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Christian Lundahl is Professor of Education at Örebro University, specializing in the history of assessments, evaluation, and Swedish educational research. His work focuses on internationalization of educational data, marketization of schools, and the role of PISA in policy debates. He leads the transnational research project The Global Laboratory – Torsten Husén and the Internationalization of Educational Research (funded by the Swedish Research Council) and co-edited books like Beyond PISA . Lundahl also developed Sweden’s first MOOC for teacher education and serves as scientific leader for the Open Parliament Laboratory (OPaL) . Research Interests : History of educational assessments and evaluations Transnational educational policy flows Marketization and computational analysis in education PISA data utilization and mis/trust Curriculum theory and policy Equity in grading and national tests Recent Trends in Publications include computational analytics in policy data, historical analysis of educational laboratories, and critiques of PISA’s political role. His 2025 articles examine sampling bias in parliamentary data and school marketization. Projects and Leadership : Principal investigator for The Global Laboratory (2020-2024) Co-developer of Sweden’s first MOOC for teacher training (2013) Scientific leader of OPaL – The Open Parliament Laboratory Visiting Professor at Humboldt University (2020)

• Educational History
• Comparative Education
• Assessment and Evaluation
• +4 more

Fredrik Fällman is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Languages and Literatures, University of Gothenburg. His academic background includes a PhD from Stockholm University (2004) and extensive research in China, including visiting roles at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Renmin University of China. He has held adjunct positions, such as Distinguished Adjunct Researcher at Renmin University (2010-2014), and served as co-ordinator at the Nordic Confucius Institute in Stockholm (2005-2006). His research focuses on religion in modern China, propaganda language, and cultural exchange between China and the West. Notable interests include the role of Christian communities among Chinese intellectuals, Uyghur cultural history, and the sinicization of religious practices. He has published widely on topics ranging from missionary history to contemporary religious policies. Fällman teaches Chinese language, history, and cultural studies at all academic levels. He has been recognized as a Member of The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg (2022). His work often bridges historical analysis with contemporary socio-political dynamics, including panel discussions on Hong Kong and invited lectures at institutions like SOAS, University of London.

• Sinology
• Religious Studies in China
• Cultural Christianity
• +4 more

Dr. Frank Thomas Grub is Professor of German and Head of the Department of Modern Languages at Uppsala University. Educated at Universität des Saarlandes (Dr. phil. 2003) and promoted to Associate Professor at Gothenburg University (2012) before joining Uppsala as Professor (2018), he has been recognized as Excellent Teacher (2021). As founder of the Landeskunde Nord network since 2012 and editor of the Peter Lang book series since 2013, his career bridges academic research, educational innovation, and international collaboration. His research focuses on contemporary German-language literature , GDR cultural studies , and transcultural didactics . Key projects explore autobiographical writing, post-Wall literary representations, and the intersection of travel literature with cultural memory. Recent publications (2024-2025) examine media narratives of reunification and cultural stereotypes in language pedagogy. Prof. Grub contributes to German as a foreign language curriculum development Intercultural competence frameworks Editorial leadership in Northern European Germanistics His 2023-2025 works analyze graphic novels in education, migration discourse in literature, and media transitions during the Cold War.

• Contemporary German-Language Literature
• GDR Literature
• Cultural Studies Didactics
• +7 more

