This year's holders of the Kerstin Hesselgren and Olof Palme's Visiting Professorships

On 6 May, the new visiting professors were formally installed with ceremonial speeches and inspiring lectures. Victoria M. Basham, Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University, is the new holder of the Kerstin Hesselgren Visiting Professorship, while Roland Bleiker, Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland, is the new holder of the Olof Palme Visiting Professorship.

This year, the Swedish Defence University was awarded two of the Swedish Research Council’s three visiting professorships: the Kerstin Hesselgren and Olof Palme Visiting Professorships. Roland Bleiker and Victoria M. Basham were appointed by the Swedish Research Council’s Scientific Council for Humanities and Social Sciences.

Victoria Basham, Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University, researches how societies prepare for war and how people live with and find meaning in these preparations in their everyday lives.

“I have always been interested in how war is perceived, not only by states or militaries, but by the people who live with its consequences,” she says.

Roland Bleiker, Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland, researches how images and emotions influence the way we understand politics, security and crises.

“Images shape how we view, discuss and practise politics. They determine what and who is visible – and what and who is not – and how this visibility and invisibility affect both public perceptions and political decision-making,” he says.

Interview with Roland Bleiker: Understanding politics through images and emotions

Interview with Victoria M. Basham: Understanding war beyond the battlefield