Telephone: +46 (0)8 16 38 10
E-mail: erik.olsson@socant.su.se
Room: B667
Erik Olsson is a Social Anthropologist (BA from Stockholm University 1988). He received his PhD in Communication Studies at Linköping University in 1995 (Department of Theme). Since then, he has been teaching and conducting research at Linköping University and Södertörn University College. Since 2008, Erik has been a Senior Lecturer at Stockholm University and in 2011 he became Professor of International Migration and Ethnic Relations at Stockholm University. Previous to this, Erik was a Senior Lecturer at Linköping University and involved in the development of the PhD programmes in Ethnicity (now within REMESO) and Ageing and Later Life (now within NISAL). Here, he was also for some years appointed as the head of department of Ethnic Studies and its PhD programme in Ethnicity. Erik has supervised seven PhD students at Linköping University. Moreover, Erik has been the director of CEIFO (2008-2011) at Stockholm University and has since 2012 been responsible for the Migration Cluster at the Department of Social Anthropology. Erik is supervising five PhD students at Stockholm University (of which two have already completed their dissertations).
Research
Erik Olsson has mainly focused his research on questions regarding migration and ethnicity (IMER). In his previous work, he has primarily emphasised questions about identity and social matters within the ethnicity field, for instance, for his dissertation, Erik wrote an ethnography about a multi-ethnic retirement home. This inspired his following research, which draws attention to transnational migration and diaspora. Erik has for example studied Chileans’ experiences of living in exile, post-exile and (re)migration which has developed from their transit between Chile and Sweden. Moreover, Erik has participated in a number of projects focusing on ethnicity, refugees and migration and has been the director of several externally sponsored projects. Additionally, Erik has been the national coordinator in the Marie Curie (EU) funded research network CoHaB (ITN) in which three PhD students conducted research on different diaspora phenomena.
A few examples of Erik Olsson’s research is recognised in the project Between country of origin and Welfare (Swedish Mellan hemland och välfärd), which emphasis Kurdish and Chilean mobilisation in exile and post-exile (funded by FAS/Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2004-2009). Transnational educational careers (Swedish Research Council/VR 2008-2012) which engage in youths’ direct (or indirect) choices of education within a transnational migration perspective. Pathways to Success (Marianne and Marcus Wallenbergs foundation, 2015-) which examines how migrants (and their children) succeed in their careers’ by reaching “successful positions” within the Swedish society but also on the international arena. In addition to this, it is worth mentioning the project Welfare Practices in Transnational Social Spaces (Omsorg och service i transnationella rum, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond 2011-2014 – project leader: Annika Rabo). In this project, Erik studied the mobilisation of a Swedish community in Southern Spain as regards the Nordic associations’ engagement within the Swedish networks.
Furthermore, Erik Olsson has also been active in a number of research networks and organisations. He has for example been on the board of IMER (Swedish research network on International migration and ethnic relations), the associations of Nordic Migration Research (Nordiska migrationsförbundet), the Center for Research on Bilingualism and the large European research network IMISCOE (research-network). Another example is that he carried the responsibility for the national research network about transnationalism and diaspora and TRANSMIG, a research group within IMISCOE. Erik has also been managing numerous different events and seminars within the field of migration research. Erik has for instance been in charge of the seminar series of International Migration and Ethnic Relations at CEIFO (2008-2011) and the seminar series CEIFO Seminars on Transnational Migration at the Department of Social Anthropology (2012- ) at Stockholm University. Likewise, Erik is also the coordinator of Forum for Transnational Migration (2017- ) and the seminar series about transnationality and migration hosted by the Forum, and a PhD course following the same theme as the Forum.
Selected publications
Monographs and books
2018
- Olsson, E (2018), Guiden till Spaniensverige - diaspora, integration och transnationalitet bland svenska föreningar i södra Spanien, Stockholm: Stockholm University Press (in press).
2011
- Zdenek U, Olsson E, Bitusikova A, Gabrielova J, Freemanova M, Bares P, Horakova M, Martinkova S, Klipa O, Korecka Z and Pojarova T (2011), Migration, Diversity and Their Management, Prague: Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i.
2007
- Olsson E, Lundqvist C, Rabo A, Sawyer L, Wahlbeck Ö & Åkesson L, (eds.), (2007), Transnationella rum: diaspora, migration och gränsöverskridande relationer, Umeå: Boréa.
2003
- Olsson, E & Narvselius Havryluyk, E (2003), East, West and what Next? Formations of identity among young people in post-Soviet L’viv, Huddinge: Södertörns högskola.
2001
- Olsson, E (2001), Händelse eller process: om återmigration som frivillig återvandring, Norrköping: Merge 2001/1.
2000
- Olsson, E, red. (2000), Etnicitetens mångfald och gränser, Stockholm: Carlssons.
1999
- Soydan, H, Jergeby, U, Olsson, E & Harms-Ringdahl, M (1999), Socialt arbete med etniska minoriteter: en litteraturöversikt, Stockholm: CUS och Liber.
1995
- Olsson, E (1995), Delad gemenskap. Identitet och institutionellt tänkande i ett multietniskt servicehus, Linköping: Linköpings universitet (LSAS no 134 – diss.) (Summary in English).
Articles
2017
- Olsson, E & O’Reilly, K (2017), ‘North-Europeans in Spain: Practices of community in the context of migration, mobility and transnationalism’, Nordic Journal of Migration Research 7, 3:133-38.
- Olsson, E (2017) ‘The Guide to Comfort: The diasporic practices of Swedish clubs in Southern Spain’, Nordic Journal of Migration Research 7, 3: 156-164.
