Research
Research areas
My research is mainly focused on the turn of the 20th century, and often deals with the birth of the welfare state, with a focus on health and personal hygiene. Other areas I focus on are the sports movement, gender roles, housing and the history of education.
My research
In my thesis from 2018, Bad mot Lort och Sjukdom, the research questions were guided by the ambition to explain and understand how the need for improved personal hygiene emerged, was formulated, communicated, anchored as well as implemented in Sweden in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. But why was it considered important for people to practise better personal hygiene? Who were the driving forces behind the idea? Who was the idea of a better personal hygiene aimed for? What arguments were used? And finally: How did this process lead to the financing and construction of around 10,000 small public saunas in Sweden?
Since finishing my PhD, I have widened my research to include the other Nordic countries. This research has among others been published in the anthology Med tvål, vatten och flit in the chapter Den nordiska badfrågan och det svenska folkbadet 1880-1950. The chapter deals with the cleanliness movement from a Nordic perspective and focuses on the emergence of school baths as well as the renewed interest for sauna baths around the turn of the 20th century.
I have been interviewed mostly in swedish about my research in radio, podcasts, newspapers, magazines and popular science books. However, you can read little about my research in Emma O'Kellys book Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat from 2023.
Bio
PhD in Economic history from Uppsala university in 2018.