The visiting professorship
The visiting professorship
Since 2003 The Torgny Segerstedt Foundation has supported visiting professors at the University of Gothenburgh in the Memory of Torgny Segerstedt. The holders are appointed by the University of Gothenburg for periods of one year, and must represent subject fields with a connection to democracy, freedom of expression, human rights or freedom of religion.
Previous Visiting Professors
2024 Leora Bar-el
Professor of Linguistics at the University of Montana, US. One special field is linguistic diversity and its importance as a key to understanding of the human mind.
2023 Stephan Zunes
Professor of Politics, University of San Fransisco, US. Specialized in american foreign policy, focusing the Middle East and North Africa. Criticall review of US involvementin international conflicts in relation to international law and human rights.
2022 Vacant
2021 Vacant
2019-20 David Schneiderman
Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Toronto and a leading expert in constitutional law, freedom of expression and international law.
2016-2017 Sami Adwan
Associate Professor and Academic Vice President at the University of Hebron. His focus is on democracy and how education can be used to increase the understanding between different groups in a conflict situation. During his stay in Gothenburg he is based at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning.
2015 David Altman
Professor of Political Science at Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. His research focuses on democracy and direct participation.
2014 Hans Joas
Professor in Sociology at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. In his research he has investigated how violence is perceived and what causes value shifts in society.
2013 Vacant
2011-2012 Anne Orford
Professor in International Law at Melbourne Law School, Australia. She has specialized in international law, human rights law and the theory of justice.
2010 Bengt Göransson
Former Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs, Sweden.
2008-2009 Jan Eliasson
Swedish diplomat and former Foreign Minister. He most recently served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2007-2008 Brian Palmer
An American Senior Lecturer in social anthropology and religious studies. As a teacher at Harvard University he has taught classes about civil courage and public-spiritedness.
2006 Michael Freeman
Professor emeritus in law, from University of Essex, United Kingdom. His research interests include issues related to poverty and human rights.
2005 Rhoda Howard-Hassmann
Professor in Global Studies and Political Science at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. Her research focuses on human rights, especially the right to food.
2003-2004 Asbjörn Eide
Professor at the University of Olso, Norway, and expert in the fields of human rights and