Eva Funck Beskow new honorary doctor at Uppsala University
“Experiences in children's theatre, acting, scriptwriting and dramaturgy have been useful to bring with me when passing on knowledge,” says new honorary doctor Eva Funck Beskow. Photo: Foto: Cecilia Cia Liljeton
Through her TV programmes, she has made major contributions to children’s education and the quest for knowledge. Funck Beskow has now been awarded an honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Educational Sciences.
Most people will recognise Eva Funck Beskow from the show Björnes magasin, where she began her TV career in 1987. Since then, she has created series such as Evas sommar- och vinterplåster, Evas funkarprogram, Evas känslokoll, Maskinen kroppen and many more. She has also written popular science books for children and illustrated books about the fictional chicken character Höna-Pöna, who has also played the lead role on her children’s theatre stage in Stockholm.
Funck Beskow will now become an honorary doctor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. The nomination highlighted her major contributions to children’s education and the quest for knowledge. “A further distinction is her enthusiastic manner and scientifically inspired approach that encourages children to seek new knowledge themselves.”
Lovingly clarified and conveyed
Funck Beskow says her teaching skills are born out a combination of experience and personal qualities.
“My experience from working for many years on children’s theatre, acting, scriptwriting and dramaturgy has been useful to have with me as I pass on knowledge.”
She also emphasises the strengths and weaknesses of her own brain to explain why she has become such a good teacher.
“My strength in analysing complex relationships, combined with my weak working memory, forces me to boil down and clarify knowledge. This makes it easier for others to understand.”
However, it’s not just a question of passing on knowledge, but building self-esteem and courage in her students. Funck Beskow tells us about her first teacher who made a lasting impression.
“After much struggling with the alphabet and multiplication tables, she looked at me and said: ‘There's something special about you, Eva.’ She didn’t say there was anything wrong with me; she said I was special. She planted that feeling in me, and it made me strong and curious about what that special thing was. She handled my little heart gently and looked at me lovingly. Love produces self-esteem and the courage to face the world. That’s the kind of person I became, and that’s the kind of people I also want to meet.”
The Conferment Ceremony for Funck Beskow and the other new honorary doctors will take place on 31 January 2025.
Emma Hallberg Gardell, Sandra Gunnarsson
Honorary Doctorates
An honorary doctorate, doctor honoris causa, is the title conferred upon individuals who have done outstanding academic work or in some other way promoted research at the University. The title is always in the gift of the faculties themselves, not the Vice-Chancellor or anyone else in the University Management.