“Vi talar om en systemhotande brottslighet med ett stort våldskapital” - En kritisk diskursanalys av konstruktionen av gängkriminalitet i högeralternativ media

Abstract

This study is a critical discourse analysis that aims to examine the representation of gang crime and gang criminals in two Swedish right-wing alternative media outlets. The study uses a theoretical framework consisting of critical discourse analysis, discourse theory, racism, elite discourses and discursive power to answer the questions. The results show that gang crime and gang criminals are portrayed as a systemic threat to Sweden, a deteriorating issue that demands tough measures and as a problem linked to migration and ethnicity. Furthermore, the results show that gang criminals are portrayed as a homogeneous group. The study explores which actors are allowed to shape the discourses about gang crimes. The findings show that it is mainly politicians, police officers, government employees, professors, and researchers who are allowed to speak out while gang criminals themselves are rarely heard. The study also examines which associations are made between gang crime and other social phenomena. The results show that gang crime is associated with immigration, politics and the design of the justice system and the rule of law.