GU Journal no 4-2010

number 4 | summer 2010

UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG

The cross – is it a myth?

Gunnar Samuelsson isn’t getting much sleep 11 How do academics vote?

can i film you?

maria sjöberg

Big differences between departments

Answers to the most frequently asked questions

Is history important?

news 4

practical tips 6

debate 14

words from Vice-Chancellor

We need to change!

Vice-Chancellor Pam Fredman wants to reorganize the University

summer e d i to r - i n c h i e f & p u b l i s h e r

Allan Eriksson 031 - 786 10 21 allan.eriksson@gu.se e d i to r & d e p u t y p u b l i s h e r

Eva Lundgren 031 - 786 10 81 eva.lundgren@gu.se photography & reproduction

Johan Wingborg 031 - 786 29 29 johan.wingborg@gu.se g r a p h i c d e s i g n & l ayo u t

Anders Eurén Björn S Eriksson

c o n t r i b u t i n g au t h o r s

Henrik Axlid, Pam Fredman, Jimmy Sand, Maria Sjöberg and Helena Åberg. proofreader

Robert Ohlson, Välskrivet i­­ ­Göteborg address

GU Journal, Gothenburg University Box 100, 405 30 Gothenburg e-mail

gu-journalen@gu.se internet

www.gu-journalen.gu.se printing

Geson Hylte Tryck issue

6 200 copies ISSN

Our organisation is far from optimal.

It does not help us take advantage of all the opportunities that the University, with its vast breadth and extensive knowledge base, has to offer. In the end, this means that our education and research endeavours never reach their true potential.

This is nothing new, however. In fact, the same conclusion has been reached in a variety of contexts – in several investigations, in discussions with participants in leadership develop­ ment programmes, in meetings with informal research groups and in our current strategy development work.

Over time, this has made me and the other members of the Management Team realise that there is a need to modernise and adapt our organisation to better meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

One weakness of our present organi­ sation is that the Departments, which constitute the core of our operations, are quite restricted. Other problems include the strong faculty-based struc­ ture, which discourages cross-discipli­ nary initiatives, and that the Central Administration and the Faculty offices in many cases deal with the same issues but under different managements, which often results in duplication of work and therefore large costs.

Areas instead of Faculties In my vision of a future organisation, the Departments have more opera­tional freedom than today, enabling them to develop and carry out education and research of high quality. And the present Faculty level is replaced with four or five so-called Areas, which are in charge of the University’s strategies for research and education. The Areas need not necessarily reflect some kind of rearrangement of the present faculty system – it is important that we con­ sider new ways of grouping different academic focus areas together. The organisation of the University’s admi­ nistrative functions must be moder­ nised as well. This can be achieved by merging the Central Administration and most Faculty offices into a new unit for University administration under one management.

also discuss and analyse the possible effects of implementing the proposed new University administration.

This type of process is probably not possible to complete without a few disagreements here and there. After all, the changes will affect a large number of individuals. A project leader will be appointed to manage the work within the provided framework. The project timetable has not yet been finalised.

When we talk about our new orga­ nisation, we talk about our future. And speaking of the future, the summer holiday is right around the corner. I wish you a nice summer and hope that you will have a pleasant and relaxing time off. Finally, I would like to thank all of you for your great work this school year. See you after your welldeserved summer break!

Pam Fredman

We need to talk These are some of the main features of the new envisaged University orga­ nisation. With this broad blueprint in place, we must now start a discussion in which all University staff members get a chance to voice their opinions.

We especially need to discuss how to strengthen the Department level and how to organise the new Areas in order to increase our overall quality. We must

foto: Hillevi nagel.

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Gunnar Samuelsson, science of religion Photography: Johan Wingborg

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Defend an open exchange of ideas!

A new cover page is one of a number of changes we’ve made recently. Many people have said that the GU Journal is attractive and has a clean style but is a little boring. The cover page has now been given a facelift that we hope our readers will appreciate.

This number offers some extra sum­ mer reading. Considering the coming elections, we write about academics’ voting preferences: do business econo­ mists and barristers lean more to the right than sociologists? A unique investi­ gation indicates that this is so. But does this have any bearing on teaching and is there a risk that teachers aren’t able to separate facts from opinions?

Famous academics Soccer is of course on everyone’s tongue right now. Free lance reporter

Lars Hjertberg went to Physic’s large gymnasium hall, where a number of famous academics have kicked balls since the 1970s.

Changes in copyright laws Digital technology and the internet give both opportunities and problems. What do you do for example when students want to film your lecture? Do you have the right to say no? We give answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Most people agree that knowledge must be shared for it to have a value. But it isn’t easy in practice. It’s become incre­ asingly clear that traditional copyright laws can’t keep up with the fast-paced digital world. An alternative that has spread to many countries is licences in Creative Commons, which give ori­ ginators the possibility to decide how

materials may be used and dispersed.

Creative Commons is built on an open exchange of information, thoughts and ideas. Openness is otherwise something that isn’t talked about so much today.

But an organisation thrives in a vital and critical debate climate. At the University of Oslo, the highest manage­ ment has realised this and encourages employees to blow the whistle when something is wrong. Why not introduce a similar whistleblower system here?

The Journal is of course an obvious channel for freedom of speech.

GU Journal has also been on Facebook for some time. Look for us there. Join discussions and give us tips and ideas. Finally, we wish all our read­ ers a wonderful summer.

Allan eriksson eva lundgren

contents

8

11 4

How do researchers vote?

