Svensk självbild och konflikt: En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av rolluppfattningar och konflikter i utrikesutskottet

This thesis examines Swedish national role conceptions and the extent of role contestation in the Swedish Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (Utrikesutskottet) in the context of Sweden’s recent changes in security and foreign policy. Drawing on role theory, particularly the concepts of national role conception and domestic role contestation, the study investigates (1) which national self-images are articulated in committee positions and party reservations and (2) which conflicts emerge between competing role conceptions. Using a deductive qualitative content analysis, the study analyses the committee’s statements and party reservations in thirteen committee reports published in 2025. Role categories were developed from previous research and refined through an initial test of the coding scheme against a subset of the material. The analysis identifies five recurring national role conceptions: small-state realist, moral actor, development promoter, European integrationist, and cooperation partner. The “cooperation partner” role, emphasising participation in international organisations as an intrinsic value, constitutes an empirical contribution beyond earlier typologies in the Swedish case. The study also finds clear patterns of contestation, primarily between the governing bloc and the opposition. The most frequent contestation concerns the tension between small-state realist and moral actor roles, indicating disagreement over what roles Sweden should play in international politics.