Research in focus: Peace, democracy and human rights
Campus Total Defence
Peace, democracy and human rights
Peace, democracy and human rights
With our interdisciplinary profile, strong research and broad collaboration with civil society, Malmö University has been tasked with leading the field of peace, democracy and human rights within Campus Total Defence – an initiative that aims to bring together networks, create dialogue, and formulate concrete goals and activities in the field.
About the research
At Malmö University, research explores how peace, democracy and human rights can move from ideals to everyday reality. The focus is on building societies that are more sustainable, inclusive and resilient. Key themes include:
- culture and global perspectives – migration, identity, history of ideas and international relations,
- human rights and justice – protection against discrimination, the role of the rule of law and social inclusion,
- democracy and participation – elections, representation, civil society and digitalisation,
- peace and security – conflict management, diplomacy, radicalisation and peace processes.
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Doctoral Project
Embodied Memory in Post-violence Contexts. Circassians - A Transnational Analysis
gulnur.demirci@mau.se1 September 2024 - 1 September 2028 -
Research Project
New perspectives on the electoral participation of immigrants in Sweden
derek.hutcheson@mau.se1 January 2024 - 31 December 2028 -
Research Project
Future Society and Democracy in Europe
michael.strange@mau.se25 September 2023 - 31 December 2026 -
Research Project
Countering Oppositional Political Extremism through Attuned Dialogue: Track, Attune, Limit
tina.askanius@mau.se1 April 2023 - 31 December 2026 -
Research Project
Hate crime in the justice system: A study to improve the Swedish Police Authority’s capacity to identify and investigate hate crime
mika.hagerlid@mau.se1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 -
Research Project
The Ethical Dilemmas of Digitalization: Vulnerability and Holocaust collections.
malin.thor@mau.se1 January 2022 - 31 December 2025
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2025 | Article in journal
Ethnic Stacking in the Russian Armed Forces?: Findings from a Leaked Dataset
Jesse Driscoll, David Sichinava, Christofer Berglund
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2025 | Article in journal
A community-based response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Social capital in action
Carin Björngren Cuadra, Margareta Rämgård
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2025 | Article in journal
Passivity as Resistance: Counter-Conduct in Japan and Cambodia
Mona Lilja, Mikael Baaz, Malin Wallgren
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2024 | Chapter in book
The Human Observatory for Digital Existence
Amanda Lagerkvist, Jenny Eriksson Lundström, Maria Rogg, Jacek Smolicki
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2024 | Article in journal
The Influence of Interest Organisations on Swedish Rental Housing – Implications for Corporatist Theory
Bo Bengtsson, Martin Grander
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2024 | Chapter in book
Social innovation i Norden – civilsamhällets bidrag till samhällsutvecklingen över tid
Malin Lindberg
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2024 | Conference paper
Sticky objects of note: For a least literature
Alexander Brauer
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2024 | Report
Analytical reportbased on the results of the study High School Student — 2024: Values, Routines and Life Plans
Olha Maksymovych, Mariia Tyshchenko
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2024 | Article in journal
A study of security guard deployment and crime reduction in three locations in southern Sweden
Alberto P. Chrysoulakis, Manne Gerell, Niklas Jakobsson
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2024 | Article in journal
Finansiering av civilsamhällets innovationer i snårig terräng
Malin Lindberg
Researchers in peace, democracy and human rights
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Christofer Berglund - Associate Professor/Senior lecturer
Focuses on ethnic conflicts, security policy and democratisation in post-Soviet Eurasia, particularly the integration of border regions.
christofer.berglund@mau.se
+46 40 665 78 12
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Katrine Gotfredsen - Senior lecturer
Research on political change, identity and everyday life in Georgia, with a focus on uncertainty, morality, history and power relations.
katrine.gotfredsen@mau.se
+46 40 665 75 90
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Derek Stanford Hutcheson - Professor/Pro dean
Post-Soviet politics, elections, voter turnout, transnational citizenship and local democracy.
derek.hutcheson@mau.se
+46 72 546 68 34
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Christina Johnsson - Senior lecturer
Human rights, the rule of law, human rights education, and protection against discrimination and abuse.
christina.johnsson@mau.se
+46 40 665 47 31
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Dino Knudsen - Senior lecturer
Research on how culture and informal networks shaped peace, democracy and human rights during the Cold War.
