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Rebecka Andersen

Assistant Professor

My research focuses on juvenile delinquency and youth care in Sweden during the 20th century, examining how the state, civil society and family ideals shaped approaches to young offenders.

Juvenile Delinquency, Youth Care and Social Welfare

I am a researcher focusing on juvenile delinquency and youth care in Sweden from a historical perspective. My research examines changing perceptions of young offenders and how the boundaries between punishment, treatment and welfare have been shaped over time.

Research

My research focuses primarily on juvenile delinquency, youth care and social welfare in twentieth-century Sweden. I am particularly interested in how changing understandings of childhood, youth and responsibility have shaped responses to young people who commit offences.

My current research examines how the boundaries between the “dangerous child” and the “child in danger” have been negotiated and redefined over time. I explore how age, gender, class and ethnicity have influenced assessments of young offenders and decisions between punishment and treatment.

Methods and materials

I work with historical archives, government inquiries, police and court records, and quantitative data. My research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine long-term changes in perceptions of juvenile delinquency and societal responses to youth crime.

Organisation

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Child Studies (TEMAB)

Education and research at Child Studies is about childhood and family with a focus on interaction and language, children's culture and consumption, and childhood over time and space, all to better see the perspectives of children and young people.
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Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA)

In an increasingly complicated world, there is a need for researchers that can handle both breadth and depth, and can collaborate across disciplinary borders. Major societal questions are studied from an interdisciplinary perspective at TEMA.