A study on teachers and researchers at Swedish higher education institutions reveals that those in busi­ness administration tend to sympathise with the centre-right bloc while socio­logists prefer the left.

2 & 10

Faculties to become areas Vice-Chancellor Pam Fredman wants to reorganise the University. Faculties are out­dated and should be replaced by areas, she says.

14 me, may I 6 Excuse record your lecture?

GU Journalen takes a look at what goes and what doesn’t if you are thinking of recording lectures, putting material on YouTube or sharing information on the Internet.

is 8 Vivekanand a born optimist Even though the Indian researcher is far away from home, he always looks at life from the bright side.

15 11

He takes down the cross Gunnar Samuelsson, doctor of religion, questions the christian myth.

important?

14 IsThishistory is the question Maria Sjöberg professor of history asks.

15

Both more and less than usual A total of 67 were invited to this year’s installation of professors – more than for many years. But there were many who didn’t come; only 40 professors were present.

g u j o u r n a l 4 | 1 0 3

election special

Right or left ?

Where do Swedish academics stand?

Swedish social scientists, especially business economists, vote more often to the right according to a unique study.

But are their political views a problem when they meet students?

the Left Party of Sweden (Vänsterpartiet) was the largest party among sociologists and that the Social Democratic party was largest only among political scientists.”

Large drop-out Mikael Gilljam, professor of political sci­ ence at Gothenburg University, says that he wasn’t surprised when he read the investigation.

“If there was anything that surprised me, it was the difference between subjects, which was larger than I expected. But that can be explained by the number of drop-outs. The low response frequency can make the differences look bigger than they actually are.”

After two reminders, 1 512 persons of the 4 301 invited had answered the ques­ tionnaire – 35 percent of those who were asked. Niclas Berggren and his co-authors made a drop-out analysis and think it sup­ ports their conclusions.

preferences do Sweden’s soci­ al researchers have? Political economist Niclas Berggren at Ratio, the institute for commerce and industry research, Henrik Jordahl, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, and sociologist Charlotta Stern, Stockholm University, conducted the first investigation in Scandinavia. They sent invitations to answer a web questionn­ aire to practically all researchers and uni­ versity teachers in seven areas of the social sciences.

The results show a slight tendency toward the right, but there are considera­ ble differences between researchers in dif­ ferent disciplines.

“Three things surprised me,” says Niclas Berggren, “particularly that the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) was so popular, especi­ ally among business economists. Also that What part y

It is surprising that the Liberal Party is so popular among business economists

A matter of interests According to Mikael Gilljam, the differenc­ es in political views between researchers in

different disciplines can depend on three factors. Two have to do with self-selection in inflow and outflow.

“As a student, you choose what you study, and you look at the subjects you’re interested in. It can happen of course that people who have leftist sympathies study economics. But those who leave their stu­ dies are often among the minority that has different views.”

The third factor has to do with the indi­ vidual study subject.

“There is research that indicates that the study subject in itself reinforces opi­ nions. Political science students are more positive to representative democracy at the end of their studies than at the beginning.

The same is true for the political economic theory on self-interest.”

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Do you think that business economists vote to the right and that genus scientists like the Feminist Initiative?

Then you’re right.

Not a big problem Neither Mikael Gilljam nor Niclas Berggren thinks that there is a problem with the political views of researchers in different areas.

“It’s obvious that it could be problematic,” says Niclas Berggren, “but we can’t give evidence in our study that political views show up in research or teaching. A professor with a particular political opi­ nion can still present facts and theories in a balanced way. Researchers who have participated in national investigations are more often Social Democrats than the general public. But is that a problem? It means that these political scientists are more representative of the population as a whole, if that would be any advantage.”

“We have to hope that university teachers and researchers are just as pro­ fessional as people in other occupations,” says Mikael Gilljam, “just like barristers are usually rightist but don’t let that influence them in their work. Struggles in the sciences have more to do with methodology and what is good research than politics. The dangerous thing may not be that people have political opinions.

Dangers surface when people do things on their own, when they sit at home and do research and write a book that no collea­ gue has read.”

JIMMY SAND

Web questionnaire The study was conducted by Niclas Berggren, university lecturer in political economics at Ratio, the institute for commerce and industry, Henrik Jordahl, university lecturer in political economics at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics, and Charllotte Stern, university lecturer in sociology at Stockholm University.

It was reported in The Political Opinions of Swedish Social Scientists, Finnish Economic Papers, vol. 22, no. 2, 2009.

A web questionnaire was answered between December 2005 and January 2006 by 1 512 of 4 301 researchers invited to participate in the areas of

business economics, economic history, political economics, gender science, law, political science and sociology. The response rate was 35.2 percent.

The results show the following preferences: 51.5 percent for Moderaterna, the Liberal Party, the Centre Party and Christian Democrats and 41.0 percent for the Social Democratic Party, the Left Party and Green MEP. Niclas Berggren has also written about the study in his blogg: http://nonicoclofasos. Wordpress. com/2010/02/08/star-svenska-akademiker-till-vanster-eller-hoger/

Olof Johansson -Stenman is a professor of political economy – one of the disciplines where the investi­gation indicates a particularly strong sympathy for the Liberal Party (27.2 percent).

Ulla M Holm is professor emeritus of genus science, where the Feminist Initiative is the strongest party (33.3 percent) and where the second largest group (18 percent) doesn’t sympathise with any party.

