Recovery and international exchange
The visit to Lund University was part of a non-profit initiative for psychological recovery. As part of the programme, 43 people from Ukraine, including eight children, are spending ten days in Ystad. Several participants work in higher education and expressed an interest in visiting Lund University. One of the initiators in Ystad, Ole Böttern, therefore contacted Professor Emeritus Anders Kjellberg at the Department of Sociology, who planned the programme and welcomed the group on their arrival in Lund.
The visiting group consisted of eight women representing a broad range of academic and professional backgrounds. Among them were psychologists and university teachers, including a head of department in psychology and associate professors in social work. It also included a representative from the organisation SEMA Ukraine, which supports women who have been subjected to sexual violence during the war, as well as researchers based at technical universities in Kharkiv and Chernihiv. One participant is also involved in the production of drones and protective anti-drone netting over roads.
At the Department of Sociology, the group took part in discussions on research and academic work, as well as on the conditions for working in higher education in a country at war. The emphasis was on dialogue, professional exchange and shared reflection on the current situation.
Dialogue between Ukrainian and Swedish colleagues
The visit began with Head of the Department of Sociology, Sandra Jönsson, presenting some of the department’s work, followed by short presentations by the visitors in Ukrainian and English.
Doctoral student Lyudmyla Corney then spoke, in Ukrainian, about her research background in Ukraine and Sweden, as well as her ongoing research related to Ukrainian families in Sweden and Ukraine. The group also visited Anders Kjellberg’s office, where he talked about his research and provided a historical introduction to Lund, Skåne and the University.
“The visit also included a much appreciated guided walk around the university area and down to the Cathedral,” says Anders Kjellberg.
The visit continued through the afternoon at the Department of Psychology, where the participants met Swedish colleagues. Deputy Head of Department Martin Wolgast and Senior Lecturer Magnus Lindén presented the department’s work and the Centre for Preparedness and Resilience (LUPREP) at the Helsingborg campus. Doctoral student Linn Petersdotter then presented a research project on memory studies in Ukraine, initiated by her colleague Marius Boeltzig, with a particular emphasis on strengthening collaboration with Ukrainian researchers.
During the discussions, the Ukrainian visitors also highlighted the specific conditions faced by researchers in Ukraine. They described a significant pressure on academics, who are required to pay to publish in national journals, while at the same time their individual salary progression is closely linked to the number of publications.
