Michael Nebeling Petersen

Michael Nebeling Petersen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen. He leads the Contemporary Cultural Studies research group at NorS and co-heads the interdisciplinary network for gender research in the Humanities. His institutional affiliations include board memberships at KVINFO, LGBT Asylum, The National Association of Gender Research in Denmark, and the Think Tank Equalis Advisory Board.

His research spans gender studies with emphasis on intersections of sexuality, gender, race, and national belonging. Key areas include cultural history of AIDS, queer kinship, reproductive technologies, biomedicalization, and digital intimacy cultures. He employs diverse methodologies including discourse theory, visual analysis, digital ethnography, and archival research. His theoretical frameworks integrate feminist theories, queer theory, critical race studies, and poststructuralism.

Nebeling Petersen's recent publications reveal strong trends in Scandinavian HIV/AIDS historiography, racialization processes in epidemic narratives, and digital culture analyses. His work consistently examines power dynamics through intersectional lenses, particularly focusing on homonationalism and queer of color critique within Nordic welfare contexts. The publications demonstrate methodological innovation in combining historical analysis with contemporary digital ethnography.

• Krakaprisen (2013)
• Guldmedalje (2008)

As editor-in-chief of Kvinder, Køn og Forskning and editorial board member of Lambda Nordica, he significantly shapes gender studies discourse. His current research includes the Independent Research Fund Denmark project The Cultural History of AIDS in Denmark (CHAD), examining 1981-2000 epidemic narratives. He actively supervises BA/KA projects in gender, sexuality, and difference studies, focusing on cultural, media, and discourse analytical approaches.

Nebeling Petersen engages with multiple research networks including NordSex (Nordic Research Network on Sexuality, Media, and Culture) and organizes international conferences on European HIV/AIDS histories. His collaborative work with institutions like Aarhus University demonstrates cross-institutional research integration.