Eric Cullhed

Professor in Greek at Department of Linguistics and Philology

E-mail:
Eric.Cullhed@lingfil.uu.se
Visiting address:
Engelska parken
Thunbergsvägen 3H
Postal address:
Box 527
751 20 UPPSALA
ORCID:
0000-0003-4043-0294

Short presentation

I am a professor of Greek. I have mainly specialized on the Homeric epics and their legacy. My work is driven by a curiosity to venture into new domains, methodologies, and materials, and I have conducted research on Latin American poetry, aesthetics, philosophical psychology, och trained machine learning models to restore lost segments of Ancient Greek papyri and inscriptions. I have also written a book on the philosophy of crying.

Keywords

  • crying
  • weeping
  • tears
  • digital humanities
  • aesthetics
  • philology
  • psykologi
  • litteraturvetenskap
  • aesthetic normativity
  • emotion
  • emotion psychology
  • interpretation
  • grekiska
  • emotion theory
  • världslitteratur
  • digital humaniora
  • values
  • filologi
  • grekisk och romersk litteratur
  • litteratur
  • ai and machine learning
  • estetik

Biography

Born 1985

Education

2018 – Docent in Greek, Uppsala University

2014 – Ph.D. in Greek, Uppsala University

2009–2010 – Courses in philology, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa

2009 – Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Greek, Uppsala University

2007 – Bachelor's degree in Latin, Stockholm University

Positions

2024.05– – Professor of Greek, Uppsala University

2021.03–2024.04 – Senior Lecturer in Greek, Uppsala University

2019.07–2024.06 – Pro Futura Scientia XIII Research Fellow, Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study

2015.05–2019.06 – Research Assistant Professor in Greek, Uppsala University

2015.01–2015.04 – Researcher, RJ Project "Texte et récit à Byzance", Uppsala University

2010.04–2014.12 – Ph.D. Candidate in Greek, Uppsala University

2008.01–2009.08 – Research Assistant, Ars edendi Programme, Stockholm University

2006.08–2007.12 – Teaching Assistant in Latin, Stockholm University

Visits

2025.09–2026.07 – Senior Visiting Researcher, Logos – Research Group in Analytic Philosophy, Universitat de Barcelona

2022.01–2022.07 – Visiting Researcher, Thumos – The Genevan Research Group on Emotions, Values and Norms, Swiss Center for Affective Sciences and University of Geneva

Media

Swedish radio about my book on weeping

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/asne-seierstad-tararnas-historia-och-sportlov-med-patrik-lundberg

Psychology Podcast episode about my book crying

https://shows.acast.com/65ba4427eac8160017b8df85/69a5bab7c8a5f10081de08dd

Conversation on Swedish national radio with Anna Blennow and Viktor Hariz about the Odyssey

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/odysseen-berattelsen-som-vagrar-do

Podcast episode about my book on weeping

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ab5v2-1a5eed3

Swedish national television segment about my book on weeping

https://www.tv4play.se/klipp/24e2b659457a33f05ae4/video-darfor-grater-vi-tararnas-roll-i-vara-liv

Short interview in relation to my book on Crying, M Magasin Mars 2025 no. 5, p. 83

https://go.readly.com/magazines/58b19da803c6b7c5110000aa/69b34cefe2b2ca7d387ec8c8/83

Essay in Dagens Nyheter by Johan Kellman Larsson on the occasion of my book on weeping.

https://www.dn.se/kultur/johan-kellman-larsson-varfor-har-man-borjat-grata-i-offentligheten-igen

Swedish national television, SVT Sverige Live (kl. 16.21). Om by book on Weeping (2026)

https://www.svtplay.se/video/j4dmQ19/sverige-live-1/idag-16-00?video=visa&position=1267

Interview in Vårdfokus (the journal of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals)

https://www.vardfokus.se/historiskt/den-som-inte-lidit-och-grater-har-inget-att-erbjuda-i-samtidens-offentlighet/

Interview in the magazine ETC: "He wants to solve the riddle of crying"

https://www.etc.se/inrikes/han-vill-loesa-graatandets-gaata-jag-trivs-bra-med-att-ha-kyrkogaarden-taett-inpaa

Interview in the newspapers Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad about my book on Crying (2026)

https://www.sydsvenskan.se/inpa-livet/varfor-grater-vi-nu-sagas-de-gamla-teorierna-om-tarar

"In this book you will drown in rears": Review of my book on Crying (2026)

https://www.dn.se/kultur/den-har-boken-kommer-fa-dig-att-drunkna-i-tarar/

"Why do we shed tears?" Review of Crying (2026) in Svenska Dagbladet

https://www.svd.se/a/zOO6gb/recension-grat-av-erik-cullhed

Review of crying

https://www.expressen.se/kultur/bocker/eric-cullhed-forklarar--detta-betyder-tararna/

