dogmatic theology by Edvin van Driel, this thesis explores such supralapsarian Christology further in three steps. First, it situates supralapsarian Christology in historical and contemporary theology to show how several areas of theology have generally been complicated by questions raised by supralapsarian Christology. Following various discussions on supralapsarian Christology, this thesis focuses on bringing out especially three tensions regarding revelation, creation, and grace. Second, it relates these discussions to two of the most Christocentric theologians of the 20th century: Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar. While Barth’s theology of election professes a kind of supralapsarian position, Balthasar’s theological metaphysics remains agnostic. However, both theologians admit considerable ambiguity, complicating their conclusions. Ultimately, I contend that their alternative approaches fail to transcend the tensions that I outline. Finally, considering this “failure,” I ask what the future possibilities for supralapsarian Christology are. The upshot is, that the future possibilities in reflecting on supralapsarian Christology lie in helping to articulate a more expansive theological grammar.
Begravningsplatser och begravningar i ett mångkulturellt samhälle En etnografisk fallstudie av Varabygdens begravningsplatser
(2024-06-12) Djupfeldt, Emma; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The thesis explores what is meant by multiculturalism in today's Sweden based on burial grounds and funerals in a minor municipality. This is done through an ethnographic case study of the municipality of Vara. The study aims to investigate how multiculturalism looks and is responded to. The study maps which aspects are placed on multiculturalism in a minor municipality and which adaptations and compromises are highlighted. This is done within the framework of theories concerning multiculturalism and social identity, and the result of the empirical case study is presented by applying the theories to the material. From burial places and funerals, social collective and individual identities are analysed based on the social categories of religion/faith/secularity and place belonging, based on the perspectives of rituals and traditions as well as the location of the grave. The study finds that there are several aspects of multiculture in the burial grounds, as multiculture not only includes cultural influences from immigrants but also the different preferences of the local villages, in combination with the development of society, and Sweden in general. Analysis also show that religion, beliefs, and place belonging are of great importance, regardless of the cultural background of the deceased or relatives. The importance of a place is emphasized based on various collective and social preferences, both by those who offer funeral services and those who use them. The different social identities according to which the analysis is carried out create a picture and write out different perceptions of multiculture and multiculturalism.
Warcrafting myth A transmedial study of mythemes in World of Warcraft
(2024-06-12) Davidsson, Fredrik; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The video game World of Warcraft has been active, as of 2024, for 20 years. During that time, it has expanded into novels, comics, animated shorts, and YouTube-videos. The aim of this paper is to study the use of mythic elements across three mediums: the video game, three novels and five YouTube-videos. The focus is on the inspiration behind the mythic and how it has been changed and evolved through the development of the fictional universe and the transmedia storytelling within it. To achieve this, the methods of virtual participant observation and self-tailored Adaptational Mythocritique were used and analysed through the theory of transmedia storytelling. The results point to a frequent borrowing from existing myths and mythic attributes from the real-world, transformed for the over-arching narrative to continue the secondary world of the Warcraft universe. Through the use of mythemes and their transformation through several mediums, a familiarity to real-world mythical elements is created, strengthening the immersion already added through the properties of the mediums and the transmedial connection established between them. By utilizing transmedia storytelling, the secondary world engages its users, creates consistency and coherence, and pushes the audience to interpret the mythic elements within based on their experiences.
Charisma in the Spiritual Marketplace -an Ethnographic Study of How Spiritual Teachers in Ubud Perform to Be Assigned Charismatic Authority
(2024-06-07) Uddgren, Camilla Miriam Aliza; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This study, based on ethnographic fieldwork, explores how spiritual teachers in Ubud, manage self-presentation to be assigned charisma. By understanding contemporary spirituality as a spiritual marketplace, applying Max Weber’s apprehension of charismatic authority as received through sociological interaction as well as Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory of everyday performances, this thesis investigates how the role of the Spiritual Teacher is performed in pursuit of charisma. The research focuses on both the performers and the audience; how the role is performed to give the impression of having superpowers and/or closeness to the divine, and how it is received by the consumers on the spiritual marketplace. The results points to two distinct variations of performing this role: by embodying distance or closeness. Both these variations are constructed to meet the demands of the consumers. Teachers embodying distance understand themselves as enlightened and their performance is characterized by hiding any sign of humanness. Those teachers who have chosen to embodying closeness, highlight themselves as rockstars, showing up with a façade of perfection. The audience on the spiritual marketplace is fast to judge whereas the teachers are only assigned charisma if they adjust and manage their performance to meet the high expectations of the students.
ASYL och KONVERSION Asylsökande konvertiters förståelse av sin konversionsprocess
(2024-02-14) Svensson, Jakob; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The purpose of this study is to analyse asylum seeking converts understanding of their conversion process based on church context, specifically within the realm of evangelical church and theology. Through the method of content analysis this essay analyses six qualitative interviews done with converts from two Islamic traditions to Swedish free church Christianity. The essay discusses the results through the lens of Lewis Rambos seven-phase theoretical concept of conversion. The important results given by this study shows that the first contact with other Christians in a new country, which creates a new community serving as an interpretive framework for their lives, triumphs the question of the theological perception for the conversion. Also, the results shows that intellectual understanding of the doctrines of faith is less important relative to the conversion process best described by the words touched, taught, and transformed. Though, the evangelical theology is not found explicitly within the converts story, it is implicitly emphasized as the converts express the importance of the Bible, Jesus as Savior, and the local church as their new community.
