Doctoral dissertations

“I Can’t Play God, You Know”

Ethical Dilemmas that Archivists Face in the Assessment of Records from Social and Psychiatric Care

Today, EV PhD student Ida Grönroos “nailed” her PhD thesis: it is now announced and handed over to the university library.

This dissertation examines archivists as street-level bureaucrats, emphasizing their role in implementing legislation and making daily decisions with significant professional discretion. It focuses on how public sector archives navigate the tension between individual rights and state authority, exploring how differing views on vulnerability, social care, privacy, and dignity influence the appraisal, classification, and disclosure of sensitive personal records. Through interviews, two ethical frameworks emerge in archivists’ reasoning about detriment assessment and disclosure: the legalistic ethics and the feminist ethics of care. The study does not aim to determine which perspective is “correct,” but rather highlights the conflicts between these ethical approaches.

Ida’s public PhD defense will take place on February 14, in Humanistiska teatern (room 22-0008), Engelska Parken, Uppsala, and begins at 10.15 a.m.

More information here.