N O 6 | J A N U A RY 2 0 1 7
With a focus on digital culture Cecilia Lindhé wants to protect the diversity of thought OUR NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR?
BULLYING AND THREATS
REFUGEE GOT A NEW JOB
Norwegian wants more collegiality
The dark side of gymnastics
Hard work payed off at last
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Vice Chancellor
Everyone needs an inner, ethical compass PRO FE S S O R S B O ROT H ST E I N and Lennart Levi recently stuck their chins out in Dagens Nyheter (a leading Swedish newspaper) and maintained that “the elite” lacked an ethical compass. They asserted that managers at leading higher education institutions, despite their education, did not understand the importance of ethics in decision making and that the vice-chancellors of all Sweden’s universities and university colleges must now take responsibility for ensuring that ethics featured in study courses and programmes. This was an important move and I agree with their conclusions. However, I would like to add that everyone needs an ethical compass in their daily lives – not just people in leading positions. We all constantly and regularly face ethical dilemmas. Sometimes, solutions come easily and naturally. At others, we are left worried and lost. Against the background of the frightening societal development we are now seeing (increased populism, denial of facts, an increasingly rancorous climate of debate with ever more polarised views, hatred and threats to the freedom of expression and of the press), we can no longer just look on and moan about what is happening. We, as a university, must now become involved and make a forceful contribution to turning the negative trend. Otherwise, we jeopardise the glue that holds democracy together – mutual respect. I N T H E PR E V I O U S issue of GU Journalen, I reflected on the role of universities in society and our responsibility in providing the competencies that will be required in a rapidly changing and globalised world. To this, I would like to add that we, as a university, should contribute to a good and democratic societal development in which ethical perspectives are ever present. Our principal mission of delivering the highest quality education and research gives us great opportunities. By providing our students with research-linked education, we encourage creativity, analytical
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
A MAGAZINE FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF GOTHENBURG
January 2017 E D I TO R - I N C H I E F A N D P U B L I S H E R
Allan Eriksson 031 - 786 10 21 allan.eriksson@gu.se
ability, questioning attitudes and the capacity to apply knowledge in new contexts. Our students are then not simply carriers of factual knowledge, they are also wielders of a number of tools necessary for shaping and developing tomorrow’s society. They become what the Americans call “agents of change”, the people who are to shape the future at a time of great challenges. H OW E V E R , D E V E LO PI N G a community in the right direction also needs individuals who, while complying with relevant laws and rules, think beyond themselves and who act impartially for the common good. Exactly as Rothstein and Levi suggest in their debate article, this requires ethics to be a part of all our study courses and programmes. Equally important, our researchers must always include ethical perspectives in their daily activities. If we also wish to be generally perceived as a relevant and legitimate social agent, it is absolutely necessary that we constantly breathe life into the discussion of ethics and other value-centred issues. Recently, I have sensed a growing desire amongst our employees that we, as a university, should act more clearly against the threats we are now seeing to democracy’s fundamental values. The starting gun for such initiatives sounded earlier this autumn when all deans and heads of departments came together for an ethics seminar. Christian Munthe, professor of practical philosophy, presented a model for critical thinking on ethical issues. The seminar also discussed the Poznan Declaration, an initiative prompted by Rothstein and Levi. This declaration centres on the compulsory integration of ethical issues in all study courses and programmes, not only in those for professions such as doctor, economist or lawyer. Discussions have continued in various parts of the organisation. We plan to hold a follow-up strategy meeting on ethical issues this spring. A S R EG A R D S R E S E A RC H ethics, we began a special ethics programme for PhD students at the start of the year. So far, it is optional. However, I hope that it becomes a compulsory and continuous element in doctoral programmes. An important prerequisite for us to contribute to a turn in the negative societal development we are currently experiencing is that we take a clear position not only on ethical issues, but also on numerous other values issues that are now in the spotlight. These are fundamental for it to be possible for democracy to develop rather than disintegrate.
E D I TO R A N D V I C E P U B L I S H E R
Eva Lundgren 031 - 786 10 81 eva.lundgren@gu.se P H OTO G R A P H Y A N D R E P R O D U C T I O N
Johan Wingborg 031 - 786 29 29 johan.wingborg@gu.se G R A P H I C F O R M A N D L AYO U T
Anders Eurén 031 - 786 43 81 anders.euren@gu.se
ADDRESS
GU Journal University of Gothenburg Box 100, 405 30 Göteborg Sweden E-MAIL
gu-journalen@gu.se INTERNET
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6 issues per year. The next issue will come out in February. DEADLINE FOR MANUSCRIPTS
20 January 2017. M AT E R I A L
The journal does not take responsibilty for unsolicited material. The editorial office is responsible for unsigned material. Feel free to quote, but please give your source. C OV E R
Cecilia Lindhé, Director of the Centre for Digittal Humanities Photo: Johan Wingborg
Contents
GUJOURNAL 6 | 2016/2017
THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’S COLUMN
2 Everybody needs an inner, ethical compass.
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NEWS
4 The consultative assembly wants Ole Petter Ottersen as vice-chancellor. 6 New centre for biodiversity in western Sweden. 8 Bullying and threats the dark side of gymnastics. PROFILE
10 Cecilia Lindhé wants us to rediscover our cultural history. 13 How evolution can help a composer breed new music. REPORT 14 Meet Hans Elwing who has dedicated himself to science and invention.
Biodiversity for everyone
16 Fayez Alsaleh is the refugee who got a job as a lobster farmer.
Alexandre Antonelli is the director for a new centre.
CHRONICLE 19 Should we panic over Trump’s success?
PHOTO: CHRISTIAN THOMA SSEN/SVENSK A GYMNA STIKFÖRBUNDET
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Mary, Malta and music Cecilia Lindhé has diverse interests.
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Hard work within gymnastics Threats and violence is the dark side of elite training.
From Deir ez-Zor to Gothenburg Fayez Alsaleh got a job as lobsterfarmerer.