Morning radio show interview on my book on crying

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/professorn-darfor-grater-du

Segment on my book Crying (2026) on Swedish national radio

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/professorn-darfor-grater-du

Essay by Karin Brygger on national radio on Crying (2026)

https://www.sr.se/avsnitt/tarar-teori-ger-trost-at-oss-som-grater-oss-genom-livet

Interview in Uppsala's local newspaper on Crying (2026)

https://www.unt.se/kultur/livet/artikel/eric-cullhed-skriver-bok-om-tararnas-filosofi/jdoq040l

Swedish national radio P4 on Crying (2026)

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/p4-extra-med-svjetlana-pastuhovic--252#5481

Podcast, Podd: Lära från lärda, on Crying (2026)

https://larafranlarda.com/recension-grat-eric-cullhed/

Uppsala Nya Tidning: news paper article on the occasion of Crying (2026)

https://www.unt.se/kultur/kronika/artikel/sverige-svammar-over-av-manliga-tarar-och-jag-alskar-det/jdoxo24l

Uppsala Nya Tidning, review of Crying (2026)

https://www.unt.se/kultur/recension/artikel/kan-varldens-fulaste-djur-forklara-varfor-vi-grater/l72231xj

Review of Crying (2026) in Anekdot, Bokrevyn # 14 (03 april, 2026), 24:24.

https://anekdot.se/bokrevynavsnitt/14-grot-florens-och-historiens-mest-avskydde-person/

Swedish Health Magazine, Må Bra, on Crying (2026)

https://www.mabra.com/psykologi/det-har-hander-i-kroppen-nar-vi-grater-och-darfor-behover-vi-det/11364725

Dagens Nyheter interview on crying

https://www.dn.se/kultur/eric-cullhed-om-tarar-det-ar-faktiskt-ett-av-fa-exkrementer-som-inte-anses-vara-ackliga/

Podcastinterview by Thomas Nordegren

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0wH-VVVprw

Radio show, Eftermiddag i P4 Stockholm, on Crying (2026)

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/2776902

Popular science magazine Modern psykologi 3/2026 on Crying (2026)

https://se.readly.com/magazines/modern-psykologi/2026-05-06/69e0c137d04355db078064c0

Yle Culture: Interview about Crying (2026)

https://yle.fi/a/7-10099581

Kulturpodden (Svenska YLE) on Crying (2026)

https://arenan.yle.fi/1-77986199

Review of Cryng in axess magazine

https://www.axess.se/recensioner/tararnas-gatfulla-kalla/?

Interview in the YLE Tv show Efter Nio

https://areena.yle.fi/1-76370151?seek=1775

Review in the magazine Respons

https://tidskriftenrespons.se/artikel/aksjuk-fard-genom-gratens-historia/

Arbetet: summer book toplist

https://arbetet.se/2026/06/29/har-ar-sommarens-basta-bocker/

Interview Dagens Industri Weekend

https://www.di.se/nyheter/professorn-darfor-grater-topparna-offentligt/

Interview in Göteborgsposten

https://www.gp.se/livsstil/darfor-grater-vissa-hela-tiden-och-andra-nastan-aldrig.dfa0394a-43f7-4250-a13f-0ec59dbddd42

Podcast at the Media and communication department, Södertörn

https://shows.acast.com/mkv-podden/episodes/grat

Summer series of podcasts on the Odyssey, Anekdot

https://anekdot.se/bildningspoddavsnitt/nyhet-sommar-med-odysseen-startar-1-juli/

Article in Svensk bokhandel on the summer podcast series on the Odyssey

https://www.svb.se/foerdjupning/sommarens-odysseusfeber-film-podcast-och-parafraser/4474005

P1 Talkshow on Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey

https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/vi-sammanfattar-vm-sommaren-hur-blev-odysseen-ododlig-och-kan-ett-datorspel-losa-palmegatan

Interview on Crying (2026) in Ica Kuriren

https://se.readly.com/magazines/icakuriren/2026-07-03/6a362c66e6993f1c1c414187?srsltid=AfmBOorQvi9CIYQMs27pQuNlzFzigPlxV6LQzMZR12igzfVbQrWh36rQ

Swedish national television on the Odyssey

https://www.svt.se/kultur/efter-nolan-succen-intresset-for-odysseen-okar-kraftigt

"Why some Cry all the time, and others never" –on crying in lifestyle magazine Femina

https://www.femina.se/halsa/darfor-grater-vissa-hela-tiden-och-andra-inte-alls/11537990

Eric Cullhed

Publications

Selection of publications

Recent publications

All publications

Articles in journal

Books

Chapters in book

Collections (editor)

Conference proceedings (editor)

Manuscripts (preprints)

Monograph doctoral thesis

Other