Orsi Husz

Professor at Department of History of Science and Ideas

E-mail:
orsi.husz@idehist.uu.se
Visiting address:
Engelska parken, Thunbergsvägen 3P
Postal address:
Box 629
751 26 UPPSALA

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Associated Researcher at Department of Economic History; Science and Technology Studies Center

E-mail:
orsi.husz@idehist.uu.se
Visiting address:
Ekonomikum
Kyrkogårdsgatan 10
Postal address:
Box 513
751 20 UPPSALA

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Associated Researcher at Department of Economic History; Uppsala Centre for Business History

E-mail:
orsi.husz@idehist.uu.se
Visiting address:
Ekonomikum
Kyrkogårdsgatan 10
75120 Uppsala
Postal address:
Box 513
751 20 Uppsala

Download contact information

Short presentation

professor of the History of Science and Ideas, docent in Economic History, PhD in History

Keywords

  • Cultural economy
  • Consumer culture
  • Social meanings of money
  • Financialization of everyday life
  • History of financial services
  • Class
  • gender and personal finances
  • History of identity documents
  • The market of education

Biography

I completed my PhD in History at Stockholm University in 2005. After working as a postdoctoral researcher and as assistant professor at the History Department, Stockholm University, I started at Department of Economic History, Uppsala university in 2009. After an assistant professorship, I became senior lecturer (universitetslektor) in 2014 at the same department and 2020 I was promoted professor of economic history. Since 2021 I work at the Department of History of Science and Ideas and I was promoted professor of Science and Ideas the same year.

I have been a visiting scholar at UCL, London and at Université Paris Nanterre. 

Research:

My area of research is the cultural history of economic life. I am especially interested in the interrelationship between economic value and ideal (emotional, cultural, moral etc.) values in different historical settings. My publications include topics such as consumption and consumer culture in the twentieth century (department stores, shopping, consumer credit, debates on consumer society, mass consumerism and consumer politics), everyday finances and the cultural meanings of money (lotteries, home economics, consumption of financial services, retail banking, checks, credit cards), the circulation of commercial and financial knowledge as well as middle class identity (especially related to personal finances).

I am now starting up research on the history of payments and everyday financial transactions (credit, cash, cashless) in the twentieth century.

Teaching:

I have been teaching courses and supervising thesis work at all university levels, undergraduate as well as post-graduate. I have teaching experience from different departments (history, economic history, history of science and ideas, ethnology, fashion studies) from two universities. I was coordinator for the Bachelor Programme in Historical Sciences (Historikerprogrammet) at Uppsala University (2011-2014). My main area of teaching expertise is however the doctoral level, and I have been working 2014–2020 as the Director of the Doctoral Programme at the Dept. of Economic History. Between 2021 and 2024 I was the director of Master level studies at the Department of History of Science and Ideas.

In 2018 I was awarded the Uppsala University Distinguished Teaching Award (Pedagogiska priset –Fria Priset 2018) for my work with the Doctoral Programme. 

Research

Ongoing and recently completed research projects:

Neoliberalism in the Nordics: Developing an absent theme (A Nordic Research Programme led by Jenny Andersson, Grant: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, RJ M19-0231:1) participant. See: https://nyliberalisminorden.se

The Business of Identity. Money and Identification in Twentieth Century Sweden (Grant: Vetenskapsrådet, 2018 -2021) project leader

The Intimate Relationship. A Cultural Economic History of Everyday Finances (Grant: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, RJ Sabbatical, 2018-2019) project leader

Shop Windows: Gender and the Circulation of Commercial Knowledge, with Klara Arnberg (Ekonomsk-historiska instiutionen, SU). The project is part of the Research Program Gendered spaces. Multidimensional walks in urban history/ Bekönade rum. Mångdimensionella vandringar i stadens historia. Grant: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, 2016–2020)

The Market of Self-Realization. Swedish Correspondence and Distance Education, 1890s-1970s, with Håkan Forsell (Historiska institutionen, SU) and Nikolas Glover (Ekonomisk-historiska institutionen, UU. Grant: Vetenskapsrådet and Handelsbankens forskningsstiftelser (2014-2018/2020)

Orsi Husz

Publications

Recent publications

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Articles in journal

Books

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