Wanna Svedberg Andersson
About Wanna Svedberg Andersson
Research:
My recent research has mainly focused on criminal law (sexual offenses), interdisciplinary research with a focus on AI related to new technology and autonomous systems, legal philosophical / legal theoretical and gender law issues and perspectives. The key themes in my in the research are questions about autonomy, (criminal) legal responsibility in relation to e.g. automated systems as well as power and gender. In addition, theory and methodological issues, are central themes.
At present, I work with theory, concept and method development in relation to sexual offenses and the development of a meta-method and analysis model to enable a consistent and systematic approach for analyses complex system of rules and regulations within a certain area, but also for analyses on complex societal problems, topic or issues. The advancement within the technological field, such as AI research and production of AI-based systems/devices/products raises, besides question of criminal liability, social, legal and ethical questions.
During the period 2021-2023, I am participating as a researcher for the Swedish part of the comparative project Profiling Nordic Perpetrators of Gendered Online Abuse: Who, Why and How toCurb the Harm. Mapping perpetrators of gender-based violence? Digital violations and online abuse against women and girls in Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. The project is led by Moa Bladini (and she is participating as a researcher), and principal investigator is NORDREF (Nordic Digital Rights and Equality Foundation). The project is funded by NIKK (Nordic Information for Knowledge on Gender).
In 2022, I will participate as a researcher in the interdisciplinary AgeCap centre on the theme of special vulnerability and offenses.
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The thesis can be downloaded here: https://bokbox.se/tag/wanna-svedberg/)
The thesis has (also) been made as a talking book by the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media (MTM) and it can be lend/ordered through the agency's digital library Legimus, provided that you meet specified conditions, https://www.legimus.se/102610/engelska-english.(as a talking book it can be download at https://www.legimus.se/work/details?workId=fc6ffce4-178b-49ef-880a-a6b8009d4911).
The thesis explores how the Law can be used as an instrument to promote the objective a Gender Equal Transport System, in compliance with Gender Equality Policy and Transport Policy.
There is a strong connection between transports and power relations. Prevailing gender patterns show that women and men often tend to have different terms and conditions in matters relating to transport in everyday life. For women and men transports are of concern when it comes to life-changing choices related to family formation, place of residence, type of housing and professional lives. Since 2001, the transport sector has been governed by the objective a Gender Equal Transport System, which was included in Transport Policy, i.e. in addition to the general gender equality objectives of Gender Equality Policy.
From a Gender Legal Studies approach, the study considers whether the political ambitions are being fulfilled and examines the legal prerequisites for implementation of the goal set out in the Transport Policy. The theoretical and methodological inspiration has been derived mainly from Gender Legal Studies, Social Constructivism, Sociology of Law, Culture Geography, and Gender System Theory. The theoretical framework of the thesis aims to explain the shapes and the structures of law, but also to expose the obstacles that exist in legislation when it comes to promoting gender equality. The methods used in the study are tools and techniques that have been developed within the field of Legal Science, Sociology of Law, and Discourse Theory.
The analysis shows that gender equality is not seen as an issue concerning unequal power relations between women and men, but as a quantitative matter of representation of sex in Transport Policy. Furthermore, the study shows that the legislation does not support the objective in the areas stated in the Transport Policy that are deemed to have fundamental importance for achieving the stated objective, i.e. public transport, spatial planning and planning and organization of the authorities, which are the areas that have been chosen for this research project based on certain criteria. The laws governing these areas consist of scattered purposes on gender equality expressed in preparatory works or policies, and not in form of explicit rules. These laws are not well adapted to the context in which they are meant to be applied since those who are expected to make decisions under the Acts lack knowledge in basic legal interpretation methods.
The conclusion of the study is that the interests and priorities of men are still shaping the law when it comes to the establishment, design, and administration of the transport sector. Gender equality has been rendered invisible in the laws that have impact on women’s and men’s organization of everyday life, including transports. Gender equality is not reflected in the legal regulation in ways that can be expected. On the contrary, some deterioration or weakening of the political ambitions can be noted. The objective seems to serve more as a facade than as the basis for specific measures supported by legal regulation.
Teaching:
I teach mainly in criminal law and criminal procedure law on the LL.M. program at the Department of Law. I am course co-ordinator for the first cycle course Criminal Law and Procedural Law, 30 credits, and second cycle course Criminal Procedural Law (15 credits). In addition, I supervise and examine students on the law program's final course Degree Project (30 credits).
Outside the LL.M. program, I have given lectures on (criminal) liability regarding autonomous system on the course Autonomous craft on advanced level on the program Master of Engineering in Reliable Aerospace Systems at Mälardalen University in Västerås. At the Department of Education and special education (IPS) at the University of Gothenburg I have given lectures on the Swedish Discrimination Act on the course School Law and Authority Exercise. At the department Legal Forum at Umeå University I have given lectures on the theme transport, gender and everyday life perspectives on the course Critical Studies on Law and Gender in Nordic Contexts on advanced level. At the Department of Social Work at the University of Gothenburg, I have given lectures on legal knowledge, on social work in practice, and on Social Services Act from a gender legal studies perspective on the course Legal dilemmas in social work, advanced level. In addition, I have given lectures on the theme gender equality in spatial planning on the course Real Estate Science Seminars within the Master of Engineering program at the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University.
On other web sites
Research areas
- Criminal Law, Gender and Law, AI and Law, Transportation system and Infrastructure
Teaching areas
- Criminal Law, Criminal Procedural Law, Gender and Law