“Men så skedde inte i Sverige” – om anklagens anatomi

Abstract

Despite the fact that defense and apology have been studied thoroughly in rhetoric and communication research in recent decades, their counterpart; the accusation has received ­surprisingly limited ­attention from rhetorical criticism. This essay sets out to remedy parts of these shortcomings by suggesting to define the accusation as a situated act where somebody ascribes guilt to a group or individual. The definition ties the accusation to the representation of acts considered to be in violation of ­existing norms and the essay argues that the logic of narra­tive determines the forms and functions of an accusation. The essay tests the definition through close readings of accusations from the debate about the proper handling of the corona-virus, as this debate has played out in the Scandinavian countries during 2020. Two extreme examples of accusations – one situated in the ­formal legal system, one situated in an informal, private conversation – are briefly analyzed before the essay turns to its main case in the form of an article from Dagens Nyheter, in which Swedish scientists accuse the Swedish health authorities and the Swedish government for neglect