¸£Àû¼§

Democracy and academic freedom is the theme for the lecture series Research just around the corner in 2026.

At Linköping University, knowledge is something not only to be created and collected but also to be shared. This lecture series was developed by the University Library in collaboration with the vice-rector for Research, Matts Karlsson. Via a series of lunchtime lectures, the aim is to disseminate knowledge to the general public, LiU employees and students on a general theme every term. Do you know what is just around the corner at your university?

Everybody is welcome to join us in Lövverket in Studenthuset, Campus Valla. All lectures can also be followed via live stream and viewed online retroactively.

Democracy and Academic Freedom: How Can We Save the World?

In an era dominated by geopolitical conflicts, economic uncertainty, and a pervasive sense of insecurity, one question stands out: What can we do to reverse this trend—and how can we ensure that the solutions are democratic and inclusive?

At Linköping University, we tackle these challenges with courage, innovation, and a clear focus on democracy. Every researcher and research team contributes in concrete, interdisciplinary ways to building a more stable, just, and sustainable world. But what does this look like in practice?

Welcome to a series of open lectures with leading academics and scholars!

Ett landskap med nio personer som står på varsin trave med böcker.

Claudia Tazreiter

What future for democratic societies when core values are not shared?

This talk considers the challenges democratic societies face today in the face of the fragmentation of core values and shared understandings in a society. The talk asks how dominant political narratives and practices of democracy can be extended through integrating the knowledge and practices of minoritized populations.

Considering a new study into these dynamics the talk outlines the ways in which democracy is made and unmade in the public sphere: through forms of speech, acts of listening, and moments of deliberation around complex and contested everyday realities.

Image not found

View the lecture

Use the player to view the lecture with Claudia Tazreiter. The lecture was held on 20 January,2026, in Studenthuset at Campus Valla in Linköping.

Rebecca Böhme

In Swedish

Att uppleva jaget genom andra

Touch is the earliest and most direct way we perceive the boundaries between ourselves and our surroundings, and is the foundation for how we distinguish between “I” and “you.” Touching as a form of social interaction plays a key role in knowing our own bodies and navigating in social contexts.

In her talk, Rebecca Böhme gives a presentation of research that looks at how brain mechanisms and behaviours enable the differentiation between self-touch and touch from others.

She also discusses how these processes can be disrupted because of autism, ADHD, anorexia and during periods of grief – and how such changes can impact the perception of self, providing new insights into the connection between touch and mental health.

Image not found

View the lecture

Use the player to view the lecture with Rebecca Böhme. The lecture was held on 3 February, 2026, in Studenthuset at Campus Valla in Linköping.

João Florêncio

Sweden’s Revolt Press: Pornography, Politics, and the Making of Gay Europe

In his talk, João Florêncio will take the audience through a brief history of Revolt Press, Sweden’s pioneer in the publication of homosexual porn magazines and, from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, a leading driving force of European homosexual culture and politics.

From its home in Småland, Revolt Press and its owners Michael Holm and Geurt Staal fundamentally shaped the ways in which gay men across Europe connected and imagined both themselves and one another.

Image not found

View the lecture

Use the player to view the lecture with João Florêncio. The lecture was held on 3 March, 2026, in Studenthuset at Campus Valla in Linköping.

Andrea Kjellin, Francesca Ricci, Nicole Teufel och Tetiana Priadkina

What is the state of academic freedom at Swedish universities?

Despite the perception of an open and free academic environment, universities in Sweden are facing increasing threats to academic freedom.

Linköping University students who have compiled a report as part of Scholars at Risk will share their findings about threats to academic freedom in Sweden and discuss their time representing LiU at the European advocacy days in Austria.

Andrea Kjellin, Francesca Ricci, Nicole Teufel and Tetiana Priadkina are students at the Ethnic and Migration Studies Master's Programme.

Image not found

View the lecture

Use the player to view the lecture with Andrea Kjellin, Francesca Ricci, Nicole Teufel and Tetiana Priadkina.

The lecture was held on 17 March, 2026, in Studenthuset at Campus Valla in Linköping.

Per Gyberg

Time and place

14 April, 12.15–13.00

The lecture can also be followed via livestream:

In Swedish

Kunskap på löpande band?

In his lecture, Per Gyberg explores the state of academic freedom in a time where the production of knowledge is increasingly looked upon as an instrumental process.

What are the consequences of reducing the seeking of knowledge to administrative parameters such as appliance to rules and regulations, delegation procedures, and resource allocation models? Will such a focus on goal setting and instrumentalism result in responsible use of public funds or in a bureaucratization that limits academic freedom?

Linnéa Stenliden

Time and place

28 April, 12.15–13.00

The lecture can also be followed via livestream:

In Swedish

AI-litteracitet - Är detta ett nytt Space Race?

“Is this a new space race?”, Linnea Stenliden asks in her lecture as a global race for AI literacy is going on. This race is not only about technological knowledge, but also about critical evaluation, ethics, and interacting with AI in a wider societal context. 

The lecture will address questions about how the education system can meet the challenge from AI. In a series of research projects, Linnéa Stenliden and her colleagues have identified a set of central themes such as technical understanding, as well as practical and ethical implications.

Her lecture will provide the listener with the big picture regarding AI, regardless of one’s own previous familiarity with the topic. What does AI literacy mean for schools and the role of universities? And how can we contribute to greater awareness about AI in a world in constant change?

Anna Malmquist

Time and place

12 May, 12.1513.00

The lecture can also be followed via livestream:

In Swedish

Minoritetsstress och minoritetsglädje: Om utmaningarna och fördelarna med att vara hbtq+

In her lecture, Anna Malmquist will explore health aspects with being LBTQ+, and the vulnerable position of many LBTQ+ individuals in everyday life, but also the advantages and positive experiences associated with being LBTQ+.

Previous lectures

Autumn 2025

Theme: LiU 50 Years

  •  (in Swedish)
  •  (in Swedish)

Spring 2025

Theme: LiU 50 Years

  •  (in English)

Autumn 2024

Theme: Sustainable transformation

  •  (in English)

Spring 2024

Theme: Sustainability

  •  (in English)

Recordings of lectures

View previous lectures in the series Research just around the corner. Some of them are in Swedish, and some in English.