After 15 years at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Annika Rudman chose Karlstad University as her new base.
– I chose Karlstad since I, just like the university, believe in and want to promote internationalisation and interdisciplinary research, says Annika Rudman, new professor of gender studies.
The common denominator of Annika Rudman’s research is a keen interest in the role that gender plays in relation to law, society, politics, culture and human behaviour. She explores legal issues related to sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, sexual orientation, class, ethnicity and culture – often in combination.
– I conduct legal research from a post-colonial perspective and with a focus on feminist jurisprudence, human rights and African feminism, centering around women’s experiences and lived realities, says Annika Rudman. I study issues such as domestic violence, property rights, laws on abortion, medical law and social law and how these laws affect women depending on their gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, class, ethnicity and culture. The goal is to highlight the need for reforms to protect these women and how research can help provide courts and legislators with more guidance for decision-making regarding women’s rights and health.
Annika Rudman has also done research on the criminalisation and decriminalisation of same-sex relationships and how this affects freedom of expression and the right of association. This has also included a focus on police brutality and persecution of transgender people. She has also conducted procedural law research with a focus on jurisdiction and the right to speak before international human rights courts.
With a base in South Africa
Over the past 15 years, Annika Rudman has lived and worked in South Africa and conducted research in countries such as Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.
– I have placed great emphasis on interdisciplinary research and on developing legal theory, method and terminology to create a stronger connection between human experiences and the legal system, says Annika Rudman. By developing legal research, we can establish legislation that truly makes a difference in people’s everyday lives, this is especially important for those in our society who have the weakest voices and least representation.
She is currently working on several major projects, one of which focuses on freedom of expression and freedom of association for LGBTQ organisations in Ghana, Kenya, Botswana and Angola. Another project concerns the interpretation and application of the regional human rights agreement regarding women’s rights in Africa.
Another ongoing project looks at how the regional human rights courts handle cases concerning violence against women and how judges of these courts relate to the legal concepts of formal, substantive and transformative equality.
Wants to contribute with an international perspective and promote collaboration
– I hope that my research can contribute to making the law more accessible and shed light on shortcomings in legal tools and processes from a gender perspective, as well as highlighting that legislation and policy can play an important role in efforts for gender equality and change, says Annika Rudman.
As a new professor at Karlstad University, she hopes to contribute with an international perspective and with the large international network that she has created over the course of her professional life.
– My hope is to spread the knowledge we produce here around the world to exchange ideas and experiences. I also hope to be able to contribute so that more students, especially from the African continent, can study here and that our students have more opportunities to make the same journey as I have and discover all the knowledge that is produced at universities and research centres on the African continent.
Before coming to Karlstad University, Annika Rudman worked as a professor of human rights at Stellenbosch University in South Africa since 2016. She has also been a visiting professor at the Southern & Eastern African Regional Centre for Women’s Law at the University of Zimbabwe and a visiting researcher at St. John’s University in New York as part of the International Association of Law Schools’ programme for legal research. She has also had collaborations with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Lund University for several years, working in projects concerning women’s rights.
