Territoriellt stigma, offerskap och ansvar. Dagspressens framställningar av tjejer och unga kvinnor i marginaliserade områden i södra Stockholm 1982-2022

Abstract

Media discourses about marginalized areas are often dominated by narratives of male violence and crime, issues that have attracted considerable attention in previous research. The purpose of this study is instead to explore media portrayals of girls and young women living in marginalized suburban areas in Southern Stockholm, in order to extend existing knowledge about the specific opportunities and obstacles that women face. The study uses an intersectional perspective and the concept of territorial stigmatization together with a critical discourse analysis. It is based on the analysis of 474 media texts published over the past 40 years. Two recurrent topics in the media portrayals were identified: safety and “take space” (“ta plats” in Swedish). In the articles on these topics, we identified underlying dilemmas of responsibility – who is responsible for girl’s and young women’s safety and taking space? In relation to such dilemmas, two frequently occurring positions for girls and young women could be discerned; those of victims and/or enablers. On the one hand, girls and young women are not depicted as responsible for the problems often associated with marginalized areas, such as crime and violence, but rather as the victims of such problems. On the other hand, they are portrayed as having various other responsibilities, not only for themselves but also for other girls, and even for their parents, in relation to taking space. In conclusion, girls and young women are faced with two types of discourses, shaped by their gender, age and the place they live, which we argue can be understood as specific forms of the concept of territorial stigmatization — territorial victimization and territorial responsibilization.