“KRAMAR MED RAMAR”. En antropologisk studie av högstadielärares arbete med relationsskapande och auktoritet

Abstract

This bachelor’s degree project in social anthropology examines how teachers and school staff in grades 7-9 navigate between relationship-building work and the maintenance of authority. By studying interactions in both classrooms and informal environments, such as corridors and common areas, the study highlights how these dimensions take shape in concrete everyday situations. The aim is to deepen the understanding of how teachers in practice balance the demands for closeness and trust against the need for order and boundary-setting. The main argument of the thesis is that relationship-building and authority do not constitute opposing poles, but are closely intertwined practices that are constantly shaped and negotiated through everyday micro-actions. This balancing act, described through the concept of “hugs with boundaries”, is deeply situational and requires staff to continuously adapt their approach according to the specific situation and student group. The analysis is based on a theoretical framework that includes Goffman’s concepts of framing and impression management, Bourdieu’s theories of social and symbolic capital, as well as Manke’s perspective on jointly created power relations. The study is based on an eight-week fieldwork period at a lower secondary school in Gothenburg, where the material was collected through participant observation, spontaneous conversations, and interviews with teachers and school hosts. The essay is written in Swedish.