Malcolm JacobsonPhD in Sociology
About me
I hold a PhD in Sociology and have a background as a photographer and book publisher. My research explores collective memory, identities, group boundaries, and subcultures through the lens of cultural sociology. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Teaching
I supervise bachelor theses in cultural sociology.
Previous teaching in sociology at Stockholm University:
Etnicitet och integration, 2018-2019
Makt och social skiktning, 2018-2021
Mikrosociologi 2019-2021
Kvalitativ analys, 2019-2022
Research
In my thesis, Still Writing: Subcultural Graffiti, Aging, and Digital Memory Work, I examine how the meanings of the past are constructed during digital memory work and how memory work contributes to negotiations of identities and group boundaries. I study this through an analysis of how graffiti writers use social media to remember collectively. The participants are graffiti writers who are no longer young. Using the internet, they share and discuss stories and photographs from their youth, reflecting on how graffiti has shaped their lives. In this process, they intertwine individual memories into collective memories and formulate arguments according to which graffiti is a valuable cultural heritage. The thesis offers cultural sociological insights into how digital memory work can maintain group cohesion over time. Additionally, it offers an understanding of how digital memory work can (re)negotiate the meanings of aging.
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