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Muslimer på film har en lång historia fylld av stereotypa klichéer utifrån ett i huvudsak fientligt och fördomsfullt berättande. Det finns dock tecken på att filmskildringar bryter ny mark och skapar nya berättelser och förändrade bilder av muslimsk religiositet (Alhassen2018, Petersen 2021b, Axelson 2022). Det huvudsakliga intresset i följande kapitel ägnas åt ett antal filmer som lagt stor möda på att inte trampa på i en upplöjd fåra av islamfientlighet. I denna del behandlas filmer som Cecil B. DeMilles skildring av Mose liv i The Ten Commandments (1956), Ridley Scotts hantering av korsfarartiden i Kingdom of Heaven (2005), den mauretanska regissören Abderrahmane Sissako och hans berättelse om jihadismens inbrytande i Timbuktu (2014) och slutligen den svenske regissören Tarik Salehs uppmärksammade film Boy from Heaven (2022) om konflikter mellan sekulära och religiösa makteliter i dagens Egypten. Kapitlet syftar ytterst sett till att lyfta fram filmberättande som bidrar till nyansrikedom i skildringar av muslimsk tro på film, dvs, filmer som bidrar till det som journalisten och medieforskaren Maytha Alhassen kallar cultural change, “to challenge hegemonic cultural narratives and hopefully also change behavior” (2018; 45).

This article analyzes how movies have been reproducing a pejorative and stereotypical storytelling regarding Muslims and Arabs for more than a century, mainly along a narrow-minded dichotomy between “bad” fanatic religious extremists or “good” non-religious secularized Muslims. The aim has moreover been to explore alternative storytelling combined with applying a model to discuss emotional engagement among movie goers. The conclusion is that mainstream movie culture is still indebted to stereotypical images of Islam/Muslims. But things are changing. More nuanced storytelling has been taking place lately, giving room for a broader spectrum of Muslim religious identity positions, including examples of religious wisdom and spiritual integrity, offering the audience imagery beyond the stereotypical “good” and “bad” dichotomy. Looking outside Hollywood and European mainstream films, new voices are heard, making way for a larger spectrum of positions.

This article presents the Swiss-Iraqi director Samir Jamal Aldin and his thriller Baghdad in My Shadow (2019) and puts it into a context of the re-negotiation of identities in a culturally diverse Europe. The director’s intention is presented as a wish to deal with taboo issues related to gay rights, women’s emancipation, and religious fundamentalism within an Iraqi community in contemporary London.

The film is analysed with the help of (1) theories analysing tensions between liberal-secular and religious-fundamentalist standpoints, and (2) theories about film viewers’ engagement, amplifying audiences’ emotions and thoughts about complex societal issues.

The film could be said to advocate a standpoint of dynamic secularism promoting individual rights. The article argues, furthermore, that Samir as a Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker encourages thick viewing through his thriller format and invites the audience to a deeper emotional and intellectual understanding of liberal principles, honour culture, and hybrid identity positions in contemporary Europe.

Perceived ambivalence of Muslims in public space through a cinematic lens 

Research lately displays existing ambivalence towards the phenomenon of religion and increased diversity of convictions. Signs of heated worldview conflicts especially between political and religious discourses are more and more discussed among scholars related to gender equality, liberal rights, security, cultural heritage, and secularism. In media debates a general anti-religious secularistic discourse is detectable as well as a long tradition of anti-Arab sentiments in movies, expressed as hostile notions of Islam and Muslims as perceived threats to modern society and secular liberal values. Also, scriptwriters and directors are engaged in these topics. In this paper I want to discuss how religious and liberal-secular worldview conflicts are played lately in fictional formats such as tv-series like Kalifat (2020) or movies like Baghdad in My Shadow (2019) or Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Through audiovisual storytelling theories of mediatization can be illustrated as well as used as theoretical concepts for analysis of fiction as vehicle for amplification of emotions in contemporary society. The paper will relate to the overarching topic of how a public may apprehend Islam/Muslims in a stereotypical manner but also how fiction could be used to increase more nuanced imagery of Muslim positions. 

