When urban challenges are discussed on the global stage, the spotlight often falls on megacities such as Mumbai, Lagos and Nairobi. However, a new study led by researchers at Karlstad University reveals that a substantial share of people living in disadvantaged urban environments are found in much smaller cities.

"The most important finding is that more than one-third of the people we identified live in small and medium-sized cities," says Sai Ganesh Veeravalli, PhD student in Risk and Environmental Studies/Geomatics at Karlstad University and lead author of the study.

Japan attracts doctoral students from around the world, both as a host country and as a hub for international exchange. For Dide Dijkers from Karlstad University and Alireza Niknam Khajepasha from Hiroshima University, academic mobility has meant exposure to new research environments and striking cultural contrasts.

Dide Dijkers is currently undertaking a five-month exchange at Tohoku University in Sendai. Their research focuses on how people experience and cope with heat, comparing similar climate zones in Sweden and Japan.

“The idea is to explore how language and culture influence the way people perceive and manage heat, despite the climates being quite similar,” says Dide.

This is Dide’s first stay in Japan. Thanks to previous experience of living in other Asian countries, the cultural adjustment has been relatively smooth.

Hashtags, algorithms and platform features influence how feminism is expressed and circulated on social media. This is shown in Lisa Lindqvist’s thesis, in which she has studied movements such as #MeToo, #Kvinnostrejk and #WomenInMaleFields on Twitter/X, Instagram and TikTok.

– I have examined how the features and infrastructures of social media platforms shape feminist activism and what new forms of resistance emerge in these spaces, says Lisa Lindqvist, who has recently been awarded a doctoral degree in sociology.

What kind of support do people with acquired brain injury and their kin receive from healthcare social workers? And how do they experience that support? These are the main questions in doctoral student Monika Högsnes’ licentiate thesis at the CRS Research School in Sustainable Societal Transformation.

Monika Högsnes is a social worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work. She began her doctoral studies at Karlstad University in spring 2022. Alongside her research, she works as a healthcare social worker at the neurology and rehabilitation clinic at Central Hospital in Karlstad. Her licentiate studies have been funded through a joint initiative by Region Värmland and Karlstad University, and the programme is now close to completion.

How is gender equality work experienced in the workplace – as a shared exploratory journey or as a top‑down verdict? This is what Maja Herstad, doctoral student in sociology at Karlstad University, has investigated. The results show that emotions play a far greater role in this change process than many might assume.

“Emotions are central to gender equality work because they are linked to how we understand our position in a hierarchy and how we make sense of experiences. They influence whether we take action or withdraw,” says Maja Herstad. “Issues related to gender, status and resource distribution can trigger feelings such as irritation, guilt or shame – and these emotions can both drive and hinder change.”

Our society has to change. This will require reducing emissions and energy consumption, but also tools to address challenges such as an ageing population and population decline. The conditions for this transition vary from place to place. The importance of place and the question of justice were at the centre of the CRS symposium Everyday Life and Social and Spatial Planning in Transition.

– Transition affects both what everyday life looks like for those living in places particularly impacted by these challenges, and how local authorities plan for future services, welfare and sustainable development, says Moa Tunström, senior lecturer in human geography and director of the Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation (CRS).