“It’s probably the case that people with liberal preferences choose to study political economy to a greater extent.

It’s hard to say how strong this effect is, but there’s probably a certain effect. Another reason is the character of the subject.

There’s a basic liberal notion and most models are based on exchange and free trade being good things. When there’s something that doesn’t work, it’s a deviation from this kind of market model. It’s hard to separate the effect that people who tend to be more liberal choose to study political economy from a move toward being more liberal as they continue studying the subject.

People probably know that it’s a basic idea in the discipline.”

“Like many feminists, I inter­pret politics in the sense of Hannah Arendt, where it doesn’t have as much to do with how to distribute money but about how we can recognise many different types of people and form ourselves and our surroundings together.

I’ve always had a difficult time finding a party to vote for but I’ve leaned to the left in the sense of trying to establish a human liberation that requires a real change of society. I think something like that is true for many people in genus science.”

Mikael Gilljam, professor of political science, doesn’t think it’s particularly strange that parties that are strong among the population as a whole are weaker among researchers and vice versa.

“Academics are used to questioning things.

Moderaterna and Social Demo­crats are understood as parties of the establishment. People should be opposed to power. If you’re to the left you prefer the Green MEP or the Left Party. If you’re non-socialist, then it’s the Liberal Party.

They’re not seen as very much as parties that are important in terms of being strong governing parties.”

g u j o u r n a l 4 | 1 0 5

May I film you?

Is a student allowed to film a lecture and put it out on Youtube? Are teachers obligated to give out their Power Point materials? Digital technology and Internet offer completely new possi­bilities, but there are also risks. What are the limits? GU Journal gives answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

Is a student allowed to film a lecture?

Yes, students have the right to film or record a lecture, but only for their own pri­ vate use. The film or recording may not be spread to others without the teacher’s con­ sent. Neither may it be put out on Youtube without the approval of the lecturer.

If the teacher doesn’t want to be filmed or recorded can he or she refuse to allow the student to do so?

This is actually a question of codes. If a person does not want to be filmed, he or she has the right not to be. A tip is for the teacher to give students information about what can and can not be done before the lecture begins.

Does the teacher have the right to confiscate a student’s film or recording equipment?

No, that is not permitted. That could 6

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be seen as arbitrary conduct, which is a crime. In this context, the University has no power and the police would have to be called in.

rights. If the teacher wishes to use the material in the instruction, consent must be given by the student, for example in an e-mail message.

If a teacher has used copyrighted material in a Power Point presentation, is it still okay to give out the material?

Teaching materials can be set up on the GUL teaching platform but only after the copyrighted pictures have been removed.

However, the teacher can copy the pre­ sentation on paper and distribute it in the classroom setting to his or her study group.

Is it forbidden for a teacher to include copyrighted pictures in a Power Point presentation that will be used in instruction?

No. A teacher can use copyrighted pictures for purposes of instruction. The originator’s sole right is subject to certain exceptions. For example, teachers have the right to use something produced by another person in their instruction and to quote parts of it, so-called quotation rights.

A requirement is that the originator’s ideal right is respected by always giving his or her name. However, every person has the right to use material of this kind privately.

Can the employer force teachers to have their lectures filmed?

No, that is hardly reasonable. The teacher must think it’s alright to be filmed.

This may be unpleasant for certain people and there is a risk that the teacher feels inhibited and gives a poorer lecture. If that is the case, there are other possibilities than filming with moving pictures. It is pos­ sible for instance both to “pod” the lecture or download Power Point presentations with sound in the GUL teaching platform.

Do copyright laws also cover students’ material?

Yes, in the same way as for teachers.

The material that students create during their education is also protected by copy­

If a person wishes not to be filmed or recorded, he or she has the right not to be

Whose responsibility is it if copyrighted material is spread in an incorrect way?

If a student downloads digitally filmed or recorded copyrighted material from the Internet that is used in a lecture, it is the student that is responsible for ensur­ ing that the material is not spread in an incorrect way.

Are there pictures that can be used with­ out having to worry about encroaching copyright laws?

Yes, there are many pictures that have

photograph: Johan Wingborg

It’s easy to share Freely and unselfishly sharing material is the founding idea of Creative Commons.

With different licences, an originator can dictate how his or her material may be used, but it doesn’t mean that copyright laws will disappear.

been made available by Creative Commons licences. All these pictures can be used in presentations, be distributed to students and be put on teaching platforms. http://www.flickr.com/creativecom­ mons/ has over 140 million pictures that can be used freely in instruction.

If we’re serious about uniting education with research for the purpose of creating complete environments, then instruction material that we use should be able to be distributed freely and be critically examined by others.

ALLAN ERIKSSON

The article is based on interviews with barrister Kristina Ullgren, university lec­turer Bengt Peterson (PIL unit) and Mathias Klang, who does research in dif­ ferent forms of digital rights.

Copyright law Copyright law regulates the use of others’ material and is applicable regardless of whether the material is published or in digital form. It means that the originator (the person who has produced the material) must be asked for permission to reproduce it before it is used for a person’s own work.

Read more at: http://creativecommons.org/choose/ http://kollakallan.skolverket.se/upphovsratt/creativecommons/www.pil.gu.se/ utmaningar/upphovsratt

Bengt Peterson, Manager of the PIL unit

Copyright l aws are in fact the foundation, but legislation has not kept up to date with digital develop­ ments, according to Mathias Klang, researcher and project manager at the Swedish Creative Commons.