Religious identities in fiction and emotional engagement 

Media research lately displays existing ambivalence towards the phenomenon of religion. In media debates general anti-religious secularistic discourses are detectable as well as an antimuslim discourses. Fictional characters involved in religious activities are often depicted through stereotypical perceptions of religious identities and especially so characters of Muslim tradition. Scriptwriters and filmmakers who struggle to depict a wide range of Muslim identities in contemporary society must deal with a long tradition of anti-Arab sentiments in Hollywood movies, expressed as persisting notions of Muslims as perceived threats to modern society and liberal values, often in line with the infamous idea of a clash between civilizations. In this presentation I discuss how fiction formats are used to display a wider range of religious identities, through movies such as On God’s and Men (2010) or Baghdad in My Shadow (2019). Through audiovisual storytelling, theories of mediatization are illustrated, as well as used as theoretical concepts for analysis of fiction as a vehicle for amplification of emotions on heated topics. 

Abstract 

The new millennium's migration movements have created increasingly pluralistic European societies, displaying a high level of both religious and ethnic diversity (Castles et al. 2014, Pew Research Center 2017, Furseth et al. 2019, Illman, Martikainen & Nynäs 2018, Körs 2018, Axelson & Stier, 2020). Scholars from different fields describe how tensions in culturally diverse societies are played out and how different groups with religious and secular world views are sometimes in dialogue, sometimes in conflict (Lundby 2018, De Kadt 2018, Pratt 2018, Göndör 2017).

Also, film directors get themselves engaged in these issues and try to capture how life looks in the age of migration (Castles, Haas & Miller 2014, Trifonova 2020). One of the more recent and interesting films on this topic was made by a Swiss-Iraqi director Samir Jamal Aldin. The director presented his film Baghdad in my Shadow (2019) at the international film festival in Locarno, Switzerland, in August 2019. In this fiction film, the director invites us to a group of people with a multicultural background, rooted in various geographical areas, embodying a mixed cultural heritage, including religious traditions of different kinds. In a thriller format, he describes a family story with roots in Saddam Hussain’s Iraq during the 1980s and the 1990s, loosely based on his own Iraqi background. 

The aim is to analyse Baghdad in my Shadow (2019) through theoretical perspectives on the re-negotiation of identities and migrant experiences in contemporary, multi-religious Europe. The director address charged matters and discusses issues related to tensions between diverse identity positions within a migrant family in a minority community. He shows characters taking on liberal gay rights and female emancipative positions as well as characters leaning towards traditional gender roles anchored in socio-centric world views. He also shows generational tension between secularized Muslim identities in the elderly generation in struggle with young relatives attracted to conservative Salafism.

The aim is furthermore to analyze audiovisual storytelling through theories on media as framing and amplifying complex issues in contemporary society, including religious affiliations. I will especially dwell on aspects on storytelling’s capacity to engage its audience through emotional engagement. Finally I will also tap in to the film’s capacity to stir up emotions in real-life dialogue between the director and the film’s audience, exemplified by situations taking place during the screening of the film at Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) on 9th of October 2020.

The so-called Swedish model of trust is characterised by strong public support for the idea of an individual-based and extensive welfare state, well-developed state individualism, high levels of social trust, widespread appreciation of the judiciary, openness, tolerance, and a free and independent press. Today, Swedish society faces several challenges. Will the Swedish model of trust be eroded or is it relatively resilient to stress?

A Novus survey from 2019 found that a total of 74 percent of the Swedish population were very or quite worried about Islamic extremism, 66 percent very or quite worried about right-wing extremism and 46 percent very or quite worried about left-wing extremism. Other surveys show that the public is also concerned about the deterioration of the welfare state, social gaps, the increased number of refugees to Sweden and xenophobia. Moreover, the Novus survey shows that 65 percent believe that violence-promoting extremism will increase in Sweden in the coming ten-year period. 22 percent indicate that they have become suspicious of people they have encountered in everyday situations and 15 percent have avoided large crowds, e.g. shopping malls, pedestrian areas and subways.

When asked which measures are good for increasing security in society, common answers were to reduce social exclusion, increase camera surveillance in public places and provide more information on democratic principles and values. These answers indicate that Swedish public opinion has a relatively balanced view of public measures against violent extremism, which is consistent with the Swedish model of trust. In general, the public does not propose the implementation of overly excessive measures against violent extremism. However, given continued public concern over the development of violent extremism, the long term stability of the Swedish model of trust remains in question.

DN debatt 17/5.

Bi Puranen, Tomas Axelson och Jonas Stier: Stora skillnader mellan de som arbetar som vanligt och de som arbetar hemifrån.

Bland annat är de som arbetar som vanligt mer oroade över att Sverige skadas av coronakrisen och anser i högre grad att vi själva bör lösa vårt eget lands problem.

I Agenda 2030-arbetet framhålls alltmer vikten av samarbeten mellan forskning, högre utbildning och samhällsaktörer från civilsamhälle, näringsliv och offentlig sektor. Vilka faktorer bidrar till framgångsrik samverkan mellan forskare i högre utbildning och samhällsaktörer från civilsamhälle, näringsliv och offentlig sektor och hur skapas ett gemensamt definierat engagemang för ett visst samhällsproblem? Samt hur går det till när tillit byggs, kommunikationen fungerar och en ömsesidighet etableras? Erfarenheterna som beskrivs hämtas från Högskolan Dalarnas centrumbildning Interkulturellt utvecklingscentrum Dalarna IKUD och fyra års arbete med 20-talet samverkansprojekt under perioden 2016 – 2020. Genom en djupdykning i tre konkreta samverkansprojekt kan följande slutsats dras. Framgångsrik forskning i samverkan förutsätter en projektkedja som bygger på ett ömsesidigt engagemang, en tydlighet i identifierandet av olika roller från olika men överlappande utgångspunkter, skillnader i institutionella mål, incitament och motiv i respektive organisation samt att en kontaktyta etableras mellan individer som på kort tid hittar beröringspunkter och en personlig tillit till varandra som givande samarbetspartners. Dessutom lyfts en mer övergripande samhällsvision fram som bärs av båda parter och som förkroppsligas av lika delar person och organisation. För ett lyckat samarbete identifieras här en djupare delad övertygelse om projektens vidare betydelse, d.v.s gemensamma åtaganden och ett gemensamt arbete utifrån övertygelsen att projekten fyller en kunskapsfunktion som bidrar det ’det allmänna bästa’ och byggandet av ett bättre samhälle, ofta uttryckligen formulerat i ett engagemang för social hållbarhet.

Sweden has a history of a stable party system, democracy, consensus, welfare and few labour market conflicts. But after the election in 2014, the Ludvika municipality in Sweden found itself in an unusual situation: a representative from a neo-Nazi party – the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) – held a seat in its local political council. The party, and its movement, are the most prominent representative of violent white supremacy in Sweden, known not least for its fear-mongering tactics. Between November 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018, Dalarna University conducted a study using questionnaires and interviews within the Ludvika municipality to investigate the sense of safety felt by elected representatives of both the political council and the municipal boards. An anticipated result might have been that the NRM presence in the municipal assembly has strongly impacted on the politicians’ sense of safety – and also has increased political tensions. To a certain extent, this proved to be the case. However, Ludvika politicians must also contend with other sources of and reasons for mockery, harassment and threats: predominantly “angry citizens” due to controversial decisions, personal conflicts within established parties relating to the choice of personnel, and a contempt for in particular some extreme right wing political opinions.. The results regarding the sense of safety and vulnerability are very much in line with national figures. Even overall, Swedish politicians at the national, regional and local levels are aware of pressure from right-wing extremists, who distribute propaganda that often incorporates blame, an exposing of individuals and violent language. The result from Ludvika should therefore be seen as one of degree rather than of type, as the situation is worse here than in other municipal councils in Sweden. A conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the political debate is heading in an increasingly antagonistic direction, where ideological adversaries are regarded more as enemies than as legitimate opponents. While in the long term this can pose a threat to democracy, positive counter-responses were found in Ludvika that can serve to support the democratic position.