Thomas Arentzen is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Church History at Lund University, affiliated with the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies within the Faculty of Humanities and Theology. He received his PhD from Lund University in 2014 and became a Reader (docent) in Church History there in 2018. Arentzen has held research positions at the University of Oslo, Brown University (as a visiting scholar in spring 2016), and Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection (as a Research Fellow in Byzantine Studies during 2018-2019). Currently, he leads the research project "Beyond the Garden: An Ecocritical Approach to Early Byzantine Christianity," funded by the Swedish Research Council. Dr. Arentzen's educational background includes: Doctor of Theology (PhD), Lund University, 2014 Cand.philol. (Master's equivalent), University of Oslo, 2005 Cand.mag. (Bachelor's equivalent), University of Oslo, 2001 Thomas Arentzen's research primarily focuses on Byzantine Christianity and ecology, exploring the intersection of religious traditions with environmental concerns. His work demonstrates how early Christian communities interacted with the natural world, challenging modern assumptions about Christianity's relationship with nature. Arentzen has made significant contributions to the study of Byzantine hymnography, particularly the works of Romanos the Melodist, and has examined representations of the Virgin Mary in late ancient poetry. His monograph "The Virgin in Song" (2017) represents a key contribution to this field. Arentzen also investigates popular piety and literary expressions of Christian faith across different historical periods and cultural contexts. The trajectory of Arentzen's recent publications reveals a growing emphasis on ecocritical approaches to early Christian studies. His works increasingly explore the relationship between religious traditions and ecological thinking, examining how trees, landscapes, and natural elements function within Byzantine religious texts and practices. This focus culminated in his co-authored book "Byzantine Tree Life" and his current research project "Beyond the Garden." While maintaining his expertise in traditional areas of Byzantine studies like hymnography and Mariology, Arentzen has expanded his research to include gender studies, particularly through his involvement in projects addressing "Orthodox Tradition and Human Sexuality" and "Gender and Sexuality in Orthodox Christianity." Dr. Arentzen has received notable recognition for his scholarly work, including: Vetenskapssocieteten i Lunds pris ur Insamlingsstiftelsen Näringslivets fond för humanistisk forskning (2015) Throughout his career, Arentzen has secured significant research funding from major institutions. He led the Norwegian Research Council-funded project "Bodies in Motion: Religion and Corporeality in Late Antiquity" (2015-2019) and received a fellowship from Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection for "Reading between the Limbs: Holy Week and Byzantine Bodies" (2018-2019). Currently, he directs the Swedish Research Council-funded project "Beyond the Garden: An Ecocritical Approach to Early Byzantine Christianity" (2019-2023). Additionally, Arentzen has led international projects funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including "New Directions in Orthodox Christian Thought and Practice: Gender and Sexuality in Orthodox Christianity" (2016-2018) and the follow-up project "Democracy and the Church in Orthodox Christianity." Thomas Arentzen is actively involved in several academic communities and research groups. He serves as praeses of Collegium Patristicum Lundense and is a council member of l'Association Internationale d'Études Patristiques (AIEP/IAPS). He also participates in the Society of Oriental Liturgy and serves as article-editor for Patristica Nordica Annuaria. Arentzen is a member of the Research Collegium at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul and contributes to the Oslo Coalition's International Expert Committee for the "New Directions in Orthodox Thought and Practice" project.

• Byzantine Christianity
• Ecology and Religion
• Patristics
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Tania Al Saadi is an Associate Professor of Arabic at Stockholm University's Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, where she has taught Arabic language and modern Arabic literature since 2007. She received her PhD in Arabic from Sorbonne-Nouvelle University (Paris III) in 2008. Her primary research focuses on narratology in modern Arabic literature, with particular attention to narrative techniques in Arabic novels. She has conducted extensive research on the beginnings of novels across various 20th century works, examining how narrative openings function within the broader structure. Her scholarly interests also include exile literature, representations of despotic figures, gender and feminism in literature, and contemporary representations of death and cemeteries in Iraqi novels. Dr. Al Saadi's recent publications demonstrate a growing interest in food representation in Arabic literature, culminating in her forthcoming edited volume 'Eating Words: Food in Modern Arabic literature' (2025). Her research shows a consistent pattern of examining how cultural and political realities are reflected through narrative structures and thematic concerns in Arabic fiction, with particular attention to Iraqi and Egyptian literary traditions. Current research project: 'Death in contemporary Iraqi novels' Active contributor to Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE As an educator, she teaches Arabic language and modern Arabic literature at both undergraduate and advanced levels. Her supervision of student theses demonstrates her commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholars in Arabic studies, with students working on topics ranging from identity in Iraqi literature to food representation in Lebanese young adult fiction.

