Heléne Lööw to be awarded the Martin H:son Holmdahl Scholarship
The Martin H:son Holmdahl Scholarship is Uppsala University’s most prestigious award for the furthering of human rights and liberty. This year, the award is being given to docent Heléne Lööw at the Department of History for her important contributions to the rights of marginalized groups in Sweden.
Uppsala University’s finest award for contributions to promotion of human rights and liberty is the Martin H:son Holmdahl scholarship. It was set up in 2003 to mark the occasion of the previous Vice-Chancellor Martin H:son Holmdahl’s 80th birthday and will continue to be awarded to honour his memory after his passing earlier this year. The scholarship is for SEK 25 000.
Any employees or students at the University are eligible for the scholarship, either as individuals or a group. The University’s faculties, institutions and students submit nominations. The final decision rests with a scholarship board specially appointed by the Vice-Chancellor.
The scholarship for 2015 goes to docent Heléne Lööw at the Department of History for her important work on the rights of marginalized groups in Sweden – not only through her own research, but also as an active voice in public Swedish debate.
Heléne Lööw defended her doctor’s thesis at the Department of History, University of Gothenburg. In 2003, she was appointed head of the Swedish government agency Forum för levande historia (‘Forum for Living History’). She is a docent and researcher at the Department of History at Uppsala University, with particular emphasis on questions of extremism and societal protection for marginalised minorities. Her research is part of a larger project on political protests and the actions of police in Europe. She has authored a number of works on the history and resurgence of Nazism in Sweden.
The award will be bestowed by Vice-Chancellor Eva Åkesson at the University’s Winter Conferment Ceremony on 29 January 2016.
Linda Koffmar