Editorial: New GU Jornalen launching next year D E A R R E A D E R S , this is the final issue of GU Journalen as you presently know it. The journal turns 20 next year. We are celebrating this by publishing an entirely new format with a completely different design. In many ways, it will be a totally different journal. However, we hope that, in other ways, it will still be recognisable. Credibility remains as important as ever and we will not be modifying our editorial independence. This spring, we are also launching (at roughly the same time) a digital news site that will complement the published journal. The website will enable us to offer continuous news coverage and a
more interactive debate. We have noted that increasing numbers of universities and university colleges in the Nordic countries are closing their printed journals. Closure sometimes takes place without analysis, consideration and an understanding that going digital costs money. Of course, publishing news on the internet offers many advantages as regards speed, reach and searchability. However, it is important not to be deluded into believing that everything will simply be better. Although our reading habits change, our reading is still greatly affected. A printed journal is perhaps perceived as more esta-
blished and, consequently, more credible. Many people also feel that paper journals are more appealing graphically. Thus, we will be trying to keep a foot in both camps. A S YO U W I LL have noticed, publication of the year’s final edition of GU Journalen was delayed. Naturally enough, this was due to the vice-chancellor election and the subsequent deliberations of the consultative assembly. It was only on the 20th of December that the assembly published the name of its preferred candidate for the vicechancellorship of the University of Gothenburg. The choice went to
the University of Oslo’s current vicechancellor, Ole Petter Ottersen. An extended portrait of the man appears in the present edition. Much remains before the choice is ratified. The University Board must first make a decision. If Ottersen accepts the conditions, the appointment then rests with the government. Debate is important to us. That is why we are delighted that free speech occupies a full 4 pages of this issue. Please continue to get in touch with tips, ideas and debate articles. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! ALLAN ERIKSSON & EVA LUNDGREN
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News
A Norwegian who knows what he wants If the consultative assembly has its way, the University of Gothenburg’s new vice-chancellor will be Ole Petter Ottersen. He believes, amongst other things, that the best philosophy for a university is to have leaders who are chosen by the employees. But first it is up to the board of the university to appoint him. W H E N T H E University of Gothenburg’s consultative assembly held its interviews on the 15th of December, two candidates remained. These were Eva Wiberg, pro-vice-chancellor of Lund University, and Ole Petter Ottersen, vice-chancellor of the University of Oslo. After considering the interviews, the assembly gave 38 votes to Ole Petter Ottersen and 22 to Eva Wiberg. At his interview, one of the things Ole Petter Ottersen was asked to speak about was why he wanted to be Gothenburg’s vicechancellor. “After spending almost eight years as the vice-chancellor of the University of Oslo, which is wide-ranging and resembles Gothenburg’s in many ways, I believe I can be of greatest benefit in this type of job. After all, one element in this is inspiring greater confidence in universities in the world at large. Vision 2020 is very much like the strategy we have in Oslo and I am very impressed by the work the University of Gothenburg is doing in respect of major global challenges. Furthermore, both my wife and I feel very close to Sweden.”
projects themselves rather than following directives from above is, in Ole Petter Ottersen’s view, critical. “I am one of those who believe that universities are something entirely different from companies. I believe that university R E S E A RC H E R S R U N N I N G
leaders should be chosen by the employees and students. Universities must be independent and serve as the critical conscience of society. The University of Gothenburg’s UGOT Challenges initiative has identified a number of important global challenges that researchers from various disciplines can work with. I think this seems very promising. However, a balance must be found between control from the top and letting researchers govern themselves. Very often, the truly exciting discoveries are made in basic research.” Ole Petter Ottersen does not believe in trying to entice leading, international researchers to the higher education institution. “AT T R AC TI N G W E LL- K N OW N
researchers who already have careers behind them costs a lot of money. It may give a few extra points in the ranking lists, but it is dangerous to let such things govern operations. It is better to invest in young postdoctors and PhD students who are still inquisitive and eager to learn new things. The University of Gothenburg has a large proportion of foreign postdoctors. This is very good. At the same time, our own doctors must, of course, be safeguarded. As in so many things, it’s a question of finding a good balance.” Ole Petter Ottersen also feels that students are important. “I don’t know exactly what
rules apply here but, in Oslo, the students are an integral part of the academic community. We have a rule stipulating that at least 20 per cent of the members of our boards must be students. On our University Board of Education, 4 of the 14 members are students. We also have a student parliament that meets university management every week. “O N T H E W H O LE , it is unfortunate that universities focus so much on research, often at the expense of education. At the University of Gothenburg, you have invested in excellent teachers, pedagogical prizes and pedagogical courses for professors. I think this is absolutely correct. Greater focus on teaching is essential for education of the highest class. This, of course, is one of the most important tasks of higher education institutions.” Although Ole Petter Ottersen is a medical man, he emphasises the importance of investing in the humanities and social sciences. “One of the most significant duties of universities is training tomorrow’s professionals. Yet, students must also be able to relate to a complex world and understand how society functions. Thus, transferring education and culture to the next generations is fundamental for a higher education institution. For example, at the University of Oslo, we have, after thorough
consideration, reallocated funds from medicine to the large number of minority languages that would otherwise languish. We quite simply realised that, in a global world with major migration, it is important to invest in languages.” O LE PE T T E R OT T E R S E N believes that, as regards gender equality, the University of Oslo is something of a trailblazer. “We have a mentor programme for women about to start out on their careers. It has resulted in around 30 per cent of our professors now being female.
GUJOURNAL 6 | 2016/2017
Born 1955, is a doctor and researcher. He has published over 300 academic articles on the signal molecules and water channels in the brain. He took his doctorate in 1982. From 1982 to 1992, he was a prosector at the “Institute of Anatomy” at Oslo’s university. He became a professor in 1992. Two years later, he was the first recipient of the University of Oslo’s research prize. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions and the board of Oslo University Hospital. In 2009, he became the vice-chancellor of the University of Oslo. A famous controversy with provice-chancellor Ruth Vatvedt Fjeld in spring 2014 led to the pro-vice-chancellor resigning. As vice-chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, Ole Petter Ottersen and his wife, Reidun Torp, would move to Gothenburg. The University of Gothenburg was formed in 1954 by the merger of Göteborgs högskola (‘Gothenburg’s university college’) and Gothenburg’s medical college. This latter had been founded so that, amongst other things, it could receive Norwegian medical students who had been prevented from completing their studies by the closure of the University of Oslo during World War Two. If Ole Petter Ottersen is offered and accepts the post, he will be the tenth vice-chancellor at the University of Gothenburg. Calculating from the founding of a higher education institution in Gothenburg (1891), he would be the nineteenth vice-chancellor. He would also be the fourth vicechancellor in a row from the medical-natural sciences field. With an annual salary of NOK 1.6 million, Ole Petter Ottersen is Norway’s highest paid vice-chancellor. Pam Fredman has an annual salary of SEK 1.45 million.
“A university is best served by a leader who has a deep understanding of research,” opines Ole Petter Ottersen.