• Narratology
• Modern Arabic Literature
• Arabic Novels
• +7 more

Jonatan Pettersson is an Associate Professor in Scandinavian languages at Stockholm University, working within the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism. His academic work focuses on medieval textual culture, Scandinavian philology, and historical linguistics, with particular emphasis on Bible translations and the evolution of Old Swedish language. He is actively involved in two key research groups: Scandinavian Philology and Language History, and Network Language and Power. Dr. Pettersson's research interests primarily center on medieval textual culture, with special focus on Bible translations in the Nordic region, vernacularization processes, and manuscript studies. His work examines how language evolved from Old Swedish to Early Modern Swedish, particularly through religious texts. He investigates the relationship between language, power structures, and cultural change in medieval Scandinavia, analyzing how translation practices reflected and shaped societal transformations. His research also explores the literary reception of courtly culture and romance literature in East Scandinavia. His recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate a consistent focus on change in medieval textual culture, particularly examining how biblical texts were translated and adapted in the Nordic context. His work shows increasing attention to methodological approaches for studying textual change, with publications from 2023-2025 forming a cohesive exploration of models of change. The research spans from specific manuscript analyses to broader theoretical considerations of how we conceptualize textual evolution. Dr. Pettersson is actively involved in the Scandinavian philology and language history research group, which focuses on the study of language and literature from older periods, particularly runic, Old Swedish, Old Icelandic, and Early Modern periods. He also contributes to the Network Language and Power, which examines how language interacts with power structures - a field that has gained relevance with rising populism and societal polarization.

• Medieval Textual Culture
• Scandinavian Philology
• Historical Linguistics
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Gunilla Gren-Eklund is a Professor in Indology at the Department of Linguistics and Philology, Faculty of Languages, Uppsala University. Her academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to Indology, historical linguistics, and Swedish academic history. Her research interests encompass: Indology and Sanskrit studies Historical linguistics of South Asian languages 17th century European academic history Swedish intellectual history Manuscript studies and lexicography Comparative literary traditions Gren-Eklund's scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of language, history, and culture across different civilizations. Her publications reveal expertise in both South Asian linguistic traditions and European academic history, particularly from Sweden's 'Great Power Era.' Her recent research continues to explore historical linguistic phenomena while examining early European documentation of South Asian languages. She has made significant contributions to understanding Hindustani grammar, Sanskrit poetics, and the development of academic institutions in early modern Europe. As a long-standing editor of the journal Orientalia Suecana , she has helped shape scholarly discourse in Indology, Iranian, Semitic and Turkic studies. Her editorial work spans multiple decades, with involvement in issues from 2000 through 2020. This journal has served as an important platform for interdisciplinary research connecting European and South Asian academic traditions. Her scholarly trajectory shows a remarkable ability to bridge diverse academic traditions, connecting linguistic analysis with historical context across different cultures and time periods. This interdisciplinary approach has made significant contributions to Scandinavian Oriental studies and the understanding of historical linguistic documentation.

• Indology
• Linguistics
• Philology
• +5 more

Martin Berntson is a Professor at the Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in religious studies and church history. His research primarily centers on the Church history of the Early Modern era in Sweden and the Nordic countries. His scholarly interests include: Reformation history and its impact on Nordic societies Monastic life and dissolution during the Reformation period Religious practices and popular belief in historical contexts Church-state relations in Nordic history Religious syncretism and cultural transformation History of religious education in Sweden Professor Berntson's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on how religious institutions and practices evolved during pivotal historical periods, particularly examining the Swedish Reformation and its long-term cultural consequences. His recent work shows an expanding interest in the intersection of religious history with food culture, as seen in publications about pilgrimage cuisine and the cultural significance of beverages like Pommac. His scholarly output spans multiple languages including Swedish, English, French, and German, reflecting his international academic engagement. Berntson has contributed to numerous edited volumes and academic journals, with recent publications covering topics from monastic dissolution to contemporary religious education debates. As an active scholar, Berntson engages with contemporary discussions about religious education and the role of religious history in modern society, as indicated by his co-authored opinion pieces advocating for critical approaches to religious education in Swedish schools.

