Discursive shifts in the Swedish parliament

Abstract

This work in progress aims to perform a comprehensive analysis of digital data publicly available from the Swedish parliament, such as motions, interpellations, and protocols from discussions in the plenum. To this end, we will use methods based on computational linguistics, such as topic modeling, word embeddings, and sentiment analysis, to identify prominent discourses corresponding to co-occurrence patterns of the words used. Using data from the early 1970s and onward, this project will involve a chronological examination of semantic and discursive changes with regard to topics such as equality, neutrality, the EU, the monarchy, immigration, climate change, and cultural policy. One research question that will be investigated in relation to this analysis is to what extent discursive changes can be detected within specific political parties, and what historical and political reasons can be posited to underlie these changes.Another research question focuses on scientometric aspects of how scholarly research is used to support claims made in the political discussion. With regard to this question, we will more specifically investigate the conceptual aspects of the texts surrounding citations (so-called citances) which will be mined for information such as what research is referred to in terms of individuals, position, disciplinary affiliations, and active research topics. In these citances, the significant content is often present as latent references that require further elucidation, together with an analysis of the sentiments expressed in the argumentation. This analysis will be further enhanced by investigating the usage of hedge terms that may indicate a level of uncertainty about the cited research. ; Data as Impact Lab