Nonetheless, in many places, there is still a culture that favours males. This is something we have to put more work into. Thus, I think Norway has lessons to learn from Sweden as regards, for example, gender mainstreaming. as regards study courses and programmes, started a special IT campus for female students. Yet, several of our study courses and programmes have the opposite problem. For example, in psychology and medicine, barely 20 per cent of the students are male. This will lead to major social problems
“ I N O S LO, W E H AV E ,
and is thus something we must correct. Naturally enough, I firmly adhere to the importance of taking the best students. Nonetheless, in certain cases, there may be special reasons for having quotas. Gender underrepresentation is an example. However, this is clearly a difficult issue.” Ole Petter Ottersen also considers that universities must be active in local communities. He is looking forward to collaborating with both Chalmers and the City of Gothenburg. “There is no contradiction in both local and global invest-
» It is better to invest in young postdoctors and PhD students who are still inquisitive and eager to learn new things.« OLE PETTER OTTERSEN
PHOTO: TER JE HEIESTAD/UNIFORUM
OLE PETTER OTTERSEN
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ment. On the contrary, they strengthen each other. Via, for example, teacher exchanges at different levels, we must bring universities and schools closer together. We must also include those parts of the world that haven’t, as yet, reached our stage of development. Working solely with universities at the top of the Shanghai list is no way forward. Indeed, we must counteract division in the world and try to create greater global equality.” AT T H E U N I V E R S IT Y of Oslo, the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, assistant vice-chancellor, university director and assistant university director work as a team. Ole Petter Ottersen hopes this can continue in Gothenburg. “It is incredibly important that a leader is not alone, but has people nearby who can help in areas where he or she is not so strong – finance in my case. Our work must be built on transparency and openness. We have to eliminate every suspicion that decisions are taken in the dark by some invisible, unregulated power. A university could not be run like that.
believe there is a contradiction in being collegial and being efficient. However, this is only true if efficiency is measured in money. Efficiency is using the higher education institution’s resources in the best way for both research and education. I am absolutely convinced that this is only possible if you really know the institution from the inside and have learnt what the employees can do and want to do.”
“ M A N Y PEO PLE
EVA LUNDGREN ALLAN ERIKSSON
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News
BIODIVERSITY
– a word on everyone’s lips? Yes! That is the aim of the Gothenburg Global Diversity Centre, which comes into being on the 1st of January 2017. Its director, Alexandre Antonelli, explains: “We have to bring together all the Gothenburg region institutions that are already working with biodiversity. We can then improve research while also involving the general public in an entirely new way.” A LE X A N D R E A N TO N E LLI , the new centre’s director, is a professor of systematics and biodiversity. He emphasises that biodiversity is interesting in a large number of connections. “We need to look into very many exciting research questions such as why species develop differently, why some survive climate changes and others don’t and why some geographic locations have a rich diversity while others are poor. Diversity is also of economic significance. The extraction of new medicines and the creation of materials for clothes and buildings are just two examples. Furthermore, biodiversity is, of course, important in itself. When a species dies out, an entire ecosystem can be affected with unforeseeable consequences.” Alexandre Antonelli relates that the setting up in Gothenburg of a centre for biodiversity is down to the area’s large number of operations involved in diversity issues in different ways.
involves a collaboration between 13 different institutions in western Sweden. Besides a number of bodies in the University of Gothenburg, the following are amongst the other members: the Gothenburg botanical garden; the Maritime Museum and Aquarium; the Gothenburg Museum of Natural History; Nordens Ark (a centre for the conservation of biological diversity); Universeum (the Nordic region’s largest science centre); Havets Hus (an aquarium that is one of West Sweden’s most popular attractions); and, the Energy and Environment department at Chalmers. It is only natural that so many operations should need to collaborate. Biodiversity is an interdisciplinary field that involves systematics, ecology, conservation of natural populations, mathematics, geography, genetics and much more. Hence, I hope to be able to focus on the various issues rather than on the public “ I N ITI A LLY, T H E C E N T R E
authority or organisation to which various employees belong.” The centre has two objectives: further developing research in biological diversity in the Gothenburg area; and, via various sorts of outward-oriented activities, bridging the gap between researchers and the general public. “ YO U CO U LD SAY that our operations are to be built on four pillars: discovering, learning, researching and protecting” states Alexandre Antonelli. “For example, we want to increase awareness of all the tens of thousands of species in our close proximity – not just in Universeum’s rain forest, but also in our own gardens and local spinneys.” As regards education, the centre wants to appeal to all ages. “One example of a way of working is the Faculty of Science’s ‘discovery club’. This is for children in the fourth to sixth year of primary education. Along with fifth year primary students, I too have observed ants and admired shiny, blue, beetles there. School teachers also play an enormously important ALEXANDRE role in capturing pupils’ ANTONELLI interest. Before, all children would collect plants and make their own herbariums in school. Now, ‘species blindness’ is spreading.” Modern technology can also contribute to increased interest in nature. BioNote, a company that Alexandre Antonelli started along with a colleague, Erik Thorelli, is an example. The idea is to launch an app for users to upload nature pictures (for example, birds or flowers spotted on a
»Before, all children would collect plants and make their own herbariums in school.«
walk in a forest) that can then be shared with researchers and other nature lovers worldwide. In this way, professional help with species identification is available and valuable knowledge of where various animals and plants are found is built up. Competitions to establish who is best at recognising species are a further possibility. Exactly as a mobile game has enabled children to quickly learn the names of all Pokémon characters, it should be similarly possible to learn the names of plants and animals. A LE X A N D R E A N TO N E LLI reveals that the University of Gothenburg is already internationally successful as regards biodiversity research. “We publish a lot in highly respected journals and have received funding from, for example, the European Research Council (ERC), the Wallenberg Foundations and the Swedish Research Council. We also already have several world-leading collections in our herbarium. One of these is a gigantic collection of plants from Ecuador. Our partners, the Swedish Museum of Natural History and the Botanical garden for instance, also have important and unique collections. However, we need to expand and modernise our laboratory operations with, for example, robots. These can handle the sequencing of species far faster than humans can.” One of the centre’s most important tasks is to protect species that are still alive.
wider collaborations are needed – for example, with the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and the Swedish Biodiversity Centre in Uppsala.” Alexandre Antonelli is of the opinion that people often have a rather skewed picture of why diversity is important. “Engaging the public with pandas, polar bears or an unusual flower is not so difficult. Humans tend to recognise visually. We attribute importance to whatever is stately or beautiful. However, we must get people to realise that species that are, perhaps, not quite as cuddly, may also be of major significance. For example, Einstein is supposed to have said that if all the Earth’s bees disappeared, humans would have no more than five years left to live. Ever more people
“ TO D O T H I S , E V E R
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are now beginning to see that there is something in this.” Even if knowledge of nature has generally decreased, Alexandre Antonelli is convinced that there is still an interest. “Climate change discussions often seem to make people fatalistic. This is because it is not so easy to influence the change ourselves. However, speaking about biological diversity can lift people’s hopes. Thus, instead of issuing judgement day warnings, we want to get people to realise that they can, in fact, do something – even if it is only in their own gardens or window boxes. Indeed, people feed birds in the winter and grow plants that bees and bumblebees like. So, the interest is there. We now want biodiversity to take its rightful place in general debate and be what everyone, old and young, is talking about and involved in.” TO R E AC H O U T , the centre must, amongst other things, issue newsletters, be on Facebook and Twitter and make it possible for the general public, researchers and other experts to meet each other. However, first of all, a coordinator must be appointed. “We also need a good venue where representatives of various operations can meet,” states Alexandre Antonelli. “The old library in the botanical building may be suitable.”
TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG FACTS The Gothenburg Global Diversity Centre comes into being on the 1st of January 2017. Its host is to be the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. The centre involves a collaboration between the following operations at the University of Gothenburg: the department of Biological and Environmental Sciences; the Department of Earth Sciences; the Department of Marine Sciences; the Herbarium; the Centre for Sea and Society; and, the Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology. The following organisations are also involved: the Gothenburg botanical garden; the Maritime Museum and Aquarium; the Gothenburg Museum of Natural History; the Energy and Environment department at Chalmers; Havets Hus (an aquarium that is one of West Sweden’s most popular attractions); Nordens Ark (a centre for the conservation of biological diversity); and, Universeum (the Nordic region’s largest science centre). Further collaborations may come about during the centre’s operating period. Interested in BioNote? Visit http://bionote.xyz/!
News 8
PHOTO: CHRISTIAN THOMA SSEN/SVENSK A GYMNA STIKFÖRBUNDET
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GUJOURNAL 6 | 2016/2017
Threats, bullying and violence There is a dark side to coaching regimens in top-flight gymnastics. A host of international collaborations are now being launched to put an end to the abuse. I N S PR I N G 2 0 1 2 , a number of ills were revealed in top-flight Swedish gymnastics. Exgymnasts came forward and told the media of coaching regimens that were built on bullying and violence. Young girls in artistic gymnastics suffered the worst. Several girls testified that they were forced to train despite serious injuries and that they were pressured to lose weight by, for example, wearing their clothes in a sauna. “There was a belief that this sort of abusive coaching regimen existed only in countries such as China and Russia. However, it emerged that there were problems in many countries. Sweden was one of these,” comments Natalie Barker-Ruchti, reader at the Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science at the University of Gothenburg. As regards artistic gymnastics, several international research projects were already under way. Nonetheless, Natalie Barker-Ruchti sensed frustration over the difficulties that researchers were experiencing in penetrating to the grass-roots level. The researchers were also finding it hard to discover which issues gymnasts and coaches themselves thought should be the subjects of research. “I wanted to initiate an international collaboration on these issues, link researchers with gymnasts and lay the foundations for top-flight gymnastics that were more sustainable,” she relates. This was the origin of the International Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Conference in 2016 (WAG2016). Held in Gothenburg as October turned into November, the conference brought together 10 researchers from different countries and representatives of different gymnastics associations worldwide. All of these had been invited by Natalie Barker-Ruchti. A host of joint projects were launched during the conference. One of these was a website that is to disseminate information on current research into gymnastics. A new international research group, International socio-cultural women’s artistic gymnastics (ISCWAG) was also launched. “Amongst other things, this group is to
define what violence is. The problem with coaches is that some of them do not see their conduct as abuse. They think that this type of regimen is necessary for gymnasts to perform at the top level,” states Natalie Barker-Ruchti. “As researchers, it is now our job to highlight good practice and to show that healthier regimens are just as effective, or even better,” she continues. Reader Natalie Barker-Ruchti has been linked to the Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science in Gothenburg since 2011. She has long been researching into coaching at the top level in various sports and, in particular, artistic gymnastics and football. Her most recent appointment was at the University of Basel. She has also carried out research at the University of Otago and Victoria University (both New Zealand) as well as the University of Queensland (Australia). N ATA LI E BA R K E R- R U C H TI ’ S latest research project centres on the increasing age of the women who are active in ladies’ artistic gymnastics. The retirement age in this sport has always been extremely low. Many leave as early as 16 when they enter puberty. Yet, there are now practitioners who are over 40 years old. “What we discovered was, amongst other things, linked to regimens. The older gymnasts got support from their coaches and help to find new goals, a new Olympic Games for example. As they grew older, the gymnasts also required a more equal relationship with their coaches.” Natalie believes that it precisely this more equal relationship between top-flight sportspeople and their coaches that is relevant for the future. Not least in the areas in which the newly started ISCWAG is now to develop its work.
How did it come about that you developed an interest in artistic gymnastics as a research field?
“My background is as a gymnast,”
discloses Natalie Barker-Ruchti. “I, myself, was never exposed to any serious abuse, but I saw how certain coaches treated other gymnasts.” When her career as a top-flight gymnast came to an end at the age of 22, Natalie Barker-Ruchti moved from Switzerland to New Zealand to train as a coach in artistic gymnastics. “However, I didn’t think I had the harshness that seemed to be required. I couldn’t shout and brawl in the way that other coaches did. That’s why I chose to start researching regimens and top-flight sport instead.” Is this sort of abusive regimen unique to topflight gymnastics?
“No, unfortunately not. It may be more extreme in gymnastics and ballet, but you can find many similarities when observing coaches in other sports. Football, a sport that involves so many children, is one example. Sport should be fun. Yet, when coaches use such methods, the fun disappears. We must change this,” concludes Natalie Barker-Ruchti. KARIN FREJRUD
FACTS New collaborations after WAG2016 Background: As October turned into November in 2016, a conference on the future of women’s top-flight gymnastics (the International Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Conference – WAG2016) was held in Gothenburg. Initiative taker: Natalie Barker-Ruchti, reader at the Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science at the University of Gothenburg. Participants: Researchers in, for example, pedagogics, psychology and sociology as well as representatives of various gymnastics associations. Apart from the Nordic countries, participants come from various parts of the world. They include representatives from New Zealand, Japan and Brazil.
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Profile
The literary scholar who finally found home “Digital technology is a lens that helps us rediscover cultural history,” explains Cecilia Lindhé, director of the Centre for Digital Humanities. She herself had the opportunity to unite new technology with mediaeval images when she worked with a digital installation on the Virgin Mary. ECO M I N G T H E director of the Centre for Digital Humanities last year brought Cecilia Lindhé new opportunities for her research to use digital technology, something she has been busy with for almost twenty years. It also means that, for the first time in many years, she is living and working in the same town. “While I was a PhD student, I commuted between Karlskrona and Uppsala. When I took my doctoral degree in 2008, I had already got an appointment as an assistant director of Humlab in Umeå. I was living in Skåne at the time and continued to commute up until 2010. I then moved to Gothenburg and started travelling from there instead. Thus, always being on the way somewhere became a part of my lifestyle. However, now living and working in Gothenburg, as well as also being able to walk to my job if the weather is nice, is, of course, of great value.” C EC I LI A LI N D H É ’ S interest in digital technology started as early as when she was reading literary studies at Blekinge Institute of Technology. There, everything (the humanities included therein) had to have a connection to technology.