“The teacher’s role focuses on com­ munication, and it’s more difficult to teach effectively if you constantly have to think about what is permitted and what is not in traditional copy­ right laws. The thought is to make it easier and simpler to share and re-use digital material without the risk of doing something wrong,” says Mathias Klang.

He shares his papers, articles and Power Point presentations generously in his blog and at slideshare.net, but not completely freely.

“I require a few simple things: that the people who use my work give me credit. It also has to do with boosting my own ego and building my own trade­mark. It’s also only for non-com­ mercial use, although people are allo­ wed to re-work and make changes.”

Mathias Klang feels that always having to ask originators for permis­ sion poses problems. It isn’t always possible to come into contact with the person who has created material, and in that case it isn’t possible to use it.

This is an obstacle to a free exchange of thoughts and ideas.

All licences allow dispersion of and showing material, but there are a number of conditions that have to be taken into account: does the originator want the material to be used comple­ tely freely or only in a non-commercial context, and may the material be reworked and changed? Combining dif­ ferent conditions in six different ways gives six different types of licences.

Creative Commons, a non-profit organisation with origins in the U.S., has been established in 52 countries.

“It’s growing all the time. The thought is that it should be so simple to use that ordinary people won’t have to think about laws.”

Mathias Klang is the Swedish project manager of Creative Commons.

More about Creative Commons: A non-profit organisation that provides copyright licences that can be used by any person for the material one has created oneself. The licences are cost-free and apply throughout the world.

All the licences allow the following: Copying material Distributing material Showing or delivery of material publicly Converting material to another format To create a licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/choose/

ALLAN ERIKSSON g u j o u r n a l 4 | 1 0 7

to wake us at four o’clock in the morning to give us 50 English words to study during the day. When he came home from work, he would rehearse with us. Indians study very hard, which is why we’re so good in English, even better than the British. They don’t care much for grammar, do they?’

Vivekanand was only nine years old when his childhood ended. It was then he had to move to a boarding school in another town and live away from home.

And it was there his problems with his name started.

‘When I had finished school, my teacher forgot to write my surname in the marks sheet. Since this was the only official document I had, I legally only have one name. This causes trouble every time I have to specify name and surname. But there are always solutions. On my Swedish ID for instance I’m called Vivekanand Vivekanand.’

Vivekanand’s joyful intelligence led to several scholarships. When he earned his PhD at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, he was the first person from his small village to reach such a high acade­ mic level.

And it is also his joyful interest in a range of fields that has made him so successful during his two years in Gothenburg, first at the Department of Cell- and Molecular Biology and then at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences where he is doing research on oat.

Oat is beneficial for the human body and can diminish the risk of a heart attack. But it is also difficult to digest.

‘One third of the oat grain is hull that is rich in fibre content. It is virtually indi­ gestible for humans because it contains lignin which also impairs the digestibility

PHoto: Johan Wingborg

Vivekanand wants us to eat more oat East of Delhi, near the border to Nepal, lies the remote village where post doctor Vivekanand was born. Some day he will return there to build a school.

‘I owe it to my parents and to India,’ he says.

But first there is research to be done, both in Sweden and in Norway.

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n Hindi, ‘vivek’ means intelligence and ‘anand’ joy. It was Vivekanand’s grandmother who gave him this name, the same name as the great Hindi philosopher Swami Vivekanand who lived about a hundred years ago. It is an appropriate name, because it must have taken quite a lot of both intelli­gence and optimism to achieve what Vivekanand has done. But his name has also brought him some trouble.

‘My father was a school headmaster in the small village where I grew up as the youngest of six siblings. He was very parti­ cular about his children’s studies and used

of other nutrients in the grain. So our goal is to reduce the lignin and instead increase the amount of beta-glucan, which is bene­ ficial for human bodies.’

But Vivekanand says that the lignin should not be wasted. Instead, it can be used to strengthen different materials.

‘One idea is to mix lignin with asphalt to make roads stronger. Another idea is to use it in wood to construct more solid furniture.’

During his time in Gothenburg, Vivekanand has learnt to enjoy, among other things, Swedish food.

One idea is to mix lignin with asphalt to make roads stronger.

Another idea is to use it in wood to construct more solid furniture.

‘I’ve eaten herring, reindeer and meat­ balls and they all taste really good. But I like to eat Swedish food in an Indian way – that is to spice it up with some chilli. Swedes do the same, but the other way around; they eat Indian food in a Swedish way.’

Being the inquisitive man that he is, he continuously reflects over different things he comes across. Here are some thoughts about Guest Services at the University of Gothenburg.

‘I came here in July 2008 and got a won­ derful reception. Light summer evenings and people sunbathing in the park were all new to me. My supervisor, Doctor Marc Pilon, invited me for dinner with wine at Joe Farelli’s on the Avenue. I don’t usually drink alcohol and certainly not with a dis­ tinguished Doctor. But I like it that things are so informal here. People are very friendly and helpful. But one problem that the University must solve is housing. There should be an apartment plan for those who are staying more than six months and are non-students. My Department was very helpful, though, and found an apartment that I now share with another Indian post doctor. Every time I return from abroad, this place really feels like home.’

father, they discuss backgrounds and other things, and step by step a decision is made.

I have met my future wife only once but I really fell for her immediately. In India the family is much more important than here. Everything I do, good or bad, I share with my parents. If I drink alcohol, eat beef, or even do a small thing like kill an ant, I share it with my parents, and they understand that I’m in a different situation than at home and that I have to adjust.’

