För folket, för framtiden : En studie om debatten i riksdagen och medias skildring av införandet av Rasbiologiska institutet 1921

This thesis investigates the debate in the Swedish parliament (Riksdag) and the depiction of the newspapers at the time of the imposition of the Swedish state institute of racial biology in 1921. The thesis also aims to investigate what arguments were used for and against the institute and if the depictions of the newspapers were any different depending of their political standpoints. The investigation is based on material from three national newspapers, a government bill, and the protocol from the debates in the riksdag. The theoretical approach is based on phenomenology and the approach of history of mentalities, in order to see the 1920’s norms and attitudes in the right way. The conclusion of the thesis is that the debate was almost non-existent, both in the newspaper and in the political space. The main argument for an institute was the protection of the Swedish race, whereof the main argument against a state institute were financial and the approach that the institute could be integrated with an already existing department of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The newspapers were quite silent about all this as well and only published the decisions from the riksdag. However, one of them also published an exchange of opinions between Herman Lundborg and C G Santesson, whose debate comprised arguments of the organisation of the institute. The norms and attitudes were found to be more about science and slightly about nationalism, whereas what we nowadays call racism seemed to not be included at all.