“I started researching Kerstin Ekman and, to my surprise, discovered that this major author was also interested in digital technology. Amongst other things, she compiled a database on the history of her hometown in Jämtland. During long, boring trips to the Swedish Academy, she studied programming. In 1991, she even created a computer game, Rymdresa (‘Space Odyssey’). Computer Sweden voted it ‘the year’s Christmas present’. It involved, amongst other things, closely reading Stanislaw Lem’s The Invincible and answering questions such as ‘what is a theodolite?’ However, the game is only on diskette. This illustrates one problem with modern technology – it ages very quickly. Still, the computer game is now part of another project in which Cecilia Lindhé is involved. This is on how digitalisation has affected Swedish art and literature over the past 50 years.” I N H E R D O C TO R A L T H E S I S , Visual Variations: Image and Aesthetics in Kerstin Ekman’s Novels, Cecilia Lindhé showed that Kerstin Ekman’s novels were inspired by other media, not least films and computer games. “Kerstin Ekman came to the public defence of my doctoral thesis and sat on the front row. Of course, this was very special. She was incredibly friendly. She then even sent me a touching three-page letter in which
she related my thesis to various events in her life.” Digital tools have followed Cecilia Lindhé over the years. Take, for example, Imitatio Mariae. Jungfru som förebild i det medeltida Sverige (‘Imitatio Mariae – the Virgin Mary as a role model in mediaeval Sweden’). “This was an interdisciplinary project at Umeå University. I was working with a historian, a Scandinavian philologist and an art historian. For four years, we travelled around Uppland, Östergötland and Gotland documenting some hundred mediaeval churches. I took almost 8,000 pictures. These later resulted in an interactive installation at Humlab in Umeå. The photos were shown on large screens and were sensitive to touch, sound and light. The idea was to lessen the focus on text and to create a feeling of how images, texts, light, touch and space are interdependent.” M E D I A E VA L PEO PLE SAW the Virgin Mary as a mediator between man and God. She served as a yardstick, even if it was impossible to be equally perfect. However, the Reformation and the suppression of everything Catholic then came. Thus, at the start of the 20th century, in a stocktaking of Swedish churches, images of Mary were found stashed in all sorts of places – in old chests, up in church towers and in somewhat hidden away cabinets in village schools. Mary still excites debate. Is she a servile, patriarchal invention or a female role model in an otherwise male-dominated religion? “I, myself, am fascinated by her. For many years, I have collected images, large and small, of Mary.” Her digitalisation interest has also led Cecilia Lindhé to research completely different matters elsewhere in the world. Amongst other things, she has grown interested in the destinies and adventures of Swedes on Malta. Her research has concentrated on the Gollcher family. Leaving
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Danzig in the middle of the 18th century, the family came to Gothenburg and set up a cooperage. The family then moved to Stockholm and got involved in ship building and shipping. In 1848, Johan Gustaf Gollcher sailed aboard the brig Swalan to Malta. There, his son became the Swedish consul. since been passed through the family all the way to the present holder, Karl Gollcher. I became interested in this family because, a few years ago, Karl contacted me for help with a question he had received from the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. The museum wanted to know more about a gold label that had accompanied an Egyptian mummy which a Mr Gollcher on Malta appeared to have ordered for the Swedish king in 1870.” Along with an Egyptologist at the museum, Cecilia Lindhé finally managed to solve the riddle of the mummy and how it ended up in Stockholm. Immediately after this, she learned that Karl Gollcher’s garage held two unopened wooden boxes with material from 1822 onwards. “Naturally enough, I travelled down and started to investigate the boxes. They contained diplomatic correspondence, documents about Swedish sailors, diaries, tiny crib sheets in preparation for a royal visit and all manner of other things. I now hope to have the opportunity to digitalise and make this material accessible. Most immediately, I’ll be trying not only to write a book about the Gollcher family, but also to work on a project about Scandinavian visitors to Malta, 1650 to 1950.” Another project in which Cecilia Lindhé is involved is Moravian Memoirs. This deals with Moravianism, a Christian movement that started in 1727 in the German town of Herrnhut. “ T H I S P O S ITI O N H A S
“O N E O F T H E movement’s central ideas was that all members of the congregation should write their own biographies. Thirty thousand such texts are stored in an archive in Herrnhut and just as many in Betlehem in Pennsylvania (where many of the congregation had moved). Together with Bucknell University in the USA, the Centre for Digital Humanities is working on compiling information about these 60,000 people and a map showing their movements worldwide. We eventually hope to be able to digitalise the stories themselves.” Yet another project is about the artist Ivar Arosenius. This project is taking digital material from various archives and heritage institutions and collecting them in a new sort of archive. Here, it will be possible to climb into a digital reconstruction of the artist’s home. This will be created from his paintings and material from the archive. “Unfortunately, the house has been
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CECILIA LINDHÉ WORK: Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities.
demolished and is soon to be replaced by a car wash. However, the project will create a digital version. Jonathan Westin at the Department of Conservation and Dick Claesson at Litteraturbanken (the ‘Literature Bank’) are devoting themselves to this.” Even if Cecilia Lindhé is happy to speak about the digital humanities, the title can create an unnecessary polarisation in which the ‘traditional’ humanities are opposed to ‘the new’ digital humanities. believe that analogue and digital oppose each other, as if those interested in digitalisation would want to do away with all physical books. However, that’s not at all how it is. On the contrary, digitalisation means we can rediscover books, not only as the containers of texts but also as a way of giving shape to ideas. Safeguarding the diversity of ideas is not a question of sentimentality, it simply gives us the opportunity to gain insights into unexpected sides of our cultural heritage.” The roots of digital humanities at the University of Gothenburg go back a long way. Språkbanken (the Swedish Language Bank) was set up in 1975 and Litteraturbanken has been around since 2003. “However, there’s a lot to do in this area. Digital humanities, as a subject, is often described as a development of new digital methods. Nonetheless, it really hasn’t ever been just about databases, technologies and tools. Personally, I’m very happy to explore other areas such as visualisation, interfaces and epistemological perspectives. Obviously enough, it is also important to have a critical approach to the technology and the ways it creates and arranges information as well as how it gives new perspectives to history.”
“ M A N Y PEO PLE
N OT S U R PR I S I N G LY , work, home and family take the major part of Cecilia Lindhé’s time. Yet, she also tries to keep up with another interest that is not work-related. “I’ve had a passion for Tommy Körberg since I was twelve years old and try to go to at least a couple of concerts a year. People aren’t usually aware that he has created a good many highly personal and reflective interpretations of Swedish poetry by, amongst others, Harry Martinson, Birger Sjöberg, J.O. Wallin, Siv Arb, B.E. Jonsson and Bruno K. Öijer. When, three years ago, he staged Sjung tills du stupar (‘Sing until you drop’) at Intiman in Stockholm, his producer rang and asked if I could put together a programme booklet in words and pictures. The producer explained: ‘Not even Tommy Körberg himself knows as much about him as you.’ I couldn’t refuse.”
TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
FAMILY: Partner Jonas Ingvarsson, son Tage (soon seven). LIVES: In a detached house from the end of the 19th century in central Hisingen. PROJECTS – FINISHED: Imitatio Mariae – the Virgin Mary as a role model in mediaeval Sweden. ONGOING: Representationer och omkonfigureringar av det digitala i svensk konst och litteratur 1950–2010 (‘Representations and reconfigurations of the digital world in Swedish literature and art, 1950-2010’) led by Jesper Olsson of Linköping University; Hur frammanas konstnären ur arkiven? Exemplet Arosenius (‘How to conjure the artist from the archive? For example, Arosenius’) led by Mats Malm; and, Moravian Memoirs: Tracing Movements and History of the Moravian Church (1750 – 2012), led by Christer Ahlberger. INTERESTS: Songs and music. Has an almost complete collection of Tommy Körberg’s vinyl releases, bootlegs and memorabilia. Is hereby advertising for the single Igor the Dog, released in Japan in 1968! L AST BOOK READ: Churchill and Malta: a Special Relationship by Douglas Austin. L AST FILM: the Netflix series, The Crown. YOU DIDN’T KNOW: Cecilia Lindhé started to take singing lessons when she was ten. As an upper-secondary school student, she planned to become an opera singer.
