

Areas of interests:
- Islamist radicalization and terrorism (e.g. propaganda on social media, relatives of individuals engaging in Salafi-jihadist environments etc.).
- Women in terrorism
- Phenomenology
- Symbolic interactionism
- Ethnicity, gender & sexuality
- Social relations and emotions in the workplace (e.g. bullying, sexual harassment, pleasurable sexual sociality, humor in the workplace, emotions in organizations).
- Sociology of culture
- Sociology of humor (e.g. ethnic humor).
- Cultural criminology
- Qualitative methods (e.g. ethnographic fieldwork, autoethnography).
Current and previous research projects:
Teaching Experience:
Total teaching hours (BA, MA and PhD level):
- 3800+ hours from Lund University, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School, Kristianstad University, University of Southern Denmark, Aarhus University. My teaching experiences cover teaching in general sociological theory, qualitative methods, quantitative methods, organization theory, criminology, Islamist extremism etc.
Supervision (BA, MA and PhD level):
- Supervised 1 Ph.D. candidate (main supervisor, completed 2022), Department of Sociology, Lund University.
- Supervised 1 MA thesis in educational studies, Department of Sociology, Lund University.
- Supervised 20 BA thesis in sociology, Department of Sociology, Lund University.
- Supervised 15 BA thesis in social work, School of Social Work, Lund University.
- Supervised 5 BA thesis in human resources and work life conditions, Kristianstad University.
Course development:
- “Why are young people attracted to violent Islamist extremism? - a sociological perspective” (BA and MA), Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, 2017 and 2018 (28 weeks).
- “The Sociology of Humor” (MA), Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, 2015 (14 weeks).
Pedagogical courses (>15 ECTS/10 weeks):
- “Doctoral supervision”, Lund University, 2021, 2 weeks (3 ECTS).
- “Course design in higher education, blended course”, Lund University, 2021, 3 weeks (4,5 ECTS).
- “Learning to Teach”, Copenhagen Business School, 2016, 2 days.
- “Högskolepedagogisk fortsättningskurs”, Lund University, 2012, 3 weeks (4,5 ECTS).
- ”Lärarrollen vid universitet och högskola”, Lund University, 2010, 2 weeks (3 ECTS).
Publications
Displaying of publications. Sorted by year, then title.
Jihadi Kitsch: The Promesse de Bonheur of Islamist Terrorism
Mehmet Ümit Necef, Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2022) Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
Journal articleAfter the Caliphate: Changing Mobilization in the Swedish Salafi-Jihadist Environment following the Fall of ISIS
Marco Nilsson, Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2022) Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
Journal articleThe attractions of Salafi-jihadism as a gendered counterculture: Propaganda narratives from the Swedish online “sisters in deen”
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2022) Salafi-Jihadism and Digital Media: The Nordic and International Context , p.66-91
Book chapterHar de skandinaviske ISIS-kvinder indtaget operative militære roller i Kalifatet?
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2022) Tidsskrift for islamforskning, 16 p.84-109
Journal articleEmotional Trials in Terrorism Research: Running Risks When Accessing Salafi-Jihadist Foreign Fighter Returnees and Their Social Milieu
Henriette Frees Esholdt, Kathrine Elmose Jørgensen
(2021) Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
Journal article“She Is a Woman, She Is an Unbeliever—You Should not Meet with Her”: An Ethnographic Account of Accessing Salafi-Jihadist Environments as Non-Muslim Female Researchers
Kathrine Elmose Jørgensen, Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2021) Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology, 10 p.1-30
Journal articleVirgins, Terrorists, and Ten Children : Immigrants' Humorous Play with Ethnic Stereotypes in Bonding with Danes in the Workplace
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2019) Symbolic Interaction, 42 p.691-716
Journal articleCaught between emotional demands and unclear organizational working conditions - case workers' emotion management in the production of asylum
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2018)
Conference - otherEthnography at the edge: a confessional tale of methodological challenges encountered when relying on fieldwork to investigate violence-promoting Islamist extremism
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2018)
Conference - otherEthnography at the edge: a confessional tale of methodological challenges encountered when relying on fieldwork to investigate violence-promoting Islamist extremism
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2018)
Conference paper: abstractEthnography at the edge: a confessional tale of methodological challenges encountered when relying on fieldwork to investigate violence-promoting Islamist extremism
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2018)
Conference paper: abstractHow do you get access to violence-promoting Islamist extremist environments?
