Fredrika Larsson
Senior Lecturer
- Fredrika.Larsson@fhs.se
- Department of Military History
- Military History Division
- Military History
About Fredrika
- Engelsk beskrivning om dig själv
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Fredrika Larsson earned her PhD from Lund University in 2021 with her dissertation, *Conflict in Colours: A Comparative Study of Republican and Loyalist Murals*. This work examines the role of cultural violence in sustaining and transmitting conflict by analyzing republican and loyalist murals in Belfast during the Troubles and the Northern Irish peace process. It is the first study to systematically compare republican and loyalist murals across both time and space. Drawing on theories of cultural violence, historical narratives, visual culture, and symbolic landscapes, the dissertation offers insights into how cultural violence embedded in these narratives has consistently framed the Northern Irish conflict as ongoing and perpetuated an identity rooted in victimhood at the hands of the adversary.
The study also demonstrates how cultural violence has hindered and continues to obstruct efforts to foster a shared Northern Irish identity. By juxtaposing representations of victimhood in republican and loyalist murals, the research highlights how these murals use symbols with established meanings of victimhood and visual techniques to persuasively depict their narratives. This portrayal not only reinforces internal identity but also shapes external perceptions, influencing which side is viewed as the legitimate victim. A key finding of the dissertation is that narratives of victimhood serve not only as a source of identity security but also as rhetorical weapons in the post-conflict phase, shaping debates on whose violence is considered legitimate. These narratives thus impact both the internal understanding of the Troubles and external perceptions of the conflict.
In addition to her continued research on Northern Ireland, Larsson is currently investigating the memory politics of Swedish veterans.
Latest publications
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A Troubling Cost : A Study of the Republican Sacrifice in MuralsPart of Frontiers in Sociology
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Troubling Heritage(s) : The Republican and Loyalist Communication of the Place of the Troubles in Irish and British HeritagePart of (Un)contested Heritage. Archives, Museums and Public spaces