dino.knudsen@mau.se
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Rebecka Lettevall - Pro-vice-chancellor/Professor
Peace, Immanuel Kant, global citizenship and democracy, with a focus on historical and contemporary ideas about peace and rights.
rebecka.lettevall@mau.se
+46 40 665 83 74
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Mona Lilja - Associate Professor/Head of department/Professor
Resistance strategies and their impact on social change, democracy and the future of civil society.
mona.lilja@mau.se
+46 40 665 89 03
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Bodil Liljefors-Persson - Professor
Civic education, religious and cultural encounters, and values linked to democracy and human rights.
bodil.liljefors@mau.se
+46 40 665 86 09
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Victor Lundberg - Associate Professor/Senior lecturer
Transnational history of ideas, radical nationalism, anti-fascism, power, ideology and masculinity.
victor.lundberg@mau.se
+46 40 665 73 86
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Emma Lundin - Senior lecturer
Transnational activism, freedom movements and democracy with a focus on gender, solidarity and the struggle for human rights.
emma.lundin@mau.se
+46 40 665 84 33
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Johan Modée - Head of unit/Senior lecturer
Human rights, the role of religion in international relations, and links between violence, tolerance and freedom.
johan.modee@mau.se
+46 40 665 75 86
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Fredrik Mohammadi Norén - Associate senior lecturer
Democracy and society through media history, strategic communication and digital methods for analysing political discourse.
fredrik.noren@mau.se
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Dennis Munetsi - Doctoral student
AI, healthcare and democracy with a focus on girls' sexual and reproductive health in global and hard-to-reach contexts.
dennis.munetsi@mau.se
+46 40 665 73 82
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Tom Nilsson - Senior lecturer
Democracy, administration and political participation with a focus on local politics, policy and international relations.
tom.nilsson@mau.se
+46 40 665 72 38
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Annika Olsson - Professor/Dean
Narrative, representation and democracy – with a focus on gender, intersectionality and the right to participation.
annika.olsson@mau.se
+46 40 665 76 78
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Sayaka Osanami Törngren - Associate Professor/Senior lecturer
Research into how racism, racialisation and discrimination affect equality, participation and rights in multicultural societies.
sayaka.torngren@mau.se
+46 40 665 72 27
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Bo Petersson - Professor
Research on Russian politics, authoritarian legitimisation, political myth and the spread of undemocratic norms in post-Soviet regions.
bo.petersson@mau.se
+46 40 665 73 95
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Fredrik Portin - Associate Professor/Lecturer
Religion, ethics and politics with a focus on inclusion, human rights and conflict resolution in the public sphere.
fredrik.portin@mau.se
+46 72 225 19 31
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Ingrid Runesson - Senior lecturer
Disability, participation and social justice – with a focus on human rights, inclusion and social work.
ingrid.runesson@mau.se
+46 40 665 79 47
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Mikael Spång - Professor
Democracy, human rights, political and social theory with a focus on citizenship, representation and social justice.
mikael.spang@mau.se
+46 40 665 73 59
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Kristian Steiner - Associate Professor/Senior lecturer
Religious and ideological radicalisation, peace, conflict, enemy images, and the group of Messianic Jews in Israel.
kristian.steiner@mau.se
+46 40 665 72 67
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Michael Strange - Associate Professor/Senior lecturer
Democracy, political agency and AI with a focus on health, global politics, participation and social justice in the digital age.
michael.strange@mau.se
+46 40 665 72 16
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John H. S. Åberg - Senior lecturer
International relations, democracy, global politics and authority with a focus on Africa, China and European issues of the future.
john.aberg@mau.se
+46 40 665 74 35
Education and related initiatives
Build the society of the future
Build the society of the future
Learn more about crisis preparedness, security, AI, migration, human rights and international relations. We teach basic and advanced level courses that will equip the student to contribute to Sweden's total defence.
Doctoral school on strategies to counter radicalisation
Doctoral school on strategies to counter radicalisation
VORTEX is an international research school supported by the EU's Horizon Europe programme. Ten doctoral students at eight universities are developing new evidence-based strategies for understanding, preventing and countering radicalisation. Read their insights and reflections on their blog.
Leadership with ethics and responsibility at its core
Leadership with ethics and responsibility at its core
Within the Anna Lindh Academy, Malmö University offers tailor-made courses for leaders who want to strengthen their ethical judgement and take responsibility for human rights in practice. Using storytelling, reflection and lived experience as tools, we address the complex challenges of contemporary working life and society.
