My research focuses on democracy linked to education. The dissertation that I defended in 2010 at the University of Gothenburg is about how four primary schools (3 grade) in South Africa taught the theme of leadership quality and how then the students chose their class representatives.

My research interest also covers interculturality, social justice, migration and other societal issues with close links to education at different levels. In my research I use different perspectives such as critical pedagogy, postcolonialism, poststructuralism and Indigenous Knowledge System.

Teaching

My teaching in educational work takes place at different levels. It includes research methods, theory of science and learning theories. Human rights, children's rights and fundamental human values ​​were included in my teaching. In addition to teaching, I have been a supervisor and examiner in various courses.

Cooperation

For many years, on my own and with other colleagues, I have been responsible for preschool teacher students who did parts of their internship in South African schools, where they also collect data for their degree projects.

With colleagues from Denmark and Norway, I worked to systematize Nordic teacher students' internships in other parts of the world. Through my participation in ECER (European Conference for Educational Research) network 7 (Social Justice and Intercultural Education), I collaborated with colleagues from different European countries. The network SANORD (Southern African - Nordic Center) has also given me the opportunity to get to know and collaborate with many colleagues from the Nordic countries and southern Africa.

Education and work

My country of origin is Ethiopia and I have lived in Sweden since the early 1990s. My education includes:

• 1984              B.A in Sociology from Addis Ababa University.
• 1993              MSc in Social Work from the University of Gothenburg
• 2004              MSc in Sociology from the University of Gothenburg
• 2010              PhD in Pedagogy from the University of Gothenburg

After my first degree, I worked in Ethiopia within the Ministry of Social Affairs and in a family reunification project. In Sweden, I was employed in Mölndal municipality from 1996-2010 and worked during those years, among other things as assistant teacher, social worker and family therapist. On a few occasions, I have been commissioned by Swedish Save the Children/UNHCR to assist in social issues for refugees in Angola, Kosovo and Russia.

Researcher's publications in DiVA (Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet)