News
Our project is featured in a chapter of the recently published book Svenskämnets didaktik. In the chapter, written by Stig-Börje and Birgitta, the focus is on boys' and men's reading. The chapter demonstrates the significance of geographical place and the ways it intersect with boys' and men's reader identities. Furthermore, we argue for the importance of a place-sensitive approach to reading education, an approach that emphasizes place as a perspective and a framework for understanding. The book is edited by Eva Hultin and Christina Olin-Scheller and published by Gleerups, which describes the book as follows:
This book offers both a broad and an in-depth introduction in Language and Literature in Education as a field of research and practice. With contributions from leading scholars in the field of Language and Literature in Education, it presents both historical and contemporary perspectives on the what, why, and how of teaching Language and Literature in Education (our translation).
https://www.gleerups.se/kurslitteratur/lararutbildning-gymnasium/svenskamnets-didaktik-p51120614
- One of the researchers in our international reference group is Michael Corbett, Professor Emeritus at Acadia University in Canada. Corbett has followed our work over the years and, as we previously reported, visited us in Karlstad during the project's start-up phase in June 2023. Since then, our collaboration with Corbett has continued, resulting in a new article that presents and discusses the project's experiences and findings within an international context. The article, titled "Rural Men's and Boys' Literacies: Beyond Deficit Discourses," has been published in the Australian and International Journal of Rural Education and can be read here. Corbett will also be visiting us again, this time in early October, as our work on an upcoming book about the project enters its final phase. More information will be shared soon.
- The United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) organizes an annual international conference. In 2026, the conference was held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on 3-4 July. Stig-Börje and Birgitta attended the conference and presented a paper titled "Like Father, Like Son? The Reading Practices of Three Generations of Swedish Rural Men." The conference brings together literacy researchers from around the world, and researchers from England, Scotland, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand attended our session. Particularly encouraging for our project were the positive responses we received to our presentation from both the current and former Presidents of UKLA.
- On 17 April 2026, the Swedish Arts Council organized a development forum for their employees on human rights focusing on norms of masculinity. Stig-Börje had the privilege of contributing to the event by presenting our RJ-funded project. His lecture, titled "Läsning i skogbygd - maskulinitet, klass och plats [Reading in Rural Woodlands - Masculinity, Class, and Place], highlighted key perspectives and findings from the project.
- On 29 January 2026, Stig-Börje was one of several invited speakers at Skolporten's conference Svenska för högstadiet och gymnasiet [Language and Literature in Education for Lower and Upper Secondary School Teachers]. The conference took place in Stockholm and was attended by around seventy practicing teachers. Drawing on findings from the RJ project, among other studies, the presentation critically examined the often negative portrayal of boys (and men) as readers and offered alternative, more nuanced perspectives on boys' and men's relationships with reading. For us, it is particularly valuable to have the opportunity to share the results of our research with practicing teachers and educators.