The fact that the family is less important here than in India is perhaps the only thing that Vivekanand is critical of in Sweden.

‘A stable family gives you energy. When every­body is united you feel happy. But a shattered family is something very sad.’

India is a country that is developing fast.

Vivekanand explains that this is because there are so many young, energetic people there that work hard for a better life.

‘When you’re successful, there are three persons that are really proud: your parents and your teacher. I visited my old school in February and my teachers were so happy to see me. My past is something I can never forget and in the future I hope to start a school for children less fortunate than me.

With them I want to share all the wonder­ ful experiences that I’m filled with. This is something I owe to India and to my parents, to whom I want to dedicate the school.’

Vivekanand says that if there is something you really want, you should not waste any time, but go for it.

‘If there’s a problem, the problem is you.

As for the solution to the problem, well that’s you too.’

Eva Lundgren

arranges different happenings, which Vivekanand thinks is a very good idea. But they should cost a small fee.

‘Not long ago I was invited to a Life Science day in Lysekil. I didn’t go because I got involved in something else. But if I had paid something for the event, I’m sure I would have made the appointment some­ how.’

Vivekanand also has some suggestions to Västtrafik, which runs the city buses and trams. ’The communications here are really good and it was for instance wonderful the way Västtrafik catered to people during Göteborgsvarvet. But I think the bus stop shelters should be bigger; as it is today they don’t really protect from rain. And they should have women announce the next stop because women’s voices are more distinct than men’s. And the stop display should not just say what the next stop is, but also when we will be there, for instan­ ce “Tynnered 10:30”.’

Guest Services also

In September, Vivekanand will go to Norway to start a new project. This time it is bio ethanol that has caught his interest.

But before that he will return to India for a very special purpose – to get married. ’Things change in India as in all other parts of the world. But marriages are still often arranged by the parents. The woman’s father meets with the man’s

hello

Annelie Dagerklint head of the Partner Program at the School of Economics that together with Career Service and Alumni at the same faculty have been awarded winners of Gothenburg University’s 2010 prize for cooperation. The prize, 200 000 crowns, will be awarded for the first time at the annual doctoral promotion in October.

Why do you think you won?

We’ve succeeded in creating trust with the companies we cooperate with in determined and structured work. We set up three-year agreements on partnership, which makes it possible for us to work in the long term for our students to get out to the companies and learn how things work in these businesses. We’ve been working for over ten years and now companies know where to turn when they want to contact students and researchers at the School of Economics.

The prize is 200 000 crowns – what will you do with it?

My hope is that we’ll be able to use the money for further education and competence development.

Personally, I’d like to travel to some other university, in the U.S. for example, and learn more about how they work with partner programs there.

Vivekanand Family: Parents, five siblings and a fiancée.

Lives: Shares an apartment in Gothenburg.

Works: Is post doctor at the Depart­ment of Plant and Environ­mental Sciences.

Interests: Works most of the day but is interested in making things better.

Dream: To start a school in India.

What kind of exciting activities do you have planned for the near future?

In the beginning of September we’ll have an interesting lecture with Björn Stigson, this year’s Assar Gabrielsson’s professor in applied company manage­ment. At the end of September we’ll start the autumn activities, which will be shorter programs that we think will suit our cooperative partners, such as breakfast and afternoon seminars for partners and alumni.

Henrik Axlid

g u j o u r n a l 4 | 1 0 9

Pro Arte et Scientia 2010 GUNNAR DAHLSTR Ö M , formerly in charge of Göteborg City Museum and academic director at Gothenburg University, received the 2010 Pro Arte et Scientia award together with Stefan Svensson, chairman of Partille’s local government.

Gunnar Dahlström has contributed in different ways to the development of Gothenburg University, such as in making Jonsered’s Manor a meeting place. Stefan Svensson has also helped

million

in this development, not least in the establishment of the Jonsered Foundation.

wa s G o t h e n b u r g U n i v e r s i t y ’ s surplus last year, according to the internal follow-up for 2009 presented this spring. This was primarily because revenues increased by 7 percent. Financial director Lars Nilsson believes that one reason is the introduction of a new accounting model for complete cost coverage.

Comments on the re-organisation Cautious optimism and concern over what will happen in terms of power sums up the views of the plans.

Gunilla Burstedt, Director, School of Film Directing “My spontaneous thought was: wow, exciting! We’d be able to go together with another depart­ ment from another area.

Interestingly, we’re now working to develop activities at the Arts Faculty, which falls into Pam’s vision. I also see a need of re-organisation, but it’s important at the same time that edu­ cation programs in the arts are able to keep their identities and trade­marks.”

Olle Lärkö, Dean of the Sahlgrenska Academy “It probably won’t be so important for SA. We’ve already completed our reorganisation and included everything that has to do with health. We’ve also reduced the number of our depart­ ments from 16 to 6. It’s important that SA has good relations with the rest of Gothenburg University but we have 100 times more economic transactions with the healthcare system than with the rest of GU.”

Ulf Bjereld, Head of the Department of Political Science “It’s good that the Vicechancellor wants to improve conditions for research and education but there are three risks in the project, as I see it.

1. Each and every change requires effort. Since the goals aren’t clear yet, there’s a risk that extensive and demanding work for change is being started for its own sake. What concre­ te problems are actually being solved?

Can’t these problems be approached with the structures that exist today?

