Annika Olsson | Stockholm University (original) (raw)

Books by Annika Olsson

The Swedish Government and Parliament have chosen the strategy of gender Summary mainstreaming t... more The Swedish Government and Parliament have chosen the strategy of gender Summary
mainstreaming to achieve the objective of the national gender equality policy, i.e. that
women and men shall have the same power to shape society and their own lives. In
order to help achieve this objective, all government work shall be gender mainstreamed.
This means the incorporation of a gender equality perspective in all decision
making, at all levels and at all stages of the process, by the actors normally involved.
On 3 July 2008, the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of
Gothenburg was commissioned by the Swedish Government to support the gender
mainstreaming work of government agencies, with the aim of creating long-termism
and continuity in the gender equality work. The commission included four specific
tasks:
• To further develop methods for gender mainstreaming.
• To create a forum for the exchange of experiences on gender mainstreaming.
• To inform of gender mainstreaming.
• To create conditions for long-term support for gender mainstreaming.
From 2008 to 2010, the Gender Mainstreaming Programme (Jämi) has worked to
create the conditions for long-term support for the gender mainstreaming work of
government agencies. This is Jämi’s final report.
The work has been carried out through various initiatives (four conferences, eight
workshops, seventeen seminars, a summer school, an undergraduate programme, networks,
forums for the exchange of experience, etc.), which has involved around 2,000
participants. In addition, Jämi has carried out investigations and informed of gender
mainstreaming and the programme’s conclusions and results in printed publications,
the press, and virtual media.
Coordination and transparency, as well as scholarly elucidation, have been cornerstones
of Jämi’s work. For temporary assignments, coordination is crucial in order to
create permanent initiatives. Everything produced by Jämi has, therefore, been in collaboration
with permanent actors so that what has been created in and through the
programme has long-term ownership and can exist after the end of the programme
period. According to the principle of open access, all material has been published and
made available on the programme’s website: www.jamiprogram.se.
It is important to emphasize that Jämi had been commissioned to create the conditions
for long-term support for gender mainstreaming, and not to contribute to gender
equality per se—even if this is the long-term goal of gender mainstreaming. For Jämi,
the focus has, therefore, also been on, and as described in the commission, to investigate
the work with gender mainstreaming. Through contextual analysis, a review of
research and proven experience, as well as comparative studies of the views of government
agencies and independent experts concerning successful work, Jämi has identified
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a number of conditions, preconditions, requirements, success factors, and problems
for work with gender mainstreaming. These can be summarized in the following ten
points:
Jämi’s ten points for successful gender mainstreaming
1. Political responsibility
2. Prioritization and sufficient resources
3. Clear direction and requirements
4. Clear follow-up objectives
5. Systematic, goal-oriented work that is followed up
6. Operational and context-specific work
7. Work based on research and proven experience
8. Justification of the utility of the issue and making its relevance visible
9. Education and consciousness raising
10. Ongoing processes
The points illustrate that gender mainstreaming involves work that is an ongoing process
and which utilizes certain factors in order to be successful. The points, however,
say nothing regarding the content of the work, e.g. what knowledge is important, or
which objectives should be set. This is dependent on the content being time and place
related. Hence, there are no details in Jämi’s conclusions, e.g. that gender mainstreaming
with an intersectionalist perspective can help avoid some of the problems that
have been identified with the strategy, e.g. the risk of reinforcing stereotypes and
norms, a too one-sided focus on women, and the risk of excluding large groups of citizens
through homogenization.
Jämi has also contributed to the creation and development of a necessary gender
mainstreaming infrastructure in the form of a national knowledge portal for gender
mainstreaming; www.jämställ.nu; the website www.jamiprogram.se; the database
Jämda; an email list of the actors in the field; an undergraduate programme, Gender
Mainstreaming from the Perspective of Intersectionality, 7.5 credits (Linköping
University); documentation of knowledge in the form of reports and memoranda; networks
and forums for the exchange of experience; as well as specific proposals for how
equality requirements can be incorporated into procurement procedures, as tested in a
procurement tool.
The proposals for further initiatives, as highlighted by Jämi, stress that long-term support
for gender mainstreaming should develop and strengthen actors who presently
either already have a central function in the Government’s work with gender mainstreaming,
or have a central supporting function within public administration. This should
be done in combination with the mobilization of other central actors in society through
increased coordination; the use of procurement as a tool; further investment into existing
infrastructure, including, e.g., the knowledge portal; an overall understanding of
the process; and focusing on research and the development of knowledge.

Camilla Norrbin’s literature review of published research in the field of gender Summary mainstr... more Camilla Norrbin’s literature review of published research in the field of gender Summary
mainstreaming shows that there is relatively little Swedish research focusing on gender
mainstreaming per se; on the other hand, there is a large body of international
research as well as research that discusses gender equality and gender equality policy
in a broader perspective. The academically more theoretically oriented discussion of
gender mainstreaming has, above all, focused on two problem areas:
• The links between gender mainstreaming and another gender equality strategy
• Gender mainstreaming’s usefulness and importance
The more empirically oriented studies have examined current work and pointed out
both the pitfalls and advantages of gender mainstreaming. However, it is important
to stress that there are very few studies on the effects of gender mainstreaming. There
are more evaluations of the findings of individual projects than their consequences and
long-term effects in businesses, organizations, or societies, which can also be put in
relation to gender mainstreaming’s relatively short history as well as the kinds of work
often done.
Annika Olsson’s review of current research shows that there are relatively few
projects focusing on gender mainstreaming. There are two main groups of current
research: one which more directly concerns the field of gender mainstreaming, and one
which can be classed as research on the field of gender equality in a broader perspective.
The research is also dominated by two types of studies: those which survey and
analyze current work or processes, and those that study the consequences and effects.
There is more research on gender equality in a broader perspective than on gender
mainstreaming. As for the focus of the studies, those that survey and analyze current
work or processes very clearly dominate. The most common are studies that, in different
ways, are about gender equality and that survey or analyze an area, a problem,
a practice, etc. The next most common category is studies on gender mainstreaming
and that survey and analyze current work or processes. The least common category is
results-oriented studies that examine the effects of work with gender mainstreaming or
gender equality.
The identified research gaps in both reviews are
1. research on gender mainstreaming in general;
2. results-oriented research;
3. comparative perspectives;
4. intersectional perspectives.