Religions can facilitate cohesion,  belonging and feelings of safety or can underpin tensions, separatism or terrorism. This has led local, national and international policymakers to use inter-religious councils to overcome local conflicts by facilitating dialogue. Sweden has a growing number of inter-religious councils around the country. This article focuses on the inter-religious council in Midtown. The aim is (1) to describe how politicians, civil servants and religious leaders as participants in the council express their expectations on the Midtown  inter-religious council, and (2) to analyse these accounts in the light of ongoing research and European examples of inter-religious dialogue. Data have been collected via interviews and participant observation, and analysed through two critical lenses, one focusing on social cohesion, the other on fears of militant religious extremism. Results show that members of the Midtown council view religions as constituting possible obstacles but mainly as an important  asset in a process of developing a cohesive society.

Att var tionde undviker vardagsmiljöer av rädsla för terror riskerar att öka misstron mellan människor. En balans av sociala, ekonomiska och polisiära åtgärder krävs nu för att skydda samhället mot attentat anser de tillfrågade i en ny undersökning, skriver forskare vid Högskolan i Dalarna.

During the 20th century, Sweden developed into a mainly secularized society with low key institutional religious presence on the political scene. Church and state separated in year 2000, as a result of a long term development separating religion and politics in Sweden. But a new development has been taking place in the last decade in Sweden on municipality levels. Being a society with less the 5% of the population born abroad in the beginning of the 1960s, contemporary Sweden is today a cultural multi-diverse society with close to 20% of its population born abroad. As a result of migration Sweden has rather rapidly developed into a cultural diverse and multi-religious society. Starting in the year 2006 on a municipality level, representatives of religious organizations have in Sweden become invited participants in a growing number of Swedish cities through involvement in inter-religious councils. Often political local authorities has decided to take a leading role in the councils, seemingly out of a growing awareness of faith-based organizations crucial role in promoting social cohesion in local settings.

This paper presents a case study where the formation of an inter-religious council is taking place in a mid-sized Swedish town. The paper presentation outlines the result of interviews with three kinds of actors; (1) elected politicians responsible for strategic policymaking in local community, (2) civil servants responsible for carrying out these policies and (3) representatives of Christian and Moslem faith-based organizations active in the local community.

Main research questions are the following: What are the key expectations on the council from the different actors’ point of view? What kind of challenges are perceived to be crucial by different actors which should be dealt with in the short and long run?

Analyses are made comparing similarities and disagreements in various respondents’ views.The answers from the participants are also discussed through the lens of problematizing the overarching aim of the interreligious council. Does it promote a wished for social cohesion or does it involuntarily strengthen group conflict in pluralistic Sweden? The outcome of the empirical data will also be put in a European context about the consequences on local level when interreligious dialogue is established as part of municipalities’ inter-cultural strategies.

Swedish society is characterized by secularization but as a result of migration during the last decades Sweden has developed into a more pluralistic society. On local level this is also detectable through a development of inter-religious councils in a growing number of Swedish cities. Often local political authorities has decided to play a crucial part in the councils, seemingly out of a growing awareness of faith-based organizations vital role in promoting social cohesion in local settings. This paper presents a case study where the formation of an inter-religious council is taking place in a mid-sized Swedish town. It presents the result of interviews with three kind of actors; (1) elected politicians responsible for strategic policymaking in local community, (2) civil servants responsible carrying out these policies and (3) representatives of participatory Christian and Moslem faith-based organizations active in the local community. Main research questions: What are the key expectations on the council from the different actors’ point of view? What kind of challenges should be dealt with in the short and long perspective from different actors’ point of view? Analysis will be made comparing similarities and disagreements in various views.

