| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Alsved, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Sources of Airborne Norovirus in Hospital Outbreaks
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1537-6591 .- 1058-4838. ; 70:10, s. 2023-2028
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Noroviruses are the major cause of viral gastroenteritis. Disease transmission is difficult to prevent and outbreaks in healthcare facilities commonly occur. Contact with infected persons and contaminated environments are believed to be the main routes of transmission. However, noroviruses have recently been found in aerosols and airborne transmission has been suggested. The aim of our study was to investigate associations between symptoms of gastroenteritis and presence of airborne norovirus, and to investigate the size of norovirus carrying particles.METHODS: Air sampling was repeatedly performed close to 26 patients with norovirus infections. Samples were analysed for norovirus RNA by RT-qPCR. The times since the patients' last episodes of vomiting and diarrhoea were recorded. Size separating aerosol particle collection was also performed in ward corridors.RESULTS: Norovirus RNA was found in 21 (24%) of 86 air samples from 10 different patients. Only air samples during outbreaks, or before a succeeding outbreak, tested positive for norovirus RNA. Airborne norovirus RNA was also strongly associated with a shorter time period since the last vomiting episode (odds ratio 8.1, p=0.04 within 3 hours since the last vomiting episode). The concentration of airborne norovirus ranged from 5-215 copies/m3, and detectable amounts of norovirus RNA were found in particles <0.95 µm and >4.51 µm.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that recent vomiting is the major source of airborne norovirus and imply a connection between airborne norovirus and outbreaks. The presence of norovirus RNA in submicrometre particles indicates that airborne transmission can be an important transmission route.
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| 3. |
- Asker, Noomi, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Biomarker responses in eelpouts from four coastal areas in Sweden, Denmark and Germany
- 2016
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Ingår i: Marine Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0141-1136 .- 1879-0291. ; 120, s. 32-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To increase our understanding of possible chemical impacts on coastal fish populations in the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak, the viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) was used as sentinel species in two major sampling campaigns (spring and autumn) in 16 different coastal sites. Condition factor (CF), liver somatic index (LSI), gonad somatic index (GSI) were measured and the activity of the hepatic enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione reductase GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) and muscular activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assessed. PAH metabolites in bile were also analyzed. The most notable finding in the data set was the low EROD activity in eelpouts collected at the relatively polluted region in Germany compared to the other regions, which could be due to an inhibition of the CYP1A-system or to adaptation to chronic exposure of pollutants in this area. Additionally, low AChE activity was noted in the German region in the autumn campaign and low AChE activity detected in the Danish region in the spring campaign. These differences suggest possible season-specific differences in the use and release of AChE-inhibiting chemicals in the Danish and German regions. Clustering of biomarkers on site level indicated a relationship between CF and GSI and suggested that sites with a high CF contained eelpout that put a larger effort into their larvae development. Clustering of the oxidative stress markers GR, GST and CAT on the individual level reflected a possible coordinated regulation of these enzymes. Overall, the results support the importance of taking into account general regional differences and seasonal variation in biomarker activity when monitoring and assessing the effects of pollution. Despite the expected seasonal variation for most of the measured endpoint, several markers (GSI, EROD and CF) vary similarly between all selected sites in both spring and autumn. This suggests that the differences between sites for these endpoints are independent of season.
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| 4. |
- Brande-Lavridsen, Nanna, et al.