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2. The plans that have been pre­ sented so far are going to lead to lifting up issues about power to a higher level, at the same time that the responsibility for carrying them out is given to the different units. That way, power and responsibility are separa­ ted, and that’s rarely successful.

3. I’m worried that these plans are going to be forced, in the same way as the unfortunate hasty introduction of the OH model.”

Barbara Czarniawska, Professor, Business Economics “If this is going to be good it’s going to depend on how, why and for what reason the re-organisa­ tion is being done. Maybe it’ll be great, but it’s too early to say.

The only obvious potential mega area is medicine. We’re excited to see a more detailed proposal.”

David Turner, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences “I’m positive to the pro­ posal. We started discus­ sing a re-organisation of our faculty a couple of months ago and that process coincides with the Vicechancellor’s plans. I’ve started to see that the freedom that the faculties have isn’t always good. The organisa­ tion as it is now poses obstacles that make it difficult to co-operate over faculty boundaries. It’s important to look at the organisation so that we can collect all our competence in a modern organisation. We have to be open to changes and there’s no certainty that all our subjects will fall under the same umbrella.”

Rolf Solli, Director of the Gothenburg Research Institute “I like the idea of breaking up the faculty structure and looking more closely at what departments actually belong together. But it isn’t obvious

that all the problems we have now are going to be solved by a big reorganisation. There are two overall mega trends today: one is that big is good. It isn’t clear why, but everyone is going in the same direction. The other is that responsibility and decisions are going further and further down in the organisation. At the same time, the central administration has just continued to get bigger – who knows why. It can’t be reasonable to have overhead costs of 70 or 80 percent. If the re-organisation doesn’t give lower administration costs we can just as well leave it be.”

Ingemar Nilsson, Head of the Department of Literature, History of Ideas and Science, and Religion “It’s hard for me to see the purpose of such a big change, the biggest one in the history of Gothenburg University. The people at my department are terrified when there’s talk of a re-organisation.

They wonder if we’ll be able to get through another one. We humanists have lived for a long time with a num­ ber of ghosts: evaluations, results measurements, citation indices; mathematical models that obviously don’t work. Will the humanities’ resources fall even lower? But I can see advantages in cutting the num­ ber of faculties – about half would be good. For example, it could be positive to combine the humanities and social sciences faculties. Still, it sounds pretty radical to break down the faculty structure completely. The departments already have a lot of power. With the new proposal there’s a big risk that departments will be even larger, which could threaten smaller and weaker subjects. We need a faculty to protect the small plants.”

ALLAN ERIKSSON

Departments to be given more freedom A new organisation that better supports cooperation over boundaries and a stronger and more effective base organisation are the grounds for the proposal for reorganisation that the Vice-chancellor wants to start discussions about.

There are several reasons why Gothenburg University’s organisa­ tion needs change, according to Vice-chancellor Pam Fredman, who is presenting her thoughts in mana­ gement councils, in meetings with management and most recently at the meeting of the University’s Board of Directors on the 10th of June.

“We are not being successful in exploiting the collective quality of our breadth and the total competence we have in the University and therefore not the potential we have for develo­ ping our research and education.”

Pam Fredman thinks that there are a number of weak points now: the departments are steered from the top and are limited from different direc­ tions, the strong faculty structure makes cooperation over boundaries difficult, there are too many details that have to be addressed by the facul­ ties, internal communication is not as good as it should be and there is a problem that the common administra­ tion and the faculty registrars work with essentially the same questions but under different management.

Pam Fredman argues that the departments should be given greater power.

“The departments will be given the space they need to be able to run and develop their teaching, research and cooperation at a high quality level. At the same time, four or five new areas will be created on a corresponding faculty level.”

The idea is to review the old divi­ sion of the faculties and think about which departments belong together.

A consequence of the re-organisa­ tion is that a coordinated university administration will be created by giving the faculty registrars a clearer but considerably smaller role.

But there is no time plan yet.

He’s taking Christ down from the cross report

“There’s nothing in the New Testament about Jesus necessarily dying

text: eva lundgren

on the cross,” explains Gunnar Samuelsson. He has just defended a

photo: Johan Wingborg

thesis on crucifixions during Antiquity – and has drawn the sensational conclusion that hardly any crucifixions ever took place. The media are on the hunt for him.

How did he arrive at that conclusion? By checking sources.

Strangely enough, it doesn’t seem that anyone during Christianity’s 2000 year history has done it in that way before now.

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Descent from the Cross by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1934, Erimitaget, St. Petersburg.

Gunnar Samuelsson Occupation: Researcher and pastor of the Swedish Baptist Church.

Current news: Recently defended his thesis, Crucifixion in Antiquity: An Inquiry into the background of the New Testament Terminology of Crucifixion.

Family: Wife Linda and five children, three of them triplets.

Home: Hönö.

Interests: Extinct languages, children and photography.

Likes: Doing crazy or unexpected things.

Links: http://svtplay.se/v/2023426/ dog_jesus_verkligen_pa_korset www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4aml3Oh9oyE

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unnar Samuelsson actually has far too “The strange thing was that when I checked the refe­ much to do to have time to worry about how rences I saw that the author’s conclusions often weren’t his research will be received by the world’s covered by any.” two billion Christians. He’s also used to Two Greek words are central to Gunnar Samuelsson’s bewildering the people around him, such research: (ana)stauroun, which is usually interpreted as as when he went from being a confused 21-year-old to a crucifixion, and stauros, which is translated as cross.

