Sofia Näsström new Research Director at Democracy and Higher Education

Sofia Näsström, you have been appointed Research Director for Democracy and Higher Education. What is the aim of this programme?

– The aim is to increase knowledge about the relationship between democracy and higher education, and how this relationship changes and develops over time. In the programme, we approach the issue from two perspectives. We study both how higher education contributes to democracy, and how to understand the universities’ own role in society across different times and contexts. These issues are particularly important to study at a time when an increasing number of countries are moving in an authoritarian direction, and the university’s position in society is being questioned.

Why are interdisciplinary initiatives important?

– Historically, democracy and the development of higher education have gone hand in hand. To understand how they are connected and how they are being challenged, it is not enough to study the issue from the perspective of a single discipline. We need multiple approaches, including historical, economic, political, sociological, and educational ones.

What are you looking forward to getting started on as the new research director?

– As research director, I will help make Uppsala a strong research hub on democracy and higher education. The goal is to strengthen the programme and make it more internationally competitive. Part of this work involves developing the research through joint grant applications, publications, workshops, and conferences, and I very much look forward to being part of that work.