(författare)
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Abnormalities in eelpout Zoarces viviparus upon chemical exposure.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Marine Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0141-1136 .- 1879-0291. ; 92, s. 87-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elevated frequencies of abnormal embryos in female eelpout Zoarces viviparus have been demonstrated in Danish, Swedish and German monitoring programmes at certain geographic locations with high levels of anthropogenic input. Pollutants present in areas with high malformation frequencies were selected and tested in a controlled laboratory experiment for their potential to induce abnormalities among eelpout embryos upon injection into pregnant eelpout. Tributyltin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, pyrene, nonylphenol, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromophenylether and heptadecafluorooctanesulfonic acid were tested, either individually or combined. Generally, the chemicals were transferred to eggs and/or embryos. Some of the exposures increased the proportion of broods with more than 10% abnormal or 5% malformed embryos, although the average percentages of abnormal development were not affected. Spinal, cranial and eye deformities were evident, similarly to what is seen in nature. Some of the exposures resulted in increased percentages of females with as well a low reproductive capacity as embryos with a low condition index.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Granberg, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Microlitter in arctic marine benthic food chains and potential effects on sediment dwelling fauna
- 2020
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Ingår i: TemaNord report. - : Nordic Council of Ministers. ; :528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Marine litter pollution affects oceans globally and has today also made its way to the pristine arctic environment adding to the microlitter from local pollution sources. Marine litter pollution is recognized as a serious threat to the marine environment at all levels, from the UN to regional (EU, OSPAR, HELCOM) and national authorities. The risk posed by microlitter to marine biota is related to their documented ubiquity and long residence time in marine ecosystems. Risks are also mediated by intrinsic toxicity of added chemicals and potential adsorbance of other pollutants. When released into the marine environment, a major part of microlitter likely accumulate in beach sand and marine sediments either immediately or after acquiring a biofilm. It is therefore expected that benthic food chains will be key to understanding fate and effects (i.e. concentrations, potential trophic transfer and biological impact) of microlitter in the marine environment. The overall aim of the project was to determine abundance of microlitter pollution in marine sediments and benthic food chains in the Arctic, and to evaluate the abundance in relation to potential local sources and background levels. The aim was also to investigate potential effects of microplastic pollution on benthic organisms through laboratory studies using an arctic amphipod as a model organism. The field investigations in Svalbard, Norway and Greenland focused on determining microlitter particle concentrations and characteristics in marine sediments and biota collected close to and far from potential local pollution sources and pathways, i.e. outlets of untreated wastewater and effluents from a dumping site in Sisimiut, West Greenland and outlets of treated (Ny-Ålesund) and untreated (Longyearbyen) wastewater in Svalbard. Overall, higher concentrations and a higher diversity of microlitter types and polymers were found in sediments and organisms (blue mussels and cod) closer to human settlements (wastewater outlets and dumping sites) and in places where lost and/or dumped fishing gear accumulate. Thus, we can confidently conclude that local pollution sources for anthropogenic microlitter do exist in the Arctic. The experimental studies investigated whether environmentally relevant and future predicted concentrations of microplastics could impact feeding rate, microplastic ingestion, respiration and locomotion activity in an arctic sediment dwelling amphipod. The experimental results confirm previous microplastics studies on marine invertebrates showing effect only at very high concentrations not yet relevant in the arctic environment. The shape of the plastic particles was found to affect the particle fate. While microplastic fragments were ingested, short microplastic fibres attached to the carapace of the amphipods and likely obstructed normal ventilation behaviour. Furthermore, biofilm cover was found to affect the behaviour and effects of the particles. Microlitter naturally become covered by biofilms in the environment and our results stress the importance of effect experiments being carried out using naturally fouled plastics for ecological relevance. This report provides both environmental- and impact data related to microlitter pollution in the arctic marine environment. Although the levels of microplastics required to cause effects in experimental organisms in this study were much higher than what was detected in the field, there may be other species that are more sensitive than the one tested in nature. The currently relatively low microlitter concentrations detected in the field should be considered as a “window of opportunity” to act to at least reduce local pollution. Consequently, introduction of sustainable waste management and wastewater treatment should be an important focus of local management initiatives.
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| 7. |
- Haldrup, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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FRMD6 has tumor suppressor functions in prostate cancer
- 2020
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Ingår i: Oncogene. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5594 .- 0950-9232.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Available tools for prostate cancer (PC) prognosis are suboptimal but may be improved by better knowledge about genes driving tumor aggressiveness. Here, we identified FRMD6 (FERM domain-containing protein 6) as an aberrantly hypermethylated and significantly downregulated gene in PC. Low FRMD6 expression was associated with postoperative biochemical recurrence in two large PC patient cohorts. In overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout experiments in PC cell lines, FRMD6 inhibited viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression, colony formation, 3D spheroid growth, and tumor xenograft growth in mice. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and phospho-proteomic profiling revealed enrichment of Hippo/YAP and c-MYC signaling upon FRMD6 knockout. Connectivity Map analysis and drug repurposing experiments identified pyroxamide as a new potential therapy for FRMD6 deficient PC cells. Finally, we established orthotropic Frmd6 and Pten, or Pten only (control) knockout in the ROSA26 mouse prostate. After 12 weeks, Frmd6/Pten double knockouts presented high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PIN) and hyperproliferation, while Pten single-knockouts developed only regular PIN lesions and displayed lower proliferation. In conclusion, FRMD6 was identified as a novel tumor suppressor gene and prognostic biomarker candidate in PC.