Christian.

“I decided to find out how these words were actually “Of four teachers, one has become a pensioner, the used during Antiquity. It took me over three years to professor moved to Lund and the other doctoral student read all available texts written during Antiquity about also left. So, at the same time that I was finishing my hangings in all their variations, from Homer to works thesis, I was responsible for and taught all our courses of the first century after Christ, to examine all the diffe­ and took care of the administration and supervision rent situations in which these words were used.” of thirteen students who were writing He found that (ana)stauron was used papers on the New Testament and New in connection with hangings of many Testament Greek. I also have five child­ different kinds, both grape vines, a harp ren, among them triplets who will be two A text can suddenly on the wall and a dead person on a pile. years old this summer.”

“Stauros, which is translated in all open up and you lexicons as cross, is sooner a pile or a beam or something of the kind. The While he hasn’t had much sleep the hear a voice that’s more I investigated the texts, the clearer last two years, Gunnar Samuelsson has been quiet for maybe I got about our not knowing whether always had a very high work capacity. it’s possible to find what we consider “Sometimes I understand that it’s 2 000 years crucifixion to be today in ancient texts. been too much even for me since I hardly I’m not saying that people were never know what I’m doing. Not long ago I was crucified, just that we don’t know very driving through the city and suddenly much about it.” saw that I didn’t know where I was. I first had the smart It’s pretty surprising that no one before now has idea of calling my wife and asking but then realised that attempted to investigate what the original texts actually it wouldn’t be a wise thing to do. Another time I was say in this way. standing in front of the door to my work cottage and “Earlier researchers have indicated that some trans­ pressed the car key, irritated that the door didn’t unlock lations seem incorrect or too precise, but no one has and wondering at the same time what car was blinking followed up on that criticism. Important scientific disco­ down the hill. And it’s happened that I don’t have the veries often seem to be fairly simple, and I’m probably a vaguest idea about which lecture I should be giving and little childish and like to ask the simple questions.” have to ask my students.”

Otherwise Gunnar Samuelsson is a person that loves poring over dusty books and thinking about forgotten mysteries. Extinct languages such as Latin, Aramaic and antique Greek and Hebrew are some of the things that make him forget just about everything else.

“Since these languages are no longer spoken they can only be understood by means of grammatical ana­ lyses. Sometimes text fragments contain only half sen­ tences – then they’re of course difficult to interpret. But a text can suddenly open up and you hear a voice that’s been quiet for maybe 2 000 years. There isn’t much that can match that experience!”

Even though Christianity is hardly dependent on the crucifixion, the idea about how Jesus died is deeply rooted, both within and outside the Church. How was it that Gunnar Samuelsson started to question it?

“I thought about what a crucifixion actually is. Most people have a firm idea, but when you read the Bible in its original language you find that there isn’t much that’s written about it.”

His first thought was to investigate the historical background of crucifixions and started with a standard textbook written by the well-known professor of theo­ logy, Martin Hengel.

What is writ ten about Jesus’ death? Actually, only that he was hung up in some way to be executed, per­ haps on a cross, perhaps on a pile or something else.

“I’ve been accused of wanting to tear down the Christian faith, but I’m a pastor and absolutely not interested in doing anything like that. But I think it’s important to read what is actually written in the texts, not what people think is written. We have to read the lines, not between them. Research can be a help in that work. Science doesn’t actually speak about truths but only about what can be weighed and measured. We can establish that there are texts about gods and love.

What these texts say can be studied, and we can draw scientific conclusions from them. But it doesn’t mean that we’ve solved the problem of whether love exists or doesn’t exist. We can’t solve the question of the subject’s right to be or not to be, we can only study the footprints it leaves. Scientific methods are openly reported in a way that everyone can agree on. Then every person can have an opinion about the results.”

Even if Gunnar Samuelsson’s research has stirred up feelings here and there, he’s mostly had positive reac­ tions, from his examiner for example, Senior Lecturer Erkki Koskenniemi, who was exuberant.

“He said that neither he nor anyone else in the full

Gunnar Samuelsson with his five children. “If it had been a job to be the father of triplets I would have quit a long time ago. But of course I’m very happy about my large family.”

lecture hall will ever write a book that’s so important.

And when I was on my way to the party for the suc­ cessful defence of my thesis, a German publishing house called to ask about publishing the thesis.

Orders started coming in the same day from diffe­ rent countries and there’s been a sort of circus in the media since then.”

What Gunnar Samuelsson wishes most right now is for a little more sleep. Only on rare occasions has he been able to get more than a couple of hours at a time.

“If it had been a job to be the father of triplets I would have quit a long time ago. But of course I’m very happy about my large family.”

Since he can’t think of anything that is more fun than doing research and teaching, Gunnar Samuelsson hopes to be able to continue, either in Sweden or another country, when his temporary post comes to an end.

“But maybe I’ll try something completely different.

I like things that are a little crazy. There’s something secure about doing things that no one would expect.” g u j o u r n a l 4 | 1 0 13

debate

Is history important?

We come first to the perspective of time. Today, when historical research both internationally and in Sweden concentrates on what took place during the 20th century, it is very important to look at studies of conditions for older people – not only for their own sake but because older people have more to say about society than you might think.

Long-term perspectives make it possible to identify tenacious structures and what has changed. Who thinks today that the laws governing inheritance that were changed in 1988 were revolutionary?

