Rebecka Fingalsson
Doctoral student

Presentation

I hold a PhD in Science and Mathematics Education with a background in Sociology and Gender Studies.

In my research, I am interested in how ideas about the body, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and relationships take shape and are communicated in society in the form of knowledge, policy, and organizations. Theoretically, I am mainly inspired by phenomenology, poststructuralism, postcolonial- and feminist theory. More recently, I have also become interested in new materialism and Actor-Network Theory (ANT).

In my dissertation Orientations in Swedish Sexuality Education (2025), I work with Sara Ahmed’s queer phenomenological approach to examine how sexuality education takes shape in the Swedish education system through knowledge content, didactic approaches, and embodiment.

In my postdoc project "Unpacking the Box" (2025–2027), funded by the Crafoord Foundation, I explore the didactic possibilities of the box for building knowledge through curiosity, imagination, and community in mathematics and science education (including sexuality education). By focusing on the physical boundary of the box, I examine how "the hidden" can contribute to learning by demystifying content that may be perceived as complex, boring, or sensitive. In the project, I work with the concept of ethical distance to highlight how students can be involved based on their own knowledge, experience and personal conditions to approach the content. The results of the project can be used to develop recommendations and new forms of teaching that engage and meet students where they are, enabling them to make cognitive progress over time.

Since 2020/2021, I, together with Sara Planting-Bergloo (Stockholm University) and Simon Ceder (Konstfack), coordinated the national research network Utbildningsvetenskapligt nätverk för sexualitet och relationer (Educational Science Network for Sexuality and Relationships), which brings together about 40 researchers and doctoral students. Together, we have organized scientific symposiums, workshops, international exchanges, and doctoral courses. In addition, we have received funding from the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) and the Torsten Amundson Foundation.