"Halloumiskam" och vårt livgivande antibiotikum

Kulturella föreställningar om farliga bakterier och problematiska läkemedel

Abstract

This article studies the Swedish concept of "Halloumi shame". The concept was invented in 2019 when the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) criticized Cyprus – the home country of this cheese – for using large quantities of preventative antibiotics in animal husbandry, leading to an increased prevalence of resistant bacteria. "Halloumi shame" was being used to deal with different complex phenomenon in society at this time. More specific, this study analyses how "Halloumi shame" came to signify the cultural conceptions that exist in Sweden regarding concern over antibacterial resistance. The analysis is based on empirical data from a questionnaire and netnographic studies of Twitter. By studying the use of shame in more detail, the analysis focuses on those cultural conceptions that characterise our relationships to pathogenic bacteria and antibiotics. I argue that "Halloumi shame" is used to signify those who suffer from the shame and do not buy Halloumi; the concept is also used to mock different phenomena in contemporary Swedish society, as for example the difficulty of make a green choice.