Malin AlkestrandView profile
Associate Professor
Malin Alkestrand is an Associate Professor and Docent in Literature with an educational focus at Linnaeus University. She specializes in children’s/YA literature, particularly exploring how fantasy and dystopian genres address educational values like democracy and human rights. Her roles include teaching courses on Harry Potter, teacher training programs, and supervising students in literature and pedagogy. She leads the teacher council on children’s/YA literature and co-heads the CHILLL research center (Childhood Research in Literature, Language, and Learning). Education: PhD in Comparative Literature (Lund University), Docent in Literature (2021). Courses taught include 'Harry Potter and His Worlds' and teacher education programs. Research Interests: Educational potential of dystopian literature, age-related power dynamics, fantasy literature’s role in moral education. Recent works include Mothers and Murderers (2021), analyzing YA dystopias’ portrayal of adult oppression, and Magical Possibilities (2016), applying fantasy literature to classroom value discussions. Articles Overview: Focus on cognitive scripts in Harry Potter adaptations, dystopian archetypes, and educational applications of speculative fiction. Recent publications emphasize taboo topics and gender dynamics in contemporary YA texts. Awards: Docent title (2021), recognizing her academic standing and research contributions. Advising & Grants: Supervises PhD students in literature education, led BA thesis supervision in 2023, and designs research courses on children’s literature pedagogy. Active in grants for interdisciplinary childhood studies. Lab/Teams: CHILLL research center co-leader, focusing on interdisciplinary childhood studies. Collaborates globally, including visiting scholar work at the University of Cambridge (2017).