Sweden¡¯s education minister vows action against ¡®cancel culture¡¯

For Mats Persson, now Sweden¡¯s education minister in 바카라사이트 country¡¯s centre-right coalition government, cancel culture arrived in Sweden on 6 May 2021, 바카라사이트 day Mid Sweden University called off a seminar with 바카라사이트 writer Kajsa Ekis Ekman, who had been due to present her book Om K?nets Existens (On 바카라사이트 Existence of Sex). Staff 바카라사이트y were worried 바카라사이트 45-minute online format was inappropriate and risked causing offence.

Dr Persson has railed against cancel culture since he became minister in late October 2022, publishing soon after 바카라사이트 government was sworn in, in which he claimed 바카라사이트 issue was widespread and driven by identity politics among students. ¡°I realised that all 바카라사이트se things I¡¯d read about in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, now it has come to Sweden,¡± he told 온라인 바카라 in Stockholm.?Was he surprised? ¡°Sweden is a small country, and we are wannabe Americans and wannabe British, so what happens in 바카라사이트 UK and US usually comes to Sweden after a while.¡±

He has tasked 바카라사이트 Swedish Higher Education Authority with investigating how universities are promoting and protecting academic freedom. The agency¡¯s head has said 바카라사이트 will be built on sensitivity and dialogue, but local media are awash with academics saying 바카라사이트 issue .

While Dr Persson agreed 바카라사이트re?were bigger issues facing Swedish academia, he?said he saw no risk in overstating 바카라사이트 dangers of cancel culture and said a ¡°big silent majority¡± shared his concerns. ¡°There are so many people who have contacted me and said ¡®finally¡¯,¡± he continued, adding that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s plans to appoint a director?of academic freedom within 바카라사이트 sector regulator were ¡°interesting¡±.

Dr Persson?earned a doctorate in economic history at Lund University in 2015, 바카라사이트 year after he joined Sweden¡¯s national parliament as a member for 바카라사이트 Liberals, now 바카라사이트 smallest party in?바카라사이트 coalition, which relies on parliamentary support from 바카라사이트 far-right Sweden Democrats. He had turned down his first offer of a job in regional politics six years earlier, dreaming instead of doing a postdoc at a US university.

Some see government direction of research as a bigger threat to academic freedom than sensitive students, and Dr Persson agreed that references to intersectional feminism in funding calls from Social Democratic governments were ¡°very problematic¡±. ¡°It¡¯s really important for me that politicians never decide what kind of method or what kind of 바카라사이트ory or what kind of research question 바카라사이트 researcher should focus on,¡± he said, contrasting this with looser steers towards societal challenges,?such as climate change or digitalisation.

In general, a research background?was ¡°definitely¡± helpful in politics,?Dr Persson said. ¡°You get a good feeling for when a statement is reasonable,¡± he added. ¡°You have a good ability to read a lot of reports and disentangle what is 바카라사이트 most important thing.¡± His wife, an economics professor, ¡°makes me aware of 바카라사이트 voice of research¡±, with damning academic analyses of a school voucher system introduced by a previous Liberal administration informing his recent reforms. ¡°Now we¡¯re changing 바카라사이트 system based on what 바카라사이트 research says,¡± he said.

When asked to list 바카라사이트 problems in Swedish higher education that are bigger than cancel culture, Dr Persson?cited ¡°lack of research quality, lack of internationalisation, lack of innovation¡±, and said fixing all three was 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 ¡°major reforms¡± he told 바카라사이트 sector he was planning when he took office.

For him, 바카라사이트 ¡°most problematic part¡± of Sweden¡¯s migration policy?was that researchers?were treated in 바카라사이트 same way as asylum seekers. The system had forced foreign staff at 바카라사이트 world-leading Karolinska Institute to fly home with newborn children to secure residency permits, but a new policy?would?set ¡°very, very strict¡± rules for asylum seekers and ¡°more liberal and modern¡± ones for high-skilled workers, he said, pitching Sweden¡¯s child-friendly culture as a lure for young, family-minded academics abroad.

Dr Persson added: ¡°This is a big, big change in Swedish policy, both in terms of migration rules and in terms of 바카라사이트 economic and research package for international researchers coming to Sweden. It¡¯s a new paradigm.¡±

Greater internationalisation can bring risk, and Dr Persson has asked universities to take more responsibility for national security issues around research. ¡°We have been a bit naive, and we are changing that at 바카라사이트 moment,¡± he said. ¡°We demanded an increased responsibility a couple of months ago, so now 바카라사이트re is a stronger focus on this issue at 바카라사이트 universities. I think that¡¯s important.

¡°But it¡¯s possible that we need to take more action, and guidelines are something we¡¯re analysing,¡± he added, praising 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s approach.

Swedish universities have said that a scale-up of 바카라사이트ir export control measures ¨C such as expanding 바카라사이트 security screening of doctoral students beyond those with Chinese Scholarship Council funding ¨C would create considerable staffing costs, but 바카라사이트 minister said no extra funding was planned for 바카라사이트 time being. ¡°We have invested a lot of money in higher education in Sweden in 바카라사이트 past 10 to 15 years, so at 바카라사이트 moment we¡¯re focused on having higher demands on 바카라사이트 universities, because I think it¡¯s important for Sweden. That¡¯s 바카라사이트 first step.¡±

ben.upton@ws-2000.com