The historical background in this case, roughly since the Stone Age, is that married people would inherit what their husband or wives had. Only in 1988, when priority was given to partners’ rights to inherit money, goods and property from each other, were older ideas about the family and manly family line given up and the norm became family-based circles that included both sexes.

My other point has to do with the view of histori­ cal changes. Why have things become the way they are? I want to bring attention to the role of social practice in changing society. It’s what people have done that has forced change. A concrete example is marriage. When women and men refrained from marriage during the 1800s and simply lived together, legislation on marriage went in a more equal direction. Marriage frequency in this time fell drastically in all classes throughout Scandinavia.

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The countries responded to legislators in the same way, with more equal marriage laws, which was generally motivated by the desire to maintain mar­ riage as the primary form of co-existence.

The broader public’s break with norms provoked consternation but was at the same time so exten­ sive that it forced change. On an overall level it is confirmed how normative conditions define pre­ vailing norms at the same time that, for that very reason, they enable a break from the same norms.

It is also in the conflict-ridden relation that the potential for change lies. When adultery stopped being a criminal action in 1937, for example, this was a consequence of the actions of the broader public – criminals finally became quite numerous.

This forced change. The change in legislation was at the same time a dramatic shift. As far back in time that legislation goes, marriage has had a judi­ cial and ideological monopoly in relations between women and men. All else was criminal. When we now also allow forms of co-existence between per­ sons of the same sex in the framework of marriage, the significance of social practice becomes evident, as does the fear of earlier decades’ crimes against norms and important long-term change: the moral function of marriage is done away with and what is left is economy and laws. The purpose is in part the same as before – to maintain a pair relationship that seems to be uncannily eternal.

On a more concrete level , the above confirms what I think is the most essential for history to be important: that it shows possible changes. Those who broke with norms yesterday paved the way for the conditions we now have. Those who break with norms today are the creators of future conditions.

My examples thus support the cliché that the pre­ sent is the history of tomorrow. The same examples also confirm that the broader public – what people have done – has in fact been more important than we think. Who then are the change-making brea­ kers of norms today? Perhaps the growing number of single people? Like the deviations of earlier times, single people’s lifestyle means a long-term shift in norms for co-existence from a natural pair relationship to greater variety. We have no way of knowing what the result will be; we can only spe­ culate. Still, it clarifies how our actions today form the history of tomorrow, how changes take place.

Just as it is today, it will be up to historians and stu­ dents in the future to determine whether what we did shall be seen as important or just as entertain­ ing and exciting.

MARIA SJÖBERG Newly appointed professor of history

photograph: Johan Wingborg.

History has become entertainment and exciting experiences. It’s one thing that radio and television use history as entertainment, but it’s more sur­ prising that students and professional historians put the value of entertainment in the first room.

Reviews of scientific works emphasise how exciting they’ve been to read and less often say anything about why the investigation is important. Lectures and seminars are evaluated in the same way.

As a counterbalance to entertainment and exciting experience, I’d like to remind people of something that should be obvious – that history is important. This isn’t a completely simple thing to do, however, because what after all is important?

Most historians – in fact, most scientists – think that important humanistic research stimulates curiosity, questioning and critical examination. Important research proves myths to be wrong and turn com­ mon ideas on their heads. But what does that say about history in particular? To get a clearer picture, the general has to be filled with life. In this way personal declarations are made clear, and here are parts of my own!

Important history has to do with power, here gender power structures and changes in them – as well as their tenacious continuousness. Research can be done here in different ways, and no one single way is better than another. I argue equally much for two points that I self-centredly include in my own research. In spite of their one-sided cha­ racter, my two points can be transferred in a simple way to other power structures than sex, such as class or ethnic background.

Those who broke with norms yesterday paved the way for the conditions we now have. Those who break with norms today are the creators of future conditions. My examples thus support the cliché that the present is the history of tomorrow.

installation of professors 2010

photograph: Johan Wingborg

Both more and less than usual A total of 67 were invited to this year’s installation of professors – more than for many years. But there were many who didn’t come; only 40 professors were present. of professors invited is ordinary professors, assistant professors and guest professors. The number who didn’t come can partly be explained by the fact that many new guest professors have some of their instruction in other places in the world.

The distribution between women and men was equal with the exception of the School of Economics, where there were only men, and the Faculty of Education, with only women.

Maria Sjöberg, professor of history, took up the genus perspective in her installation speech: “What were women doing when men were writing history? Were they polishing the men’s halos?” was her introductory song – and she gave a brief picture of the different conditions that men and women have had historically.

She said that it feels good to be able to contri­ bute to a better distribution of sexes in acade­ mia. And to be able to write history.

The l argest number

HELENA ÅBERG

Some memorable quotes: “As a researcher of history, you always come too late.”

Maria Sjöberg, professor of history “The co-integration of wine professors shows a clear relationship between the number of professors and the consumption of wine.”

Joakim Westerlund, professor of econometry “We have the most fun job in the world – we get paid for being curious.”

Angela Wulff, professor of marine ecology “Professor, now it’s up to you carry these dreams further, to get me to understand that my dreams can become reality.”

Christina Dackling, vice chairman of Gothenburg University’s students’ union

Installation of professors Read more in the text about the installation of professors! It presents all the professors and their installation speeches.

Get a pdf version at www.gu.se. A presentation of all professors in English is given at www.gu.se/ english/research/New_professors/

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER! THE NEXT NUMBER COMES OUT ON OCTOBER 6th g u j o u r n a l 3 | 1 0 15