Non-Violence: a hallmark of Christian moral life An analysis of Stanley Hauerwas´ theological reflection on non-violence
(2024-01-30) Felix Da Silva, Rogerio; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This study analyses Stanley Hauerwas´ reflections on non-violence. In a society where violence and force are marks of the attempt to promote justice, it is required that the Church and the Christian community develop an understanding of their role in society being witness to the message of the Gospel. It is necessary for the church to act and prove that justice can be promoted without resorting to violence and force. A central point in this change of perspective is how the church is going to help individuals to understand the positive and negative aspects of the society, subsequently guiding them to participate in the world in a way that shows the ethics taught by Jesus. The Christian ethics provide individuals with the understanding about what is the nature and basis of the Christian life, being that either descriptive and normative. This ethics is incomprehensible without the community that carryon the story of God, and this community is God’s alternative to war, namely the Church.
UNDERBARA OBEGRÄNSADE OCEAN En ekokritisk studie av havet i Olaus Magnus Historia om de nordiska folken
(2023-11-22) Bergqvist, Matilda; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
The aim of this thesis is to examine how the sea is portrayed in the book Historia om de nordiska folken (1555), to further understanding about early modern ideas of the ocean as a natural environment. The book was written by Sweden’s last Catholic archbishop Olaus Magnus, and it is a comprehensive work about the peoples and the geography in Northern Europe. The multiple translations and republications that quickly followed hint at the book’s popularity at the time. To this day, it is famous for its depictions of sea monsters. This study turns the attention to how the sea itself is portrayed in the book, and what kind of view of nature these depictions reveal. This is achieved by an analysis of the pictures and the texts in Historia om de nordiska folken, founded on perspectives from environmental history, ecocriticism and intermedial studies. I show that the sea in Olaus Magnus’s work is depicted in several numbers of juxtaposing ways: On one hand, it is understood as a rich and sustaining environment for humans, and as part of the order of nature, but on the other hand, it is also understood as forceful and threatening, a wondrous place exceeding the boundaries of nature. The ocean is thus understood as both natural and preternatural. The emphasis of the wondrous properties of the ocean in Olaus Magnus’s descriptions suggests that the ocean is considered a preternatural environment to a greater extent than it is considered a natural environment. If this reflects a more widespread idea of the sea in the early modern period, it may have implications for how the idea of sea as a natural environment develops over time.
Den heliga modern – en eländig fattig piga Den dubbelsidiga mariabilden i 1600-talets predikotexter i Sverige
(2023-07-04) Fanny, Wingborg; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
This thesis examines the images of the Virgin Mary in sermons of seventeenth century Sweden. For the study a selection of four postils have been analysed, written by Simon Musæus, Martin Moller, Johannes Matthiæ and Lars Fornelius, all published in Sweden during the seventeenth century. The method of the study is based on the concept ”offered identifications”, coined by the Swedish church historian David Gudmundsson. The premise of this concept is that ideals were communicated through preaching, which could be ”offered” to the recipients of the sermons. The theoretical framework includes Heinz Schillings’ theory of confessionalization, wherein mainly the aspect of social discipline is of interest for the study. Three research questions explore how Mary is described, and what qualities that are attributed to her by the authors of the sermons, and how the image of Mary could act as possible ”offered identifications” for the Christian recipient of the sermons. These questions relate to the choice of method, in which ways Mary could be presented as an object of identification for Christian men and women, based on the conviction that the reformed Mary often posed as an example in virtue and faith. One final question aims to gather which Marian dogmas that survived the seventeenth century, a time when the Lutheran faith was firmly consolidated in Sweden. The main results of the study show that the sermons offer a two-fold image of the Virgin Mary, she promotes certain Christian values which the recipient should emulate, such as being a faithful servant of God, a chaste woman, housemother, parent, wife, and a well- behaved and obedient citizen. At the same time she serves as a holy figure, offering the Christian comfort through her role as the mother of God and as the holy Virgin Mary. The results of this thesis also show that the Virgin Mary have not disappeared in Swedish Lutheran writings, as previous research sometimes have claimed. The results also show that Lutheran preachers often did not hesitate to use apocryphal sources in their sermons, challenging the notion that Lutheran preaching handedly followed the idea of Sola Scriptura.
Medel att återställa kroppens och själens krafter? Om Carl von Linnés syn på växters inverkan på människans sinne(n) i Inebriantia år 1762
(2023-06-29) Stolpe Wikström, Nike; University of Gothenburg/Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för litteratur, idéhistoria och religion
Abstract: Carl Linnaeus’s dissertation Inebriantia (1762) emerges as a transitional piece at the intersection of the early modern and the modern period, reflecting 18th-century beliefs about inebriation, the natural world, and its mysterious forces. This study explicates Linnaeus’s perspective on the interaction between plants and human mental states by addressing the question: How does Linnaeus perceive the relationship between plants and the human mind in Inebriantia? Drawing on the history of emotions and senses, Linnaeus’s conceptualization of altered states of consciousness and the role of non-human actants in shaping human mental states is explored. Linnaeus categorized intoxicants into three groups: natural, artificial, and mythological. The paper demonstrates that central to Linnaeus’s understanding of the relationship between humans and plants was the human nervous system, which he believed mediated the interaction between the external world and the human mind. Linnaeus posited that volatile, odorous substances from plants affected the human nervous system, ultimately influencing perception, judgment, and emotions. It is posited that Linnaeus establishes a triangular relationship between the sense of smell, the nervous system, and the human mind. The thesis highlights the complex relationship between plants, the human body and mind in Linnaeus’s work, shedding light on 18th-century beliefs about altered states of consciousness. The study reveals that Linnaeus did not consider the alteration of consciousness itself as inherently negative, but rather the unnatural means of borrowing energy from external sources. Despite acknowledging the potential dangers of intoxicants, Linnaeus maintained a cautious optimism about their benefits when used in moderation.

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