Från olagligt till mänsklig rättighet. En begreppshistorisk undersökning om hur homosexualitet beskrivs i svenska uppslagsverk 1874-2015

Abstract

The essay is about the concept of homosexuality in swedish encyclopedias, dictionaries and glossaries. The purpose of the essay is to analyze how this concept has changed over time during the 1800's to 2000’s. The method is inspired by the concept scientist Reinhart Kosellecks two analytical concepts, synchronic analysis and diachronic analysis. The result of the study shows that the word count in the encyclopedias, dictionaries and glossaries progressively increased during the 1900’s and reduced in the 2010’s. The description of homosexuality goes from a conservative and taboo view towards to a more liberal and tolerant one. The discussion deals with different topics associated with the changes of concepts, historical writing and the power of knowledge.