University of Gothenburg
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Johan Karlsson Schaffer

Assistant Head of Department

School of Global
Studies
Telephone
+46 31-786 59 31
Mail
j.k.schaffer@gu.se
Visiting address
Konstepidemins väg 2
41314 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 700
40530 Göteborg

Senior Lecturer

School of Global
Studies
Telephone
+46 31-786 59 31
Mail
j.k.schaffer@gu.se
Visiting address
Konstepidemins väg 2
41314 Göteborg
Room number
C410
Postal address
Box 700
40530 Göteborg

About Johan Karlsson Schaffer

I joined the School of Global Studies as an associate professor in 2016. Before joining SGS, I worked at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, from 2009 to 2017. I also held a visiting professorship at the Faculty of Law, University of Olso, in 2018–2019.

Since 2020, I'm Editor-in-Chief of the Nordic Journal of Human Rights.

Leadership

Since 2022, I'm the Assistant Head of Department for Research Education and Director of Doctoral Studies at SGS.

Research

My research explores the politics of human rights, legal mobilization and judicial politics, especially in the Nordic countries. My current research concerns how groups in civil society mobilize rights claims in courts to seek redress and societal change, and the how the policy-making roles of courts has evolved.

I also have research interests at the intersection of political and international theory, and especially human rights and democratic theory. Amongst other things, I've published on the philosophy of human rights, cosmpolitanism and transnational democracy, epistemic and deliberative democracy, as well as the authority and legitimacy of global governance institutions.

Research projects

I’m currently the Principal Investigator of two research projects:

Previously, I've been the PI of two major research grants:

Teaching and supervision

Since 2017, I've been convening the PhD course Applied Theorizing. I also teach in other doctoral courses.

Furthermore, I supervise and examine BA and MA theses within my areas of expertise, for instance legal mobilization, human rights, International Relations theory, democratic theory, and global governance. If you’re a student at SGS planning to write your thesis on any related subject or looking for a research internship, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Currently, I'm supervising three doctoral candidates. I've previously supervised two doctoral candidates to completion.