Jenny Sundén, professor in Media and Communication Studies

Jenny Sundén grew up in Norrköping and has studied in Lund, Stockholm and Lyon. She publicly defended her doctoral thesis in the year 2002, at the Department of Communication Studies, Linköping University. Her thesis dealt with what it means to be embodied online. Since then, she has been working as a senior lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at Karlstad University, Media Technology at KTH, and Gender Studies at Södertörn University - where she was promoted to full professor in gender studies in 2014. Jenny Sundén has also had several longer research stays as visiting scholar at international universities: UC Berkeley, University of Surrey, Peking University in Beijing, Hunter College in New York and University of Turku.

Since the mid 90’s, Jenny has conducted research on digital media and digital culture - everything from text based virtual worlds and hypertext fiction to retro futuristic steampunk cultures and queer communities in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

"In recent years, my research has revolved around two main tracks. One is about feminist activism in social media, with a particular focus on how humour can work as a kind of resistance against sexism and harassment, such as slut shaming and unwanted dick pics. The other track is about our lives online and new forms of presence, intimacy and spatiality, not least for LGBTQ people."

In the aftermath of #metoo, research focusing on different ways of tackling sexism, harassment and discrimination is perhaps more important than ever. At the same time, the #metoo movement focused almost exclusively on women, which hides the fact that for example LGBTQ people are even more exposed to violence and harassment.

"It is important to contribute to and expand on that conversation. I want my research to contribute to making us think more about and work towards a more open and equal world. At a time when the use of digital media is becoming more and more widespread, research that deals with the conditions and the importance of our connected lives become relevant far beyond the world of academia. On Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, nudity and bodies that challenge the norm are censored in a way that, in particular, has caused sexually marginalised groups to lose important digital meeting places and networks. Consequently, one important question is how sexual health and sexual rights - such as the right to bodily privacy and sexual pleasure free from discrimination - can be reconciled with North American neo-puritanism and a conservative social media economy."

Jenny Sundén is passionate about her work, but she has also always treasured her life outside of her career - such as her life on Södermalm in Stockholm with her partner Stina. She also has a weakness for good-looking boots and really smoky single malt whiskey.