SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Department of Education, Stockholm University:

Postal address: Pedagogiska Institutionen, Stockholms Universitet, SE-106 91 Stockholm
Visiting address: Frescati Hagväg 20–24
Web page: http://www.edu.su.se/

Contact person: Associate Professor Lars Jalmert, phone: +46 (0)8 16 39 75

Research connected to South Asia:

Since the beginning of the 1970s Lars Jalmert has done research on children and gender issues. He wrote his PhD thesis on infants social development and is also an educated child psychologist. He is a member of the gender committee of the Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research (FRN), member of the gender committee of the Swedish Council of Work Life Research (RALF), and regularly gives courses on gender issues at the Department of Education.

The Institute of International Education is part of the Department of Education.
More information about South Asia related research at IIE

Along with Associate Professor G I C Gunawardena, at the Department of Education, Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda, Lars Jalmert is in charge of a research project called ”A Study of Child Rearing Practices Prevalent in Selected Communities in Sri Lanka and an Action Programme to Modity Differentiated Gender Role Socialization”.
In November 2002 this project was awarded a Swedish Research Links (Asian–Swedish research partnership programme) grant on 225 000 SEK for three years (2003-05) by Sida and the Swedish Research Council. See the full list of South Asia related projects that were given grants.
Ass professor Gunawardana is specialized in the sociology of education, and comparative education. She works closely with UNICEF (Sri Lanka) for whom she has carried about studies on early childhood development, and she is also since 2002 member of the srilankan standing committee on higher education – the National Education Commission. Besides she has been an active participant in gender research at the Centre for Women’s Studies, Sri Lanka.
Project description:
Sri Lanka's achievements in respect of gender equality in education. has been impressive, It is possible ,however, that in certain specific communities gender role socialization may continue and restrict the opportunities available to girls to realize their optimal potential. This study seeks to explore the influence of child rearing practices in the development of gender roles in children aged 5-8 and to investigate its relationship with socio-cultural background of their families. A representative sample of nine communities which includes three ethnic groups, Sinhalese , Tamil and Muslim; three social classes , Upper, middle and lower; and three sectors, Urban, Rural and Plantation ; will be used in this study. In-depth investigations using interviews and observations will be carried out with twenty families in each of the above communities with at least two children in the age range of 5-8. The findings of this study will be used to develop an action programme to raise awareness among parents about gender-neutral child-rearing practices.

Dr. Catarina Nyberg defended her doctoral dissertation on 7 June 2006, with a thesis titled ”Flerkulturella identifikationer i ett svensk-uganda-indiskt sammanhang” (multicultural identities in a Swedish–Ugandan–Indian context). It is a study of three generations of Hindu and Muslim people of Indian origin coming to Sweden after they were expelled from Uganda in 1972. Read the abstract.
Dr. Nyberg has worked at Centre for Research in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, CEIFO, an inter-disciplinary research unit at Stockholm University. Its principal aim is to coordinate and develop research in the field of international migration and ethnic relations.
She has now returned back to the Dept. of Education, and works on a research project with a colleague at the same department. However, she telecommutes from her home in Macclesfield, Cheshire (outside Manchester) in UK.