“I want my research to contribute to an equal world”

Kristina Boréus, professor of political science

How can grassroots movements contribute to the climate change in urban areas? And what does the political rhetoric around climate change look like among far-right parties in Europe? Kristina Boréus at IBF is currently addressing these themes in two projects.

It is in language and rhetoric that ideas come to life. And inequality can take many forms. Kristina Boréus, professor of political science at IBF, knows this. She has long focused her research on themes such as inequality in the workplace and political parties' rhetoric regarding refugees. But in recent years she has focused her research on climate change.
– Like so many others, I was gripped by climate anxiety a number of years ago when I realized that this is real and irreversible and that there are things humanity must do that it is not doing. So what can I do? And then I choose to do research because that is what I do best, says Kristina Boréus.

She is currently working on two climate-related projects, one of which focuses on the transition in cities.
– It is important to find out how we can achieve the transition in cities because such a large proportion of the population lives there and many cities are also at risk of being severely affected, for example by climate-related floods, she says.

The newly launched project on cities is specifically about grassroots movements and how they can influence development locally in urban environments. The focus is on transport solutions, energy use in cities and how to expand the possibility of recycling to reduce new production and consumption.
– In this project, we have been to Berlin and Gothenburg and researched such movements and what promotes them and what prevents them from scaling up their activities. We have not yet gotten that far, but previous research shows that if grassroots movements are to be able to establish themselves and scale up, good relationships with different actors are required, for example for access to premises, says Kristina Boréus.

The political governance of municipalities, which can change from one term of office to the next, also affects the conditions for different activities. Political fluctuations and the changes that follow them are of course also relevant to the climate transition globally. Political science can contribute a lot here, says Kristina Boréus. For example, by examining fluctuations in ideologies and ideas, how international relations and agreements work and do not. What political decisions are made – and not.
– There is a lot of scientific research on climate and it is because of it that we now know the situation and how bad it is. But there is still a lack of social science research on the subject, we have too little knowledge about what to do. We need more common understanding.

The second project that Kristina Boréus is working on connects her previous subject area of ​​political rhetoric with the climate issue. There she studies European radical right parties and their rhetoric around climate and refugees. She has also previously written a book about how hostility towards refugees has increased in European politics through rhetoric and changed rules.
– I have looked at how party representatives in Sweden, Denmark and Austria have spoken out in different election campaigns, and to some extent also included Germany, the UK, Spain and Norway. And you can see a big change in Swedish rhetoric. It clearly hit home with some of the mainstream parties in the 2018 election campaign and was even more noticeable in this one. Refugees and other migrants are more often described as threats.
– Previously, the rhetoric against refugees was very hostile in Denmark and Austria, but now Sweden is catching up.

What do you want your research to contribute to?
– I want my research to contribute to an equal world where we can live in a way that the planet can tolerate. Then of course I find it intellectually stimulating and fun to do research. I think I have a fun job!