At the start of summer, Henrik Rahm started his position as professor of Swedish language at Karlstad University.
– As a new professor of Swedish language, I hope to inspire new linguistic and multidisciplinary research projects and show that language expertise is important in many contexts, says Henrik Rahm.
Henrik Rahms is a linguist and holds a teaching degree in German, Swedish and Swedish as a second language. His most recent position was at Lund University, and his research focuses on the importance of language in social contexts. He received his doctorate in Scandinavian languages with a thesis on strike news coverage in the Swedish daily press from 1879 to 1995, with the aim to clarify the relationship between language, journalism and society.
– I have always had an interest in language in social contexts, which falls under the concept of discourse analysis, says Henrik Rahm. As a linguist, I analyse discourses by studying language use (such as choice of word, grammatical structure, text structure and text interaction) in relation to communication, organisation and ideologies.
Two of his main research interests are annual reports and management reports, which over the years have resulted in several multidisciplinary research projects and publications, such as the book “Bolagsstämman. Ritualer, kultur, normer och språk” (Paulsson, Rahm, Sandell & Svensson, 2023). Another area of interest is neighbouring language teaching, and he is strongly committed to internationalisation through collaborations with Spain and Chile.
Henrik Rahm is currently involved in two multidisciplinary projects with a focus on small modular reactors (SMR) in Sweden, one on preparedness and one on communication, as well as a project on constructions of economic crimes in court proceedings together with researchers in business administration.
What contributions are you hoping to make as a professor at Karlstad University?
– I applied to the position at Karlstad University to help develop research, postgraduate education and Swedish language teaching, says Henrik Rahm. It’s exciting to have new colleagues, and I hope to inspire multidisciplinary projects and show that expertise in language and communication is important in many contexts. A lucky coincidence is an ongoing collaboration with researchers from three subjects in Lund and Málaga about The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and its impact on language change, education and teaching in Sweden, Spain and Greece. It’s especially inspiring to work on this project in a place so close to where Selma Lagerlöf lived.
Henrik Rahm is the first professor of Swedish language at Karlstad University, which the Head of Department, Andreas Nyström, finds gratifying.
– It has been a strategic effort over a number of years that we are now bringing to a close, says Andreas Nyström. With Henrik on board, we are now planning ahead to further strengthen research in the subject and, in the long tem, develop Swedish language into a PhD subject.
- Learn more about Henrik Rahm in his research profile: https://www.kau.se/en/researchers/henrik-rahm