Litteraturens historia i Sverige är en välskriven och inspirerande handbok med litteraturen i cen... more Litteraturens historia i Sverige är en välskriven och inspirerande handbok med litteraturen i centrum. Inom dess pärmar ryms grundläggande fakta och övergripande perspektiv om texter och författare, från Rökstenen och fram till våra dagar.

Den nya upplagan erbjuder en uppdaterad och samtida litteraturhistoria. Man kan nu läsa om den nya arbetarlitteraturen, chic lit och den svenska deckarboomen, och litterära ikoner som Heliga Birgitta, Selma Lagerlöf och August Strindberg har fått sällskap av samtida författare som Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Henning Mankell och Sara Stridsberg.

Bokens karaktär som pedagogiskt översiktsverk har gjort den till en av grundböckerna i litteraturvetenskap på landets universitet och högskolor.

Den nya upplagan är mer tilltalande än någonsin, med nytt bildmaterial, ny layout och fyrfärgstryck. Detta bidrar till att i än högre grad göra Litteraturens historia i Sverige till en bok för alla som vill orientera sig i den svenska litteraturhistorien.

It’s not every day one has the opportunity to really ‘think with’ in real life someone who is a ... more It’s not every day one has the opportunity to really ‘think with’ in
real life someone who is a great source of intellectual inspiration.
It’s a rare gift and should be honoured as such. During the spring
of 2007 we were a number of people at the Centre for Gender
Studies at Stockholm University who had this unique opportunity
when Professor Beverley Skeggs was the Kerstin Hesselgren
Professor at the Centre.
This collection of essays is the result of a workshop with
Professor Beverley Skeggs: The Beverley Skeggs Workshop
as it was called by us. We wanted to take the opportunity
to continue the inspiring process that Professor Beverley
Skeggs started in the workshop, and which was related to her
generous and open attitude as a researcher. And what better
way than to write about it? We also wanted to document this
enriching experience. And, of course, we also wanted to take
the opportunity to say thank you!
What does ‘Thinking with Beverley Skeggs’ mean? Beverley
Skeggs herself often used the expression ‘to think with’, and
what is more important: practised ‘Thinking With’ as a method.
We were encouraged to think with her, and engage in a critical
and open dialogue with each other and all the texts that we read
and discussed. Ideally this should be part of our everyday praxis
at the university, but as we all know this is not often the case.
We therefore want to put forward ‘Thinking With’ as a model
for seminars, workshops and literature reviews. To us, ‘Thinking
With’ is a way of practising feminist methodology.

Den svenska rapportboken är en självklar del av den radikala perioden kring 1970. Att ge den andr... more Den svenska rapportboken är en självklar del av den radikala perioden kring 1970. Att ge den andra sidan röst är den första större studien av denna genre.

Böcker som Rapport från kinesisk by, Gruva och Rapport från en skurhink väckte både nationell och internationell uppmärksamhet. Att ge den andra sidan röst är den första större studien av denna genre.

Den kretsar kring TVÅ FRÅGOR: Vad är en rapportbok? Och vad innebär det att ge eller att vara röst?

Annika Olsson betraktar böckerna utifrån ett litteratursociologiskt perspektiv och vill med utgångspunkt från den diskussion som förts inom det feministiska och postkoloniala fältet föra ett resonemang om rapportbokens centrala problematik: Vem är det som ger röst – åt vem, vad och varför? Och vilka röster får representera verkligheten?

Berättelsen om den svenska rapportboken mellan 1960 och 1980 väcker frågor om betraktandets och berättandets ordning. Det handlar om makt och om vilken funktion kön, klass och etnicitet har.

Att ge den andra sidan röst är en omarbetad version av Annika Olssons doktorsavhandling i litteraturvetenskap.

Papers by Annika Olsson

Bokens karaktär som pedagogiskt översiktsverk har gjort den till en av grundböckerna i litteraturvetenskap på landets universitet och högskolor.

Den kretsar kring TVÅ FRÅGOR: Vad är en rapportbok? Och vad innebär det att ge eller att vara röst?

Berättelsen om den svenska rapportboken mellan 1960 och 1980 väcker frågor om betraktandets och berättandets ordning. Det handlar om makt och om vilken funktion kön, klass och etnicitet har.

Att ge den andra sidan röst är en omarbetad version av Annika Olssons doktorsavhandling i litteraturvetenskap.

Annika Olsson skriver om nobelpristagaren Pearl S. Buck: en författare som överskridit gränser fö... more Annika Olsson skriver om nobelpristagaren Pearl S. Buck: en författare som överskridit gränser för nation, kulturell hemvist och god smak. Olsson undersöker hur litteraturvetenskapen och det litterära fältet, med sina klassifikations- och värderingstraditioner, fått en gränsöverskridande författare som Buck att framstå som ett ”problem”.