• Religious Studies
• Church History
• Reformation Era
• +4 more

Hampus Östh Gustafsson is a researcher at Uppsala University's Department of History of Ideas, with affiliations at Lund University (2023–2025), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (HEOS group, 2023), and the Vossius Center (University of Amsterdam, 2022). His academic work focuses on the history of humanities, knowledge policy, university governance, and temporalities. Doctor of Philosophy (2021), Uppsala University Master's Degree in History of Ideas (2014), Uppsala University Exchange studies, University of Manchester (2011) His research examines the social legitimacy of humanities, temporal dynamics in academic governance, and knowledge circulation. Key projects include "Freedom to Research" (NetIAS program) and "Research Funding Effects" (1947–1977 Swedish humanities funding). He co-edits Högre Utbildning and contributes to the Early Career Researcher Board for Higher Education Quarterly . Recent publications analyze Swedish higher education policy, collegial governance, and comparative crisis narratives. Articles appear in Higher Education , History of Intellectual Culture , and Research in the Sociology of Organizations . Trends show focus on temporal governance, cross-disciplinary infrastructure, and humanities' societal role. Scientific awards include the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Benzelius Prize (2020). Collaborations span institutions like SCAS (Uppsala), Zukunftskolleg Konstanz, and Paris IAS. He engages with academic teams including HEOS (KTH) and CIRCUS (Uppsala), contributing to debates about the humanities' value in democracies and neoliberal universities. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary policy critique.

• History of Education
• History of Humanities
• Historiography
• +7 more

Anna Swärdh is an Associate Professor (Docent) in the Department of English at Stockholm University, where she has been teaching since 2020. Previously, she taught at Uppsala, Kalmar, Örebro, and Karlstad universities. She teaches and supervises students at all academic levels, primarily in literature but also in academic writing. Dr. Swärdh received her PhD from Uppsala University in 2003 with a dissertation titled "Rape and Religion in English Renaissance Literature," which examined four literary texts against the background of religious controversies following the English Reformation. Her research focuses on early modern literature and culture, with particular emphasis on how texts from this period have been received over time. In recent years, she has increasingly explored early-modern connections and exchanges between England and Sweden. Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent engagement with rhetorical strategies in early modern texts, gender studies, and cross-cultural diplomatic exchanges during the Renaissance period. Her publications reveal a trajectory from focused literary analysis of Shakespeare and his contemporaries toward broader cultural-historical investigations of Anglo-Swedish relations. The most recent works increasingly examine female agency within patriarchal structures, diplomatic representation, and the material dimensions of early modern communication including letters, portraits, and architectural spaces. Dr. Swärdh serves as Treasurer and board member of SWESSE (The Swedish Society for the Study of English) and as Vice-President and board member of NAES (The Nordic Association of English Studies). She has received significant research funding from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) for multiple projects, including 'The Emulative Complaint: Imitation and Innovation in Late Elizabethan Complaint Poetry' (ref. 421-2006-1612) and the ongoing 'The Rhetoric of Patronage: Cultural Imprints of Helena, Marchioness of Northampton' (ref. 2016-01521), which examines cultural imprints left by the Swedish-born Helena, Marchioness of Northampton (1549–1635).

• Early Modern Literature
• Early Modern Culture
• Literary Reception Studies
• +4 more

Katharina Keim is a Researcher at Lund University's Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, specializing in Jewish Studies. Her work bridges religious history, intertextuality, and apocalyptic traditions, with a focus on rabbinic texts like Pirqei deRabbi Eliezer. Affiliated with the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology, she contributes to transdisciplinary research projects and Nordic academic networks. Key Affiliations: Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University Research Focus: Intertextuality in Midrashic literature Cosmological interpretations in ancient Jewish texts Apocalyptic traditions across Islamic and Jewish contexts Secular Jewish identity in modern scholarship Collaborative Efforts: Active in organizing workshops and conferences, including the Nordic Jewish Studies workshop (2022) and symposiums on Swedish synagogue architecture (2021). Participates in the transdisciplinary 'At the End of the World' project funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation (2023-2028).

• Jewish Studies
• History of Religions
• Religious Behavioural Science
• +5 more

Kristina Lundblad is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in Book History at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University, Faculty of Humanities and Theology. She has been active in teaching, supervision, and course development since 2002, alongside a 20-year career as a literary critic. Core Research: Focuses on human-material meaning-making in graphic communication. Current Projects: International book politics, early print culture in southern Sweden, a book on ephemera, and an introduction to book history textbook. Research Trends: Her recent work explores the intersection of historical printing techniques (e.g., 15th–16th century Swedish printers' marks), typewriter culture, and modern communication shifts. Key Themes: Material culture, cultural complexity, documentary practices, and analog-digital transitions. Scientific Awards: Bokhistoriska Sällskapets Pris (2022) Svenska Akademiens franska stipendium (2021) DeLong Book History Prize (2016) Stina och Erik Lundbergs Stiftelse (2013) Näringslivets fond för humanistisk forskning (2011) Advising & Networks: Supervises PhD students Moa Uhlmann Lindberg and Roxane Heberling. Co-founder of the Research Node for Studies in Analog Culture (2016–) and Digital Cultures Research Node (2015–).

