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Why do some people believe that most others can be trusted, while others don’t? And how does trust change over time? In his recently defended doctoral thesis, Alexander Saaranen studies social trust, and his findings show that our teenage years may be more important than previously thought. On Thursday 12 June Alexander Saaranen successfully defended his thesis “Trust in time” and is now a doctor

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/alexander-saaranens-thesis-uncovers-what-makes-us-trust - 2025-12-27

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, decision-makers around the world turned to predictive models and scenarios to navigate the unknown. But how did these projections shape—and sometimes mislead—strategies and public debate? In a newly published article in the journal Social Studies of Science, sociologist Tobias Olofsson explores how early pandemic predictions influenced policy and public discourse. T

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/can-flawed-predictions-still-guide-us-times-uncertainty - 2025-12-27

When researchers from three continents gathered at Lund University's Department of Sociology for the conference Crisis, Hope, and Critical Turning Points, the spotlight was on society’s capacity to navigate and recover from crises. Despite the gravity of the topics, the atmosphere was animated—filled with conversation, laughter, and spontaneous exchanges. With renowned scholar Sylvia Walby as keyn

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/crisis-hope-and-turning-points-international-researchers-gathered-lund - 2025-12-27

On Thursday, 4 September, the VIRTUTRIALS research team hosted their start-up seminar, welcoming 25 representatives from across Sweden’s legal landscape – including the Swedish Courts, Prosecution Authority, Swedish Bar Association, Prison and Probation Services, Victim Support Sweden, and more. The seminar marked the official launch of VIRTUTRIALS: The Elusive Role of Physicality – Towards a New

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/virtutrials-launch-seminar-brings-together-key-legal-stakeholders - 2025-12-27

What does working life look like for Swedish teenagers? A new doctoral thesis in sociology offers a unique insight into upper secondary school students’ experiences of working in low-wage service jobs – and how these jobs shape their self-understanding. Today, Friday 19 September, Anna Kallos successfully defended her doctoral thesis in sociology at the Socialhögskolan’s Gamla köket, just a stone’

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/teenagers-work-anna-kallos-defends-doctoral-thesis-young-peoples-working-conditions - 2025-12-27

How can a plant shape knowledge, community, and activism? New doctoral thesis sheds light on cannabis activism and human–plant relations in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today, Monday 29 September, Lucia Amaranta Thompson marks the successful defence of her doctoral thesis in Gender Studies at Lund University, presenting a unique ethnographic insight into the cannabis community in Buenos Aires, Argenti

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/exploring-cannabis-community-argentina-lucia-amaranta-thompson-defends-doctoral-thesis - 2025-12-27

On Friday 26 September, David Bazan Royuela successfully defended his doctoral thesis in sociology at the Eden Auditorium. The research offers new insights into how we interact with algorithms on platforms like TikTok. The thesis titled Algorithmic Interaction Ritual Chains on TikTok: Scrolling through Feedback Loops explores how every like, skip, or watch on TikTok sends signals to the platform’s

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/tiktok-algorithms-and-feedback-loops-new-thesis-david-bazan-royuela-explores-digital-interactions - 2025-12-27

Sociologist Mikael Klintman warns that some apps meant to reduce anxiety might actually increase it. In The Conversation, he explains how constant alerts and dramatic messages can make users more stressed, not less. In his book 'Framing – The Social Art of Influence', Mikael Klintman asks which kinds of signalling strike a chord with different audiences in particular situations like advertising an

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/stress-apps-can-make-you-more-anxious-research-shows-how-deal-it - 2025-12-27

The Department of Sociology, which includes the divisions of Gender Studies, Social Anthropology and Sociology, has elected a new head. Sandra Jönsson will assume the role on 15 November. We asked Sandra a few questions to introduce herself. Can you tell us a little about your background?I earned my PhD in work and organisational psychology at Lund University in 2005. After that, I spent many rewa

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/meet-new-head-department - 2025-12-27

Artificial intelligence powers everything from facial recognition to self-driving cars, but what does it really take to teach a computer to “see”? Isak Engdahl, who recently defended his doctoral thesis at Lund University, takes us inside the labs where computer vision systems are built, and reveals the human work behind the technology. On Friday 28 November, Isak Engdahl successfully defended his

