University of Gothenburg
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Carl Wilén

Doctoral Student

Department of Sociology and Work
Science
Telephone
+46 31-786 48 20
Mail
carl.wilen@gu.se
Visiting address
Skanstorget 18
41122 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 720
40530 Göteborg

About Carl Wilén

Background

Carl Wilén finished his master degree in history of ideas 2013 and his bachelor degree in sociology 2011, both at the University of Gothenburg. Carl is a PhD student at the department of sociology and work science since January 2014.

Research interests

  • Sociological theory and political philosophy
  • Social change and social movements
  • Slavery, capitalism and modernity
  • Historical Sociology
  • Critique

Ongoing research

During the last decades, a new field that studies the origins and contemporary status of human rights has emerged. The aim of Carl's thesis is to contribute with a critqiue of the human rights field, through an intervention into an on-going conflict about universal juridico-political rights in the research on the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), in which slaves and their allies abolished slavery and cerated an independent state.

The thesis conists of historical investigations of the Haitian Revolution as a social movement and theoretical investigations of different possibilities to formualte the relation between abstract political forms and social property relations. Together, the diverse studies aims to provide a foundation, from which a general critique of the status and limits of human rights can be offered.

The preliminary title of the thesis is: Critique of Abstract Right - Human Rights and Property in the Time and Age of the Haitian Revolution.

Carl is also a member of the editorial committee of the journal Fronesis and a member of the edorial of the journal Röda Rummet.

For published and unpublished essays and articles, see https://gu-se.academia.edu/CarlWil%C3%A9n

Teaching and supervision

Carl lectures and holds seminars on the first level course in sociology, economic sociology and on a course on theoretical and historical perspectives on the natural sciences. In addition, he teaches at the master course ”Social change” and holds seminars with a focus on classical sociology with future teachers. Carl is also a supervisor at the bachelor course.