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Palle Dahlstedt has been involved in a research project, together with nearly 1,000 teenagers.
The hunt for music’s DNA Musikjakten (“The music hunt”) is the name of a project in which up to 1,000 students in the eighth and ninth years of compulsory education can breed music using software that is based on Darwin’s theory of evolution. Breed? “It may sound strange, but the project centres on research I’ve been carrying out for just over 15 years,” explains Palle Dahlstedt, the man leading this initiative. E V E RY Y E A R S I N C E 2 0 1 0 , the Nobel Museum has arranged Forskarhjälpen (“Research aid”), a project in which school pupils help researchers collect and analyse data for a major study. This year’s project, Musikjakten, is led by Palle Dahlstedt, reader in computer-aided creativity at the University of Gothenburg and professor of art and technology at Aalborg University. Along with Peter Ljungstrand at Interactive Institute, he has developed software that functions as a sort of interactive, artificial evolution. “Pupils can enter their musical backgrounds, whether they play an instrument, if they like music and if they spend a lot of time listening to music. They can then listen to a number of musical snippets, save those they like and reuse them for new compositions. It is reminiscent of, for example, breeding a new type of dog. As it does in biological reproduction, chance plays a certain role,” discloses Palle Dahlstedt.
The almost 1,000 eighth and ninth year pupils in the project have together composed around 5,400 snippets of music of about 10 seconds each. Researchers are going to analyse these more closely in spring. The pupils have also been able to get in on the analysis work. looking for connections between composer characteristics (e.g. gender, where they live, musical background and musical tastes) and the character of the music (e.g. dynamic complexity, tonal variation, dissonance, tempo, etc.). These connections have been explored via graphical data representations. Consequently, they have had practice in, for example, statistics, correlation and reading scatter charts. On top of this, pupils gain new insights into biology, music and computer science. Some of the pupils may even be inspired to continue composing.” The pupils also made posters. A poster
“ T H E Y H AV E B E E N
»Regardless of prior knowledge, anyone can use it to compose.« PALLE DAHLSTEDT
from each participating school then went on into a competition where the first prize was tickets for the Nobel Prize ceremony. Even if the project has a pedagogical aim, it also involves true research. Amongst other things, Palle Dahlstedt wants to investigate whether people who play instruments, or who are keen music listeners, compose music that differs from that composed by people who do not care so much about music. “ W H AT S O R T O F music is created by a person who cannot read music or play an instrument by ear? Investigating such things is immensely difficult. Yet, this software makes it possible. Regardless of prior knowledge, anyone can use it to compose.” The software is based on evolutionary processes. Palle Dahlstedt has been working on it for a little over 15 years and Peter Ljungstrand has long experience of creative technology for adolescents. “We know that it works well for professional musicians and audio engineers. However, we’ve never had the opportunity to study, under controlled conditions, how the software is used by a large body of people. Because I’ve been so busy with the young people and the pedagogical element, I haven’t yet had time to analyse the material in depth. It will be exciting to get my teeth into it in the spring!”
TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
FACTS Every year since 2010, the Nobel Museum has arranged Forskarhjälpen (“Research aid”), a project in which school pupils help researchers with data for a major study. The person taking the initiative for this year’s project, Musikjakten, is Palle Dahlstedt. Along with Peter Ljungstrand, he has developed software that functions as a sort of interactive, artificial evolution. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx_DKXoGgM0. Sound clips from the pupils: https://soundcloud. com/palle-dahlstedt/musikjakten-examples-ofevolved-music. work.”
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Research as a fun adventure He has revealed the secret behind the common mussel’s “glue” and invented a non-toxic primer for boats. Hans Elwing, professor emeritus at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, has dedicated his life to inventing. He is now supplementing his pension by working as a visiting professor in Brazil.
H E D E LI G H T S I N technical eureka moments. Those instants when all the pieces fall into place and create an entirely new pattern. A pattern that changes our ways of thinking and of seeing the world. “That’s what is so great about researching and inventing. We inventors strive to come up with inventions that are robust. Finding that robustness gives you such a high. You then know that something you’ve invented is going to make a difference for the future,” says Hans Elwing, professor emeritus at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg. He became a professor at the department in 1995 when he left Linköping University’s Institute of technology. There, he was working on the development of surface-sensitive methods for use in the production of new biomaterials. O N A R R I V I N G I N Gothenburg, his research acquired a marine stamp. Hans Elwing and his employees have, amongst other things, revealed how the protein in the common mussel’s “glue” works. The precise workings were previously one of the secrets behind why the glue is so strong and why the common mussel attaches so firmly to various surfaces and other common mussels. “The entire system of optical and acoustic surface-sensitive methods the team ‘invented’ along the way attracted great attention. It has now been copied by several, major, international, research teams.” We are meeting in the department’s canteen, a stone’s throw from Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Hans Elwing speaks passionately about his various projects. At the same time, he nods familiarly to all those entering the room. It is clear that he
feels at home here, is happy in his job and loves his work. “An invention is like a funny story,” he says. It is about a eureka moment. A funny story builds up tension. The punchline turns everything around and gets us to see things in a new way. He feels that good research works in exactly the same way. “ T H AT ’ S W H Y I like funny stories too. I keep a few in stock. I’m old now and don’t have the same opportunities to refresh my wares. However, if I go round different canteens, I can tell the same stories a number of times,” he reveals, laughing. Rome did not come about in a day. The same applies to inventions. Developing a low-toxin primer for boats, another of Hans Elwing’s major discoveries, took 17 years and cost, in round figures, around SEK 120 million. “You, and your backers, must have stamina. I keep going by having many irons in the fire simultaneously. That means there’s always a project that is moving forwards. It’s a long road, dotted with patent applications, company start-ups and all sorts
of devilish odds and ends. However, as a full-time professor, I’ve enjoyed a fortunate position. The rhythmic beat of monthly salary slips has drummed in a feeling of duty towards the tax payers who feed me. I can’t give up, I have to deliver.” H A N S E LW I N G G OT the idea for the non-toxic primer as early as the end of the 1990s. For small boats and large vessels alike, barnacles are a big problem. When these tiny crustaceans burrow into the paint on boats, they not only degrade the hull, but also lead to more fuel being needed to propel the craft. This is because the barnacle blanket increases friction and damps speed. Up until now, the answer has been toxic primers that prevent barnacles attaching themselves. However, one consequence of this has been the secretion into the water of environmentally hazardous copper. This does not break down. Hans Elwing and his research team, headed by PhD student Mia Dahlström, started on the trail of a solution in 1999. They discovered that medetomidine ‘scares off’ barnacle larvae so that they do not attach to hulls. The additive is at
Hans Elwing got the idea for non-toxic primer as early as theend of the 1990s.