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/new-doctoral-thesis-how-scientists-teach-computers-see - 2025-12-27

How can research results be communicated beyond academic texts? Gender researchers Elin Lundell and Mia Liinason have chosen a new approach: translating their research into an animated film. Theoretical starting pointThe article on which the film is based analyses how boundaries between religion and secularism are constructed and maintained in contemporary Sweden. The study takes its starting poin

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/research-becomes-animated-film-theory-and-method-moving-images - 2025-12-27

The study on pharmaceutical industry self-regulation that Shai Mulinari and co-authors recently published in PLOS Medicine has received considerable attention internationally. The study has recently been discussed in The British Medical Journal (published by the British Medical Association), The Pharmaceutical Journal (published by the UK Royal Pharmaceutical Society) and The Wall Street Journal. 

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/international-coverage-mulinaris-study-pharmaceutical-industry - 2025-12-27

Abdulhadi Khalaf of the Sociology Department has together with co-editors just published the book "Transit States: Labour, Migration and Citizenship in the Gulf". The states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar) form the largest destination for labour migration in the global South. In all of these states, however, the majority of the

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/new-book-transit-states-labour-migration-and-citizenship-gulf - 2025-12-27

The Department of Sociology held their annual PhD Research Day Friday 12th December, which provided an opportunity for PhDs candidates from Education, Social Anthropology and Sociology to present their ongoing doctors thesis. A total of 13 PhD candidates presented their work which ranged from the emotion work and impression management of loyalty used by defense lawyers, to intellectuals in the con

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/inspiring-research-day-science-mapping-rwandan-farming - 2025-12-27

Ann-Mari Sellerberg and Vesa Leppänen have published a new article: "The contradictory role of the sales assistant: superordination and subordination" Int. J. Work Organisation and Emotion, 2015. More information.  

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/contradictory-role-sales-assistant - 2025-12-27

The Department of Sociology hosted an international migration workshop on the theme “Queer Migrations and Mobilities: Sexuality, Gender, Citizenship, and Intimacy from a European Perspective” on the 11th and 12th of September. The workshop, funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Societies (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond), brought together 25 researchers, scholar-activists, activists and ac

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/many-researchers-and-activists-queer-migrant-groups-brought-together-international-workshop - 2025-12-27

The successful candidate will conduct sociological research and teach sociology at the BA, MA, and PhD levels. The position includes 50 percent research and 50 percent teaching and administration. Associated Senior Lecturer in SociologyBiträdande lektor (Sw), Assistant Professor (US) In addition to conducting high-quality research and teaching insociology, the successful candidate is expected to b

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/associated-senior-lecturer-sociology - 2025-12-27

Erik Hannerz’ book Performing Punk has just been published with Palgrave Macmillan. See more details here.  Summary of bookArguing against the presumption that subcultural meaning constitutes a single set of meaning, Hannerz addresses how punks draw upon plural definitions of the mainstream and notions of subcultural authenticity.Drawing from an exceptionally rich fieldwork in Sweden and Indonesia

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/punk-identity-sweden-and-indonesia - 2025-12-27

Max Jerneck defended his dissertation in sociology "Sunrise of an Industry: Solar Energy under Financial and Industrial Capitalism in the U.S. and Japan, 1973 - 2005" today at one o'clock in Hörsal 128, Stora Algatan 4, Lunds University. External reviewer: Professor William Lazonick, University of Massachusetts Lowell.Sunrise of an Industry Max Jerneck

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/max-jerneck-has-defended-his-thesis - 2025-12-27

Shai Mulinari has published a co-authored article on “Does Maternal Country of Birth Matter for Understanding Offspring’s Birthweight?  A Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity in Sweden” in PLOS ONE.More information at journals.plos.org AbstractBackgroundMany public health and epidemiological studies have found differences between populations (e.g. maternal countries of birth) in average

https://www.soc.lu.se/en/article/mulinari-understanding-offsprings-birthweight - 2025-12-27