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2017)
Conference paper: abstractHow do you get access to violence-promoting Islamist extremist environments?
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2017)
Conference - otherStyres forskningen af frygten for at blive kaldt racist? Praksisnære overvejelser
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2016) Multikulturalismens fælder – mørklægning og moralisme i medier, forskning og politik.
Book chapterGender under a black flag: the construction of masculinity and femininity in IS
Henriette Frees Esholdt, Mehmet Ümit Necef
(2016)
Conference - otherNår humor, leg og lyst er på spil : Social interaktion på en multietnisk arbejdsplads
Henriette frees Esholdt
(2015) Lund Dissertations in Sociology, 107
DissertationThe gender game frame: consensual and pleasurable sexual behavior in the workplace
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2015)
Conference - otherWhen the humorous frame redefines everything: on pleasurable ethnic humor in the workplace
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherThe dedramatization of ethnicity: on self-directed ethnic humor in interethnic collegial workplace relationships
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherHvor kritisk en teori? Et kritisk blik på den antiracistiske fortællings bestræbelse på at være kritisk
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherPleasurable sexual sociality in the workplace, racism or sexual harassment? An autoethnographic story about the multiple realities
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherThe dedramatization of ethnicity: on self-directed ethnic humor in interethnic collegial workplace relationships
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherThe dedramatization of ethnicity: on self-directed ethnic humor in interethnic collegial workplace relationships
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2014)
Conference - otherThe unifying force of humor: on self-directed ethnic humor and the dedramatization of ethnicity
Henriette Frees Esholdt
(2013)
Conference paper: abstractEtniske forskelle i patienters oplevelser. En spørgeskema- og interviewundersøgelse om forskelle i indvandreres/efterkommeres og danskeres oplevelser i forløbet fra praktiserende læge til hospital
Henriette Frees Esholdt, Marie Fuglsang
(2009)
ReportIndlagte patienters oplevelser i Danmark øst for Storebælt 2007. Spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt 43.567 indlagte patienter
Karen Skjødt Hansen, Karen Stage Fritzen, Henriette Frees Esholdt, Rikke Gut
(2008)
ReportPatienters oplevelser på de færøske sygehuse 2007. Spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt 879 indlagte patienter
Karen Stage Fritzen, Trine Østerbye, Karen Skjødt Hansen, Henriette Frees Esholdt, Lene Mia Sørensen, et al.
(2007)
ReportEtniske minoriteters oplevelser i mødet med det danske sygehus. En kvalitativ undersøgelse af forældres oplevelser under deres barns indlæggelse på en børneafdeling
Stine Schulze, Henriette Frees Esholdt, Morten Freil
(2007)
ReportDagkirurgiske patienters oplevelser 2005. Spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt 1746 dagkirurgiske patienter i Vejle Amt
Henriette Frees Esholdt, Trine Østerbye, Morten Freil
(2006)
ReportAmbulante patienters oplevelser 2005. Spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt 14.984 ambulante patienter i Vejle Amt
Henriette Frees Esholdt, Trine Østerbye, Morten Freil
(2006)
Report
Background
Henriette Frees Esholdt completed her PhD from the Department of Sociology at Lund University in 2015. She also holds a M.Sc. (2008) and a B.Sc. (2005) in sociology from University of Copenhagen, as well as a university diploma (2003) in sociology from Lund University.
Research projects
1.“After the Caliphate: Mobilization of Women and Men in the Salafi-Jihadi Environment in Sweden” (2021-2023). The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE), Research project, 3.900.000 SEK. Co-applicant with main applicant Associate Professor Marco Nilsson (PI), Jönköping University.
2. “The Appeal of Violence-Promoting Islamic Extremism: An Investigation of Masculinity and Femininity” (2017-2020). The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE), Junior research project, 4.045.000 SEK. Main applicant (PI) with co-applicants Associate Professor Mehmet Ümit Necef, Center for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies, University of Southern Denmark, and Professor Malin Åkerström, Department of Sociology at Lund University.
3. "When Humor, Play and Pleasure Are on the Line: Social Interaction in a Multiethnic Workplace" (2009-2015). Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University. Ph.D.-project. Main supervisor: Professor Anders Persson. Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Mehmet Ümit Necef, Center for Modern Middle East and Muslim Studies, University of Southern Denmark.
Language skills
Danish, Swedish, English.