Professor Ashok Swain has 500,000 followers on Twitter

We meet in his office at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research on Gamla Torget in Uppsala. He has worked at this department for over 30 years, the last 18 years as a professor.

In another sense, however, the entire world is his workplace. From the outset he has researched environmental issues, migration and conflicts in countries outside Europe, such as India, Bangladesh and Ethiopia. He is often hired by the UN and international aid organisations such as Oxfam.

He is contacted daily by media outlets in different countries. Just the night before, for example, he received a call from a journalist who wanted to interview him about World Water Day.

“This morning I spoke to a British journalist about Putin and the relationship between China and Russia. Then another reporter called from India to do an interview for an American newspaper.”

Also comments on politics

Over the past six or seven years, he has reached many more people thanks to his tweeting. That all started in 2009 when a doctoral student showed him Twitter and helped him open an account. Initially, he wanted to share his publications with a wider audience, but now he also comments on political events.

“Much has changed in the world, and politics has shifted in many places. The rise of populism threatened the democratic, liberal order, so I thought it was time for me to contribute and say something. I also started writing in the media, especially about the rise of populism in India and South Asia.”

Why did you choose Twitter specifically?
“I realised that Twitter had an audience that I really needed to work with. There were journalists, policymakers and of course academics, alongside everyone else. I can have a direct influence and get my message out there.”

Had no intention of becoming a researcher

Swain came to Uppsala University in the 1990s as a postdoctoral researcher in environmental issues and migration. He was intending to stay for just three and a half months, but 33 years later he is still there. In fact, he had not intended to pursue a research career, wanting instead to be in the public life.

“Then I came to Uppsala and worked with Professor Peter Wallensteen. I discovered how much fun it was to do research.”

So he became a researcher, though still with a strong desire to contribute to social development.

“I have full respect for those who do research for the sake of research, but it’s important to me to devote myself to research that can influence policy.”

Number of migrants could double

During his time as a researcher, conflicts caused by water scarcity and environmental problems have become increasingly common. We are facing a significant increase in migration due to climate change.

“We used to call them environmental migrants, but now we call them climate migrants. It’s the same phenomenon, but on a larger scale. It used to be local but now it has become more global. Major changes have also taken place in the world of politics.”

In a report he presented to the UN in 2019, he estimated that the world's 250–260,000 international refugees will double due to climate change. At the same time, the issue of refugees has become increasingly politicised and migrants are being excluded from European countries.

“We have a legal system here that protects migrants; they are not threatened or killed. There is law and order. "Migrants and minorities living in Ethiopia, India or Sri Lanka are much more vulnerable,” notes Swain.

Countries must join forces

He is currently writing a book on climate security, which covers this topic.

What is needed to solve the problems?
“The climate will force people to flee, and that is very difficult to stop. I think the important thing is how we adapt our countries and that policies have to change. There has to be a collective responsibility, a global impact involving countries uniting and working together. It's much more complicated than that, but I don’t think you can deal with this as a single country.”

Wants to make a global contribution

Tweeting also has a downside. Swain has suffered from hate, threats and personal attacks, and over the years he has blocked 48,000 followers on Twitter. But he still thinks it has been worth it. Over the course of 30 years he has published several books and 150–200 research papers – knowledge that is now reaching more people.

“On Researchgate, my papers have been read a total of 120,000 times, but whatever I say on Twitter is seen every month by 60–70 million people. So even though I’m in my small office in Uppsala, I can truly get my message out to different parts of the world, without any filter.”

He recommends other researchers do the same, if they enjoy it and want to increase the impact of their research results or participate in the debate.

“You may face various threats and challenges. But if we always choose the safe option, we will not be able to contribute to the world.”