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PHOTO: PRIVATE
HANS ELWING AGE: 70. WORK: Professor emeritus of biology at the University of Gothenburg. Visiting professor of marine biotechnology at Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM) in the town of Arraial do Cabo, Brazil Member of the advisory boards for a couple of large biomaterial project in Uppsala. CAREER IN A NUTSHELL: Took doctoral degree in medical microbiology in 1980 at the University of Gothenburg. From 1993 to 1995, full-time professor at Linköping University’s Institute of technology. 1995, professorship in biotechnology at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg. Has been the supervisor for around 20 PhD students and published approximately 200 articles. H-index: 37.
Hans Elwing works together med researchers in Brazil.
RESEARCH AREAS: Amongst others, development of surface-sensitive methods that can be used in producing new biomaterials (and clinical analyses). The project to develop a non-toxic primer for boats is included in the foregoing.
high volume and got into your bones. It was life! This was an intense period for me. Everything was exciting. I built stuff and was going to be a musician.”
FAMILY: Wife, one child and one grandchild. LIVES: Askim. INTERESTS: Loves going for long walks in Sisjön with his wife. Music! Plays guitar and bass.
PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
least as effective as copper primers. It also breaks down and has low toxicity. “It’s taken all this time. However, the product is now, finally, out on the market. For the first time, I-Tech, the company we founded, is in the black and building up sales,” states Hans Elwing. You seem to never give up. What drives you?
“I’m from the Småland region of Sweden. There, great status is conferred by a new invention; for example, a percolator that whistles when the coffee is ready. I said to myself: ‘If it’s possible to invent a whistling percolator, it must be possible to come up with a powder that stops barnacles fastening to hulls.’ It took almost two decades, but we’re there now.” Hans Elwing has always been an inventor. Inquisitiveness and the desire to discover came with his Småland blood. Creativity flowed as early as the 1950s and 1960s in his bedroom in Sävsjö. The first major invention was a home-built guitar amplifier. “In my hometown, I was well known for tinkering and making things. And all the music in the 1960’s, the sounds! It was
T H E D R E A M O F standing on a stage and playing music did reach fruition. For a time, the young Hans Elwing earned a living as a musician. He toured with the band Sunes orkester. “We spread culture and joy throughout Småland’s uplands,” he recalls, grinning. Yet, life had other plans for him. After a while, Hans Elwing put his bass guitar on the shelf and went to Gothenburg to sign on aboard a cargo vessel bound for North America. He served two years at sea as an ordinary seaman (“first” and “second” class) before signing off. Life at sea was exciting and fun. Nonetheless, Hans Elwing also saw its downsides. Many of the older sailors struggled with alcoholism and all the time at sea made it difficult to build a family. A girlfriend at that time urged him to start studying and acquire upper-secondary school qualifications. “She had graduated at that level. I thought: ‘If she could, so can I’. Thus, I became a mature student. Studying was fun. I had a thirst for knowledge and eventually studied further to take a doctorate in medical microbiology.” E V E N TO DAY, at 70 years old, Hans Elwing is just as smitten with his job. Of course, he has cut back slightly, but a future without some form of work is difficult for him to imagine. That was why the decision was easy when a visiting professorship in marine bio-
technology turned up in Brazil. Running across three years, the post is linked to Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM). This is one of South America’s largest marine biology laboratories. It is located in the town of Arraial de Cabo, north of Rio. With the idea that Hans Elwing should be there several months a year, the purpose of the professorship is the transfer of research and development technology from the University of Gothenburg to Brazil. “Brazilians are particularly impressed by the way we integrate engineering science and advanced biology,” discloses Hans Elwing. It also opens the door for young Swedish researchers in these areas to apply for positions in Brazil. really good. I feel I have a lot to contribute. I also draw masses of inspiration from the people I work with. Additionally, it’s great fun at the private level. My wife usually comes over with me. We go out in the evenings, eat well on the Copacabana and watch the people. The climate is glorious and the countryside spectacular.” A quiet life in retirement certainly does not seem to be on Hans Elwing’s horizon. Besides the Brazilian collaboration, he is still running a number of research projects on the home front. He is also considering reviving his former career. “Up in Askim, there’s a gang of retired pensioners planning to form a band. There’ll be lots of music from the 60s,” he promises.
“BEING HERE IS
KARIN FREJRUD
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Syrian refugee became lob At the “Lovén Centre” in Kristineberg, research assistant Fayez Alsaleh is fully occupied with a lobster hatchery that is expected to result in both ecologically and economically sustainable farming. The project is thrilling. No less fascinating is Fayez Alsaleh himself. He is the first Syrian refugee to have a “proper” appointment at the University of Gothenburg. FAY E Z A L SA LE H I S giving a tour of the Kristineberg research station. Although it is a cold November day, the sun is shining. “Of course, in Syria, there is sunshine 300 days a year. Still, I’m no longer that bothered by the darkness here. Two months ago, my wife, who is a graduate engineer, arrived in Sweden. My father and my brothers and sisters and their families have also been in Uddevalla for some time. So, I’m really very happy. Thus, all I’m hoping now is that I’ll also be able to carry on working.” Fayez Alsaleh came to Sweden on the 28th of August 2014. Like all Syrian refugees, he has a harrowing tale to tell. “I come from the town of Deir ez-Zor. I initially trained as an agronomist. However, I also have a
master’s in marine biology. My research was into carp farming in the Euphrates, a river where, as a young boy, I used to swim and fish. I intended to continue into doctoral studies. However, the war came and turned my whole life upside down. The district where I lived was bombed. My friends and relations were killed or fled. Apart from the clothes on my back, I had nothing left when, finally, I got away.” Fayez Alsaleh was one of the millions of refugees who fled to Turkey.
