I am a cultural anthropologist who, over the past 25 years, has conducted research on conflict and post-conflict issues in Liberia and Sierra Leone. I have also had a long-term research interest in urban poverty, and over the past few years, I have explored ageing in gang-like structures. An ongoing side project focuses on research methods in conflict studies, with a specific emphasis on the roles of research assistants. I particularly enjoy doing fieldwork and have spent about six years in the field over the years.
Over the past year, I have been on sabbatical, spending most of my time in Japan. This has led me to new research interests with a focus on ageing and shrinking cities. I spent the spring in Nagasaki, conducting fieldwork together with Imari Yasuno for a pilot study on security. Some information about it can be found here: Beyond the state? Safety (安心) and security (安全) in urban Japan.
In addition to the new project on Japan, I still carry out work on the methods project and for more info about that, see our ongoing project, Silencing and Marginalization, and the recently concluded Exploring the Research Backstage.
Last but not least, I have, over the past twenty years, followed a group of men who fought in the Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2002). When I first met them, they were fresh out of the war and fought hard to find new roles in post-war society. Today, they are middle-aged men. Whilst some have made good progress in life, others are still in the same predicament as twenty years ago, and tragically enough, a good number are no longer alive. Currently, we are trying to co-author some of their brutal, tragic, fascinating and at times quite poetic life stories. A first article will appear in the journal Critical Criminology in late 2025. For more info about that, see Thugging in out.
You will find more information about my current and previous research projects on this page—see the menu on the left. There I have added some more personal comments, in italics, about some of the successes of the projects, but indeed also failures. It can perhaps be read as a my-life-in-projects text! The project pages also contain links to many of my publications. All books except for the most recent ones should be open access:). Still, a more formal academic presentation, including my CV, is available on my Uppsala University page.
This site started as a blog in 2011. Although it is no longer very active, I have decided to keep the page open, as it contains a wealth of valuable knowledge. In total, there are some 200 posts organised into about 80 different categories. To access them, enter via the categories button below in the menu on the left.
For more info about the old blog, see About a once rather active, but now very dormant blog.