• Book History
• Graphic Communication
• Cultural History
• +5 more

Professor Esther-Maria Guggenmos is a leading scholar at Lund University 's Centre for Theology and Religious Studies , specializing in Contemporary East Asian Religions with focus on Chinese Buddhism . Her research explores Religious Aesthetics , Decision-Making in Religious Contexts , and the Evolution of Emotions in Buddhist Rituals .

• Contemporary East Asian Religions
• Chinese Buddhism
• Aesthetics of Religion
• +4 more

Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre is Professor of German Literature at Stockholm University, where she has been teaching since 2004. She previously taught at Växjö University (1995-2012), Högskolan Karlskrona-Ronneby (1994-95), and Davidson College in the USA (1992-94). She earned her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992. Her academic affiliation is with the Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German within the Faculty of Humanities at Stockholm University. She has been appointed as visiting fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge, for fall 2024. Wåghäll Nivre served as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Deputy Vice President for the Area of Human Science at Stockholm University from 2018 to 2023. She holds board positions at The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society (WASP-HS) and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, and is a founding member of several academic networks including Germanistische Literaturwissenschaft in Schweden (GLS), PhDNet Literary and Cultural Studies, and Movens: Phänomene ästhetischer und kultureller Grenzüberschreitungen. Her research primarily focuses on 16th and 17th-century German literature, with particular interest in women's roles, marriage, and family life in early modern German literature. She has extensively explored early modern biographical writing, panegyrics, and travel narratives, with current research examining biographical writing on Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689). Additional research interests include German children's literature and pedagogical approaches to teaching literature in foreign language classrooms. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory centered on early modern German cultural production. Her work demonstrates methodological sophistication in analyzing gender representations, spatial concepts, and historical consciousness in literary texts. A notable research thread across multiple publications concerns Queen Christina of Sweden, indicating this as a major scholarly contribution bridging Swedish and German historical-literary scholarship. Her interdisciplinary approach connects literary analysis with cultural history, gender studies, and spatial theory. Wåghäll Nivre has supervised nearly twenty Ph.D. students and over one hundred B.A. and M.A. theses. She has held editorial positions including German editor of Moderna språk journal and editor of the Stockholm German and Dutch Studies series. As founder of the Swedish network for empirical research in German as a foreign language, she has made significant contributions to language pedagogy alongside her literary scholarship.

• German Literature
• Early Modern Literature
• 16th-17th Century Literature
• +7 more

Satu Gröndahl serves as Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at Uppsala University's Department of Modern Languages, specializing in Finno-Ugric Languages. Her academic work examines the complex relationships between language, literature, and identity within Nordic minority contexts, with particular focus on Sweden-Finnish, Tornedalian, and Sami literary traditions. Dr. Gröndahl's research investigates how minority literatures navigate between cultural preservation and modern expression, linguistic heritage and adaptation. Her scholarly interests include: The political dimensions of minority literary production Gender perspectives in multicultural literature Language policy impacts on literary development The transition from marginalization to empowerment in minority writing Theoretical frameworks for understanding minor literature Her publication trajectory reveals an evolving scholarly journey from analyzing specific minority literary traditions toward more comprehensive theoretical frameworks about minoritarian literature. Early work focused on documenting and analyzing specific Nordic minority literatures, while more recent publications engage with broader theoretical questions about decolonization, indigenous knowledge systems, and collaborative research methodologies. This progression demonstrates her growing influence in shaping theoretical discourse around minority literature studies. Dr. Gröndahl has significantly contributed to the field through her editorial work on Multiethnica , the publication series from Uppsala University's Hugo Valentin Centre. Her leadership in this venue has helped establish critical scholarly conversations about multiculturalism, multilingualism, and minority rights in the Nordic academic landscape.

• Minority Literature
• Multicultural Literature
• Multilingual Literature
• +6 more