معرفی
Adam Hjorthén is Associate Professor of history and Senior Lecturer in American Studies at Uppsala University's Department of English and the Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS). He serves as Director of Graduate Studies at the Department of English and Co-director of Humtank, Sweden's national humanities think tank. His academic affiliations include membership on the Social Sciences & Humanities Working Group in the Coimbra Group (2025–2028) and service on Uppsala University's Faculty of Languages Nominating Committee (2022–2025).
His educational background includes a PhD in history from Stockholm University (2015), where he was part of the Research School for Studies in Cultural History (FoKult). Following his doctorate, he completed postdoctoral research at Stockholm University's Department of Culture and Aesthetics and at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Free University of Berlin through Vetenskapsrådet's international postdoc program (2017–2020). He has also been a visiting scholar at George Washington University and the University of Minnesota.
Hjorthén's research centers on American cultural heritage and memory, with particular focus on 20th and 21st century Swedish-American relations. His current projects explore the intersections of cultural memory and political polarization in contemporary United States, including Refracting Roots: A Study of Political Polarization and Swedish Heritage in Contemporary United States (funded by Åke Wibergs stiftelse and Sven & Dagmar Saléns stiftelse) and A More Perfect Union? Public Scholarship and the United States Constitution in a Polarized Society (2024–2025, funded by Uppsala University's Democracy and Higher Education research program). His scholarly approach examines white ethnic heritage through Swedish Americans in Minnesota and public engagement with the U.S. Constitution at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
His extensive publication record reveals consistent thematic development across American Studies, with increasing focus on political polarization, cultural memory, and transnational relations. The most recent works demonstrate growing engagement with contemporary political debates in Sweden and the United States, particularly regarding the role of humanities in public discourse and national security contexts.
- 2018 Loubat Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History, and Antiquity
- 2015 Orm Øverland Prize from the Nordic Association for American Studies
Hjorthén has received significant grant funding from Åke Wibergs stiftelse, Sven & Dagmar Saléns stiftelse, and Uppsala University's Democracy and Higher Education research program. He co-founded and co-organizes the international research network 'Swedish-American Borderlands' with Professor Dag Blanck, funded by the Swedish Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (RJ). His leadership extends to editorial roles, including serving as associate editor of Swedish-American Studies (2021–2025), and organizational leadership as former president of the Swedish Association for American Studies (2016-2020).
As Co-director of Humtank and through his involvement with the Swedish-American Borderlands research network, Hjorthén works at the intersection of academic research and public policy. His current projects bring together scholars from Europe and North America to reconceptualize transatlantic relations, with particular attention to how historical narratives shape contemporary political identities and cultural practices.
