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Ann-Marie Ekengren

Professor

Department of Political Science
Telephone
+46 31-786 51 97
Mail
ann-marie.ekengren@pol.gu.se

About Ann-Marie Ekengren

Ekengren is a professor at the Department of Political Science. She is a member of the faculty board of Social Sciences.

Research

Ekengren conducts research on Swedish and Nordic foreign policy as well as international politics. Her work focuses on examining how small states act in relation to their surroundings and explaining why they act the way they do.

Ongoing projects

Ekengren's current project is titled Small liberal states during democratic decline: Speaking up or adjusting? The project explores how small states behave in a world increasingly characterized by autocratization and decreasing liberalism. Do small liberal states protest, or do they become passive? https://www.gu.se/en/research/small-liberal-states-during-democratic-decline-speaking-up-or-adjusting 

Ekengren will be on research sabbatical between 1 of July 2026 to 30 of June 2027. Her project during the sabbatical will focus on Sweden and the UN  https://www.rj.se/bidrag/2025/sverige-och-fn.-sveriges-fn-policy-1946-2025 

Completed projects

Ekengren has participated in several research projects, including: Sweden during the Cold War (SUKK), Surveillance History (SMUTS), Olof Palme in His Time, Power, Identity and Modernity (MIM Programme), Mediatization of European Foreign Policy – A Comparison Across Time and Space and The Quest for Power in International Politics: Campaigns by and Selection of Non-Permanent Members to the United Nations Security Council.

The project New Roles in a Hostile World? How Small Liberal States Are Changing Their Foreign Policy in a New Security Environment was recently completed. It was based on the premise that as international politics becomes increasingly confrontational and the liberal world order is challenged, liberal small states face the dilemma of balancing their normative liberal ideals with the need for military security.

Teaching

Ekengren is the course coordinator for the following courses:

SK1523/SK1524 – Bachelor's Thesis in Political Science/Environmental Politics (BA, 15 credits)

SK1411/SK1412 – Internship for the Political Science Programme (BA, 15 or 30 credits). The internship coordinator handles the practical aspects of the course.

She also teaches in the course:

SK1217 – World Politics: Order, Governance, Cooperation and Diplomacy (BA, 15 credits)