Board

By Stine Adrian on 10 Aug | 0 comments

GEXcel  Board

Nina Lykke (Director) is Professor of Gender Studies with special reference to Gender and Culture. From a background within literary theory and cultural studies, she has devoted her academic career to the field of inter- and transdisciplinary gender research. This has led her to an outspoken interest in feminist theory and epistemologies. Her doctoral dissertation (Dr. Phil.) developed a new feminist-marxist-psychoanalytical conceptual framework for analysis of embodied subjectivities and sexualities, based on literary material. In recent years, she has researched and published books and articles on feminist cultural studies of technoscience and studied relationships of sex/gender, bodies, nature, animals, science and technologies ina transnational and cultural perspective. Another current research focus is theorizing of diversity and difference in Gender Studies through genealogical explorations of conceptualizations of intersectionality and their reflections in feminist theorizing.

Anita Göransson (Co-director) is Professor of Gender Studies with special reference to economic change and organizations. She is an economic and social historian and has done extensive work on an inter- and transdisciplinary basis. Her general research interest is how the gender order and other social hierarchies affect and interact with the formation of societies and their power orders. She has worked extensively with empirical materials and used the results to develop a theoretical approach that combines poststructural and materialist elements and stresses the analytically primary role of masculinity. Her dissertation studied the transition from the household-based to the market-based society and how the old gender order affected thetransformation of society in the 19th century. She has also done work on the modern labour market, on social stratification in history and today, and on the role of kinship and other networks, as well as on gender theory. Her most recent research focuses on the Swedish power elite and how different combinations of class, gender and ethnicity affect a person´s access to power in various social fields. 

Jeff Hearn (Co-director) is Professor of Gender Studies, with special reference to Critical Studies on Men. He has a background in geography, urban planning, sociology, social policy and organization studies, leading onto inter- and transdisciplinary gender research, including studies and collaborations with law, history, social psychology and medical science/gerontology. His doctoral dissertation examined social planning and social theory, with special emphasis on patriarchy theories. He has researched and published books on such areas as sexuality in workplaces, gender and oppression, children and child abuse, information society, men'sviolence to women, late 19th century socio-economic change, social welfare, consumption and cultural studies, political change, management, business, European comparative studies - with a focus on empirical inquiry and intersectional theorizing. 

Anna G. Jónasdóttir (Co-director) is Professor of Gender Studies. Her background is in political science, sociology, economic history and psychology with social and political theory as the main field of interest. Her doctoral dissertation developed a novel approach to feminist theory of patriarchy in which she sketches three distinct but related theories: an alternative way of using historical materialism for feminist aims; a historically specific explanatory theory of contemporary patriarchy in Western societies; and a theory of gendered interests which establishes a theoretical space that allows for both common concerns and different needs andpreferences. Patriarchy is theorized in terms of how love as sociosexual practices is politically organized and love power exploited. Later she has elaborated further some of the main arguments of her thesis and she has published books and articles on ongoing international feminist theory debates, on governance and gender equality politics in Sweden and on feminist theory and research in the Nordic countries. 

Christine Roman is Professor of Sociology. A main area of research is continuity and change in gender relations in work and family. Her doctoral dissertation, which examines gendering processes in the so called new economy, addresses questions concerning relations between working life and family life, as well as intersections between class and gender. She has conducted several studies within this research field, including in-depth studies of negotiations between heterosexual couples, studies of the interplay between the social sciences and family policy, and studies of feminist theory on intimate relations. Another of herresearch interests is social movements, with a focus on how redistribution and recognition claims are balanced, both vis-à-vis the state and vis-à-vis groups within movements, i.e. how major social divisions such as gender, sexuality, disability, and ethnicity intersect in claims for social justice. 

Barbro Wijma is Professor of Gender and Medicine, a medical doctor with gynaecology as her area of specialization, and a psychotherapist. Her thesis 1982 approached “Fear of childbirth in pregnant women” from a quantitative and a qualitative approach, and was at that time pioneering. Combining feminist perspectives on sex/gender with her medical expertise has led her to explore interdisciplinary ways of bridging the gap between natural science approaches (with focus on biology and quantitative methodology, eg. epidemiology) with ethical, philosophical and sociological ones. Her research includes studies of women’s and men’s experiences of violence and violations in various contexts eg. partner relationships andin health care, and based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, and on theories from ethics and sociology. Another field of interest is empowerment of women vis-à-vis gynaecological examinations and methods of teaching medical students how to do gynaecological examinations in a caring, sensitive and empathic way. To take control over the body, in particular in relation to sexual practices, is a related research area. Among others she leads a project about young women who feel pain during intercourse, reflected as an effect of dominating attitudes to sex and gender relations.