Moving images are more and more in the centre of culture, providing individuals with stories by which reality is maintained and by which humans construct ordered micro-universes for themselves. There is a growing field of research evolving around the idea that culture and art could act as a catalyst for experiences of deeper meaning. In this article, a case study is described and analysed. A contemplative short art film was presented to a group of women as a possible asset for processing fundamental existential life issues. The women did not respond in line with expectations and their impressions of the short film were essentially negative, with expressions of impatience, irritation and even hostility towards the film’s appeal. Two problematic aspects of the film Night are outlined: (1) the meaning of the imagery used was too open and (2) as a piece of art, the film was not in tune with participants’ grieving processes.

The outcome of an empirical audience study in Sweden including questionnaires, focus groups and ten in-depth individual interviews discussing favorite films supports claims about viewers as active and playful (cf. Frampton 2006, Hoover 2006, Plantinga 2009). The soft side of mediatization processes is illustrated showing young adults experiencing enchantment through films (Jerslev 2006, Partridge 2008, Klinger 2008, Oliver & Hartmann 2010). The outcome is in line with a growing number of empirical case studies which support conclusions that both thinking and behavior are affected by film watching (Marsh 2007, Suckfüll 2010, Oliver & Hartmann 2010, Axelson 2014). The results of the interviews exploring specific scenes of idiosyncratic relevance support theories about fiction films as important sources for moral and spiritual reflection (Partridge 2004, Zillman 2005, Lynch 2007, Plantinga 2009).  The concept thick viewing is proposed for capturing these moments of film experience when profound and enchanted emotional interpretations take place.

Abstract: Audiovisual Storytelling and Ideological Horizons: Audiences, Cultural Contexts and Extra-textual Meaning Making

In a society characterized by mediatization people are to an increasing degree dependent on mediated narratives as a primary means by which we make sense of our experience through time and our place in society (Hoover 2006, Lynch 2007, Hjarvard 2008, Hjarvard & Lövheim 2012). American media scholar Stewart Hoover points to symbols and scripts available in the media environment, what he call the “symbolic inventory” out of which individuals make religious or spiritual meaning (Hoover 2006: 55). Vernacular meaning-making embedded in everyday life among viewers’ dealing with fiction narratives in films and tv-series highlight a need for a more nuanced understanding of complex audiovisual storytelling. Moving images provide individuals with stories by which reality is maintained and by which humans construct ordered micro-universes for themselves using film as a resource for moral assessment and ideological judgments about life (Plantinga 2009, Johnston 2010, Axelson 2015). Important in this theoretical context are perspectives on viewers’ moral frameworks (Zillman 2005, Andersson & Andersson 2005, Frampton 2006, Avila 2007).This paper presentation will focus on ideological contested meaning making where audiences of different cultural background engage emotionally with filmic narratives, possibly eliciting ideological and spiritual meaning-making related to viewers’ personal world views. Through the example of the Homeland tv-series I want to discuss how spectators’ cultural, religious, political and ideological identities could be understood playing a role in the interpretative process of decoding content. Is it possible to trace patterns of different receptions of the multilayered and ambiguous story depicted in Homeland by religiously engaged Christians and Moslems as well as non-believers, in America, Europe and Middle East? How is the fiction narrative dealt with by spectators in the audience in different cultural contexts and how is it interpreted through the process of extra-text evaluation and real world2understanding in a global era preoccupied with war on terror? The presentation will also discuss methodological considerations about how to reach out to audiences anchored in different cultural context.