Research networks supported by CIRCUS
Research networks with ongoing support from CIRCUS.
Organising Local Food
The current global and industrialised food system is not sustainable, and the food we produce and eat accounts for a significant part of greenhouse gas emissions. The concept of local food is said to be a way to reach sustainable social, economic and ecological solutions. The network Organising Local Food gathers researchers from informatics and media, business studies, organisation and entrepreneurship, sociology, political science and geoscience in order to study the complex socio-cultural contexts that makes local food what it is. The network supports the development of new research initiatives in collaboration with relevant social actors such as farmers, food artisans, vendors, consumers and decision makers, as well as researchers with interest and knowledge in the field.
Support from CIRCUS 2023-2024.
Network leader: Daniel Lövgren, Department of Informatics and Media
Photo from Mostphotos.
SWEFAS – the research network for studies of fascism, right-wing radicalism, extremism and populism
SWEFAS gathers scholars in history, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, informatics and media, Russian studies, Jewish studies, theology and sociology in order to coordinate the existing expertise on fascism, far-right parties and groups (radical and extreme) and right-wing populism. Another aim is to further promote the collaboration with Nordic and international networks in the field such as NORFAS and COMFAS. The network offers an arena for scholarly exchange between researchers from different disciplines with different theoretical and methodological underpinnings who study different periods and countries. It is the network’s ambition to generate new multidisciplinary and comparative research projects and thereby develop Swedish and international research in the field.
Support from CIRCUS 2024-2025.
Network leader: Heléne Lööw, Department of History
Transforming Games: Behaviour, Identity, Culture, and Community (TAG)
The research network TAG gathers researchers from Game Design, Gender Studies, and Psychology to examine the relationship between games, gender, sexuality, mental health, and prosocial and antisocial behavior in communities surrounding games, play behaviour, and game artifacts themselves. Of particular interest is the way games can be designed and played to maximise their potential for beneficial transformative impacts such as personal and social change. Members of the network are collaborating to create a platform for interdisciplinary communication based on their research and they organise events such as lectures, panels, and seminars. They also organise practice-based game design workshops in the form of game jams.
Support from CIRCUS 2024-2025.
Network leader: Sarah Lynne Bowman, Department of Game Design
Forms of Coercive Care – Benevolence, Power and Responsibility
Coercive care means a limitation to a person’s fundamental freedoms and rights. Despite the many similarities and overlaps, research on different forms of coercive care tend to be studied as separate phenomena. The network Forms of Coercive Care gathers researchers from law, ethics, psychiatry, social work, criminology and psychology in order to formulate common research questions and learn from each other. The network also plans for an anthology on the forms and challenges of coercive care.
Support from CIRCUS 2023-2024.
Network leader: Moa Dahlin, Department of Law
Photo from Mostphotos.
Interdisciplinary bridges – a research network on men’s violence against women and violence in close relationships
Men's violence against women and intimate partner violence are complex and multifaceted public health and social problems, which need to be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Uppsala University has a number of active and vibrant research environments at the social sciences, humanities and medical faculties, which conduct research on men's violence against women and violence in close relationships. The network aims to provide a much-needed space for interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative analysis of the respective fields’ concepts, theories, and methods to measure and understand violence. The network also cooperates with relevant social actors who are tasked with prevention and/or mitigation efforts. Guided by a great respect for practitioners’ wealth of expertise, the network will seek to conduct systematic interdisciplinary analysis together - and in dialogue - with practitioners.
Support from CIRCUS 2024-2025.
Network leaders: Cecilia Strand, Department of Informatics and Media and Susanne Mattsson, National Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence Against Women (NCK),
UNI-CULT – Uppsala University Network on Indo-European Studies of Cultures, Languages and Traditions
Who were the Indoeuropeans and what did their cultural expressions look like? These are questions that have engaged researchers since the 18th century, which has gained renewed relevance in later years due to the implementation of new technologies. UNI-CULT - Uppsala University Network on Indo-European Studies of Cultures, Languages and Traditions is a network that spans the disciplines of archaeology (including archaeogenetics), linguistics and the history of religion. The goal is to create a creative and long-lasting platform for interdisciplinary Indoeuropean education and research at Uppsala University. Through workshops and seminars where junior and senior researchers meet, they create new possibilities for career development and research projects.
Support from CIRCUS 2023-2024.
Project leader: Terje Østigård, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
Gundestrup cauldron, interior plate 5.Photo Claude Valette, Wikimedia.
Uppsala Technical Humanities Network (UTHN)
Today, questions about cultural objects’ geographical origin and afterlife, crafting and materials, can be answered using advanced technical instruments. The Uppsala Technical Humanities Network gathers researchers from art history, archaeology and chemistry to help researchers find the right methods for their analyses. By connecting several different disciplines, departments and domains, the network spreads knowledge of new possibilities for technical analyses of objects, as well as enables new patterns of collaboration between the Humanities and the Natural Sciences. A goal for the network is to create an information guide where scholars in the Humanities can find the right support and analytical method for their research question.
Support from CIRCUS 2023-2024.
Network leader: Eva Lindqvist Sandgren, Department of Art History
Photo from Mostphotos.
USER: Uppsala Smart Energy Research Group
What role do consumers play in the transition towards a fossil-free sustainable energy system? USER – Uppsala Smart Energy Research Group gathers researchers from industrial engineering, information technology, psychology and statistics in order to increase our understanding of consumer behaviour and motivation, in relation to energy systems transitions. The goal is to create synergies between different research strands that lead to collaborations, and in the future will lead towards an interdisciplinary knowledge centre. The network is also focused on mediating research results to the public in general, and to the energy industry, in particular.
Support from CIRCUS 2023-2024.
Network leader: Peter Juslin, Department of Psychology
Photo from Mostphotos.