2014
- Olsson, E (2014) ‘From Diaspora with Dreams, Dreaming about Diaspora: Narratives on a Transnational Chilean Community’, Diaspora 17:3 (2008, published Summer 2014).
- Olsson, E & King, R (2014) ‘Introduction: Diasporic Return’, (with Russell King), Diaspora 17:3 (2008, published Summer 2014).
2013
- Behtoui, Alireza and Erik Olsson (2013), ‘The Performance of Early Age Migrants in Education and the Labour Market: a Comparison of Bosnia Herzegovinians, Chileans and Somalis in Sweden’, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2013, 1-18, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2013.836958
2012
- Olsson, Erik & Fataneh Farahani (2012), ‘Introduction: Gender, kin and generation in transnational spaces’ (editorial), Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2 (2): 99-101.
- Lundqvist, Catarina and Erik Olsson (2012), Beyond a Swedish Horizon: Young Migrants in Sweden and their Transnational Prospects, Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2 (2): 124-132.
2009
- Olsson Erik (2009), ‘From Exile to Post-exile: Historical contexts in the Diasporisation of Chileans in Sweden’, Social Identities, 15:5: 659-676.
1999
- Olsson E & Grandin, I (1999), ”Bofasthetens operativsystem: Imer- och globaliseringsforskningen om livsformer och global rörlighet”, Kulturella perspektiv 1999:2.
1997
- Olsson, E (1997), ”Att leva nära en flygplats. Chilenska migranter mellan hemland och värdland”, Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift 1997:1 (Summary in English).
Chapters in monographs etc.
2018
- Erik Olsson & Alireza Behtoui & Hege Høyer Leivestad (2018): Karriär på spel: Socialt kapital och karriärer för disputerade migranter i den svenska högskolan, Lund: Arkiv (bokkapitel i M. Frykman & M. Öhlander, monografi under utgivning)
2013
- Olsson, Erik (2013), ‘Sedentary Decisions: The Representation of Migration in Swedish Repatriation Practice’, in C. Westin and S. Hassanen (eds.), People on the Move, Africa World Press & Red Sea Press.
- Olsson Erik (2013), ‘Living Next to an Airport: Diaspora Narratives on the Return to Chile’, in C. Westin and S. Hassanen (eds.), People on the Move, Africa World Press & Red Sea Press.
- Olsson, Erik (2013), ”Diaspora: renässans för ett begrepp i förskingring(en)”, i Peterson B. & Johansson, C (red.), IMER idag – aktuella perspektiv på internationell migration och etniska relationer, Stockholm: Liber.
- Olsson, Erik (2013), ‘The Blues of the Ageing Retornados: Narratives on the Return to Chile’, in Percival, J (ed.), Return migration in later life: International Perspectives, Bristol: Policy Press.
2012
- Olsson, Erik (2012), ’Diaspora, Transnational Engagement and the National Regimes: Introduction’, in Moksnes, Heidi and Melin, Mia, Global Civil Society: Shifting Powers in a Shifting World, Uppsala: CSD.
2009
- Olsson, Erik & Rabo, Annika (red.), (2009), Vem älskar Imerforskningen? Stockholm: CEIFO.
2008
- Olsson, Erik (2008), ”I skuggan av ett beslut: hur migration representeras i Migrationsverkets återvandringspraktik”, i Gustavsson A, Olin Lauritzen S & Ödman P-J (red.), Främlingskap och tolkning: en vänbok till Charles Westin, Stockholm: Stockholms universitets förlag.
2007
- Olsson, Erik (2007), ”Familjens plats: Återvandring bland sverigechilenska familjer”, i Eastmond M & Åkesson L (red.), Globala familjer: Transnationell migration och släktskap, Hedemora: Gidlunds.
2004
- Olsson, Erik (2004), “Event or Process? Repatriation-practice and Open-ended Migration”, in Frykman, M. (red.) Transnational Spaces: Disciplinary Perspectives, Malmö: Malmö University.
- Öberg B-M, Närvänen A-L, Näsman, E & Olsson, E (eds.), (2004), Changing Worlds and the Aeging Subject. Dimensions in the Study of Ageing and Later Life, Aldershot: Ashgate.
2003
- Olsson, E (2003), ”Med väskorna packade: identitetsrum mellan Sverige och Chile”, i Garsten, C. & Sundman, K. (red.), Moderna människor: antropologiska perspektiv på samtiden, Stockholm: Liber.
2000
- Olsson, E (2000), Behind Doors: Social categorization in a multiethnic care setting for the elderly, Norrköping och Umeå: Merge 2000/1.
- Olsson, E (2000) “Migratory Spaces: the formations of identity among Chileans in Sweden”, in Arnstberg, K-O (red) ”Space and Place”, Huddinge: Södertörns högskola.
- Olsson, E (2000), “Gemenskapens möjlighet och ensamhetens svårighet: socialitet, åldrande och migrantskap”, i Allwood, C-M & Franzén, E: Tvärkulturella möten: grundbok för psykologer och socialarbetare, Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
1999
- Grandin, I & Olsson, E (1999), ”Bofasthetens bojor. Funderingar kring en professor i rörelse”, i Sätterlundh-Larsson, U & Bergqvist, K: Möten – en vänbok till Roger Säljö, Linköping: Linköpings universitet (Sic 39).
Teaching
- Supervision Master thesis, and supervision of PhD students
Current research funding/grants
2014
- Research grant “Pathways to Success: the upcoming elite among descendants of migrants in Sweden”, Marianne och Marcus Wallenbergs stiftelse (project starts 2015).
Research networks
- TRANSMIG, a research network within IMISCOE
Editorial assignments
- Nordic Journal of Migration Research, Editorial Board
Information about past activities can be found in the Department’s previous Annual Reports.
