Contesting Sweden’s Chicago: why journalists dispute the crime image of Malmö

ABSTRACT

In this study I explore the city as a space where images of crime are challenged. Taking the experiences of well-established journalists as my point of departure, I analyze why they dispute the crime image of Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city. I show that my informants perceive that the image of the city is used to criticize notions of the multicultural society. The analysis points to the need to examine the media’s role in challenging crime images in relation to race as a fundamental conflict line in society. The act of disputing is produced in opposition to the gaining presence of the extreme right within the political domain. Consequently, I conclude that this can be seen as an act of resistance, while also arguing that it can be complicit in a neoliberal urban agenda.

KEYWORDS:

• Crime image
• journalism
• resistance
• anti-racism
• extreme right

Notes on contributors

Leandro Schclarek Mulinari is a PhD student in the Department of Criminology at Stockholm university.