vanja-hermeles-magisteruppsats3

Abstract
This essay focuses on two main theatres in Sweden and their use of the concept ”kvalitet” which
have similarities with the concept of ”excellence”. These theatres are funded by public Swedish
funds and along with the economic support comes policy documents requiring specific
achievement goals. In these documents a level of high artistic excellence is a set standard,
together with ”gender equality” and ”ethnic equality”. Although excellence is an important
ambition for the two theatres, the meaning of the concept is not defined. This essay is
investigating how the concept of excellence correlates with the goals of ethnic and gender
equality. Through questions like: What is excellence? How is it achieved? In which context is it
achievable – on which stages? Where are women represented as directors and play writers? And
where are people of different ethnic origin than Swedish? Interviews have been done with the
heads of the two theatres to learn their definition of excellence and also their understanding of the
concepts of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality and class.
The study shows that excellence is a mystified concept which receives its function through
circular meaning systems and faulty generalisations drawn from the dominant tradition. The
dominant tradition is marked by a fundamental flaw: the norm is constituted by a restricted
number of men. These men definies the concept of excellence.
The interviews also put on display a range of prevarications which are resulting in a displacement
of the responsibility for the gender and ethnic inequality. This also obfuscate the possibility of
changing the same inequalities.
Keywords: Stockholm Stadsteater, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, theatre, gender and
organisation, discourse, gender, sexuality, ”race”/ethnicity, token, excellence, equality, gatekeeper,
canon, homosociality, conceptual errors, faulty generalisation, circular meaning and
mystified concepts, nation building, genre hierarchy.
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