“ I STO PPE D T H E R E 20 days but, as there were no jobs or other possibilities, I tried to move to another country. Along with 24 other refugees, two of them children, I set off for Greece in a rubber dinghy. While we were on the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek coastguards approached us. They took our outboard motor. What could we do? We had to ring the Turkish police and ask for help. We were soon back in Turkey again.” Fayez Alsaleh was there another nine days before he was helped to get first to Italy, then Copenhagen and, finally, Sweden.
courses in Swedish for immigrants, I got a work placement at the Lovén Centre in Kristineberg. This was from November 2015 to 30 June 2016. The placement ended then. However, I really did want to stay on.” Unfortunately, a job is far more difficult to arrange than is a work placement. Fayez Alsaleh’s supervisor throughout the placement, Peter Tiselius, professor
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bsterfarmer in Sweden of marine zooplankton ecology, devoted a great deal of the summer trying to amass the money to continue the employment. However, he was unsuccessful. “Nonetheless, a solution was found after the summer,” explains Peter Tiselius. “Professor Kristina Sundell, who has two research projects financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra), learned that the research foundation had created a programme specifically to support refugees with an academic background. She thus set about seeking money. As a result, Fayez Alsaleh is now to work for a year with 75 per cent funding from Mistra and 25 per cent from the Swedish Public Employment Service.” T H E PROJ EC T O N which Fayez Alsaleh is working is called Nomaculture. Kristina Sundell is its coordinator. Leading the research team (Crustacean and Ectotherm Ecophysiology Section – CREEPS) is Susanne Eriksson, reader in marine biology. “The project centres on diversifying the use that Sweden makes of its
waters. Currently, these have rather few species. Amongst other things, we are investing in lobster farming. Besides being a robust marine species, lobsters also command a high price. The idea is that farming should be both economically and ecologically sustainable. To achieve this, we’re even collaborating with other lobster hatcheries in Europe.” S U SA N N E E R I K S S O N reveals that the team is very international; Swedish and English are spoken all the time. “Workwise, it makes no difference where you’re from. This research is, after all, international. Fayez Alsaleh has lots of valuable knowledge to contribute. I’ve also been to his home and met his family. Gaining insights into other cultures is always worthwhile. So, having a Syrian on the team is both enriching and fun.” Fayez Alsaleh’s work includes taking temperature, oxygen content, salt content and PH value
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One part of the job is to develop the best possible feed for good lobster growth.
»Nonetheless, having a job is still the most important thing.« FAYEZ ALSALEH
measurements in the lobster tanks. He also measures the lobsters and ensures that the water is kept clean. “Additionally, I keep meticulous records of the weight of the insides and of claw size. I then enter the data in a computer. One part of the research is developing the best possible feed for good lobster growth.” It is hoped that the one-year appointment can be extended a further year. “Another possibility is that the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), which has a sea fish laboratory on the other side of the fjord, will be able to offer continued employment,” relates Peter Tiselius. “Fayez Alsaleh could also become a PhD student here. However, like everyone else, he would then have to join the highly competitive pool of applicants.” Doctoral studies are Fayez Alsaleh’s dream.
“Nonetheless, having a job is still the most important thing. I don’t want to hang around doing nothing.” The war in Syria is not really something that he wants to talk about. “I’m very happy in Sweden, especially now that my wife is also here. I appreciate all the modern technology here and, of course, that Sweden is a democracy. Naturally enough, even though it is dark there at the moment, I hope peace soon comes to Syria. What is happening now is not, as many people believe, a civil war. It is a revolution against a dictatorship that has ruled for 46 years. I don’t know what I’ll do when peace comes. As an academic, I have a special responsibility to help my country. So, in one way or another, I’ll do this at some point in the future.” TEXT: EVA LUNDGREN PHOTO: JOHAN WINGBORG
FACTS The Mistra research foundation has a special programme to support refugees from academic backgrounds. Thomas Nilsson is the programme coordinator. In Fayez Alsaleh’s case, Paree Karem and Amir Dahan Agerlund at the Swedish Public Employment Service in Uddevalla also played significant roles. Other important people were Marielle Peterson and Kent Christensson. Research engineer Pia Engström was important in the initial contact with the Lovén Centre in Kristineberg. Lena Sjöblom, human resources officer at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, handled the paperwork. This included documents relating to the new “Special terms and conditions agreement for certain state appointments” (VASA). Karolina Catoni and Elin Fagerberg at the University of Gothenburg’s International Centre also helped. Researchers Susanne Eriksson, Peter Tiselius and Kristina Sundell were additionally involved in various ways.
Chronicle
GUJOURNAL 6 | 2016/2017
America cannot make it to greatness alone S H O U LD W E PA N I C on Trump’s success in US election? It was actually expected much before the Election Day. This event is one of the highly unlikely consequences of globalization. It calls for a well thought out response to deal with the adversities. May be the world needs something like the New Deal that defined the future economic path of US economy after the depression of 1929. Donald Trump’s success signifies a crisis not only in American politics but in global political landscape. It is connected with Brexit, ascendance of extreme right in European politics, and expansion of terrorist discourse in Muslim societies. The cracks we see appearing in American body politic are connected with the cracks in the global community. In US election Donald Trump addressed the grievances of White working class by a call for return to the golden age of American capitalism; the same way that ISIS promises the return to golden age of Islam. Both the proponents promise to usher in lasting peace and prosperity through perpetual discrimination, hatred, and conflict. None of these utopias will see the light of the day. In this desperate situation Trump assumed a role which can at best be described as the case of blind leading the blind. The other two choices before the American voter were to go for the ‘cover up’ of American failure represented by Hilary Clinton or socialist idealism of Bernie Sanders. Both these alternatives did not find traction in American political terrain dominated by extreme right wing ‘free market’ ideology.
“ FR E E M A R K E T ” ideology is going through the most profound existential crisis of its history. This crisis is underpinned by the failure of global capitalism to find a meaningful solution for the tectonic movements triggered off by the globalization process. Consider for example Mr. Trump’s promise to build a wall across the southern border of USA. The loss of jobs to White working class is not caused by inflow of immigrants but massive outflow of capital to foreign lands due to availability of cheap labor and unregulated labor markets. All it takes is a few computer clicks to transfer millions of dollar across the border. How can a wall stop the capital movement which takes place in the invisible cyber space of the global economy? Similarly, removal of tariff restrictions on imports under a globalized world was justified to let consumers avail the benefits of low priced foreign goods; the dilemma was to choose between high domestic employment and high consumer surplus. This dilemma cannot be solved by resurrecting the tariff walls but by rethinking globalization. We can only choose between being part of the problem or part of the solution in this deliberation process. We will be helping ourselves if we help Mr. Trump in making non-zero choices. N EO LI B E R A LI S M , the cult of “Free Market” doctrine has generated many clashes based on the fear of the ‘other’. This ‘other’ may belong to any category; the new immigrants, Blacks, Muslims, refugees, women, or members of LGBT community.
Invasion of foreign lands, pointing fingers at terrorists, or call for free hand to market forces has not helped solve this crisis. This is thought leadership failure of global dimensions. It cannot be solved by pointing blaming fingers. It can be solved through engagement. It calls for serious, hard headed, knowledge based dialogue across class, racial, gender, national and faith boundaries. It requires patience, trust and compassion for others. Putting the blame on scapegoats will not take us very far. It is time to reignite hope; define new priorities; go beyond stereotypes and forge new thinking tools. We need a narrative of hope and an inclusive decision making culture. We need strategies for dealing with the market and public policy failure. Global community will rise or fall together. Global peace and progress is not a zero sum game. White working class males in the Western hemisphere cannot gain jobs and employment at the cost of ‘other’ gender, classes and nations. We need to find a nonzero solution to deal with the zero sum world characterized by climate change, over harvesting of nature and obscene income inequalities.
FAYYAZ BAQIR
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