Kungsmarken, a apartment area in Karlskrona has suffered the medias prying eye
for decades. Today the area only maintains a very low position of status in the
livinghierarchy in the community. The area in question was a part of the
"Miljonprogrammet" and apperantly has suffered the same consequenses as similar
areas since it was built. The onesided negative discourse that has persecuded
areas of Miljonprogrammet, such as Kungsmarken, has put social problems as
criminality, drugaddiction, dependancy on the social welfare system or cultural
incompetence in the focus. The author´s previous understanding of the phenomena
lies in private experience from living in Hjällbo, a similar area in Gothenburg
also with the miljonprogram. The author also has an understanding of the
situation of being an imigrant in another country.
The objective of this study is to describe the discourse concerning the
apartmentarea of Kungsmarken from two aspects. First by defining the role of
the localpress in the discourse about Kungsmarken and it´s inhabitants and to
analyze whether the writing of news from Kungsmarken is different to that of
other areas in Karlskrona. Second, the discourse is portraeted from within the
area in the shape of a narrated everydaydescription of a person living in the
area. The chosen method is qualitative and is formed as a triangulation of the
methods;discoursanalysis, interview and observation. Two months issues of the
two localpapers Sydöstran and BLekinge Läns Tidning was looked at and made
complete with interviews with the editors of the papers. To give the reader of
this essay an insiderperspective of how it can be to live in Kungsmarken, an
etnological, participating observation was made, in narrative form, based on
the author´s personal experience from living in the area since September 2002.
Previous research in this area concerns the medias description of miljonprogram
areas in Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm. The books used are Miljonprogram och
media, Rosengård och den svarta poesin and Till förortens försvar. The
researchrapport of Eva Norström, Finns vardagsrasism?, is also added to the
chapter of previous research. Her study deals partially with the ethnical
segregation in Karlskrona Kommun. The theory used is Elias & Scotsons
Established and outsiders that refers to the division of power between
different groups in a sociaty. They explain how an area and its habitants are
stigmatized from given flaws of caracter through the concept of moral
differentiation.
From the gathered information the conclusion was made that the reports from
Kungsmarken, during October to December 2003 was somewhat crooked and showed a
lack of positive activities for both youngsters and adults in the area. In many
cases articles contained descriptions or testimonies from victims to local
crimes in the area. These articles contribute to creating a negative image of a
threat within and outside of the area. Exaggerated headlines were more common
than normal ones, this considering that both of the editors expressed a concern
for transmitting a negative image of the area. All articles from the area are
thoroughly examinated and considdered before publication. In some cases this
doesn´t show in the end result of the articles though and it´s hard to see that
there has been any kind of consideration. In some of the cases a positive
discourse could be observed, but often it wasn´t about the area itself, but of
the people living there, focusing on diversity. Religious and cultural
traditions during Ramadan, the islamic month of fast, and about the planning of
a permanent mosque in the area. While a negative discourse has been observed a
positive counterimage has been transmitted from within the area. Swveral of the
habitants have expressed that thy considder the image transmitted by the media
is unfair and untrue. They feel that the rapports from the area are only
published if they are negative. In the analysis it is concluded that the
negative rapportation from Kungsmarken by the new...