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| 8. |
- Hassellöv, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Progress towards monitoring of microlitter in Scandinavian marine environments
- 2018
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Ingår i: TemaNord, 2018, 551, 2018. - Copenhagen : Nordic Council of Ministers.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Four different case studies were carried out to determine dominating microlitter types from urban environments to the regional Scandinavian seas (eastern North Sea). The sampling was both from sediment near sources (urban runoff and road dust sediment), and further out from coastal sediments. The sea surface layer and subsurface samples was taken in two different gradients, in the Oslo and Roskilde fjords, where also blue mussels were sampled. Best available technologies for sampling each compartment was used and evaluated, and while the water samples was analysed as collected, the sediment and biota samples needed some pretreatment of chemical digestion and/or heavy density liquid floatation or elutriation.In order to develop visual identification as objective as possible, a visual and physical observation scheme was proposed. The visual identification scheme should be complemented with spectroscopic identification to different degrees depending on the size fractions.Spectroscopic identification is still often a quite time-consuming process, meaning that for monitoring purposes it is not currently advisable to aim to identify all particles during monitoring studies. Until fully or partly automated spectroscopic methods are available they are still important tools for verification of representative types of particles in samples above 100 μm.The amount of particles that should be identified to provide adequate compositional information would be dependent on the aim of the study as well as the type and composition of the samples. However, in order to do monitoring and include sample composition in the results a minimum of 100 of the fewest particles should be counted in a sample to achieve 10% standard deviation in terms of counting statistical uncertainty.The field is however rapidly evolving, and automated procedures are already being published. For research purposes and more detailed monitoring and screening studies spectroscopic methods can aside from providing particle identification also give clues on additives and level of degradation.The most common types of microlitter found varied between studies but common trends could be identified between the road tunnel sediment and the urban creek sediment that these contained black particles resembling tire rubber from both visual and tactile tests, and also asphalt, charcoal, oil/tar particles and road marker particles. In the coastal water samples the surface layer was dominated by polystyrene foam particles and polyethylene fragments and films.In the subsurface water samples fibres, films and fragments of plastic was most common. In both the Gothenburg urban creek sediment and Oslo fjord surface water samples particles that could be related to artificial sports turf (polyethylene green grass and clear cut, tire granulate) was observed. The microlitter in mussels was dominated by fibres. The approach of using gradient studies, and include both near source sampling as well as recipient gradient sampling, was concluded to be very suitable to determine sources and fate.
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| 9. |
- Hassellöv, Martin, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Progress towards monitoring of microlitter in Scandinavian marine environments: State of knowledge and challenges
- 2018
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Microlitter consists of minute particles of anthropogenic or processed natural material. The project brings together research groups to conduct specific case studies in gradients from near urban sources such as the traffic environment and cities to the coastal water and sediments in order to study the relative occurrence of specific sources and their environmental dispersion and distribution. The conclusion were first that in sediments from the road environment (tunnel runoff water), tire particles, asphalt and road markings could be identified, and in the urban creek sediments many black particles including elastomers, charcoal-like and oil and soot where in high abundance and decreased rapidly out in the recipient. The results emphasize the role of the cities as hotspot source functions for microlitter in the coastal environment and also where mitigating measures could be directed.
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| 10. |
- Kijewski, Tomasz, et al.
(författare)
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Random forest assessment of correlation between environmental factors and genetic differentiation of populations : Case of marine mussels Mytilus
- 2019
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Ingår i: Oceanologia. - : Elsevier BV. - 0078-3234. ; 61:1, s. 131-142
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The novel machine learning technique Random Forest (RF) was used to test if the genetic differentiation of populations of marine species may be related to any of the key environmental variables known to shape species distributions. The study was performed in North and Baltic Sea characterized by strong gradients of environmental factors and almost continuous distributions of Mytilus mussel populations. Assessment of the species identity was performed using four nuclear DNA markers, and previously published single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. A general pattern of cline variation was observed with increasing Mytilus trossulus share towards the eastern Baltic Sea. Average allele share rose to 61% in Hoga Kusten, Gulf of Bothnia. All Baltic Sea samples revealed a strong introgression of Mytilus edulis and a limited introgression of M. trossulus through the Danish Straits. The studied environmental variables described 67 and 68% of the variability in the allele frequencies of M. edulis and M. trossulus. Salinity defined over 50% of the variability in the gene frequencies of the studied Mytilus spp. populations. Changes along this environmental gradient were not gradual but instead a significant shift from gene dominance was found at a salinity of 12 PSU. Water temperature and the trophic status of the sea area had only moderate association with the gene frequencies. The obtained results showed that the novel machine learning technique can be successfully used for finding correlations between genetic differentiation of populations and environmental variables and for defining the functional form of these linkages.
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| 11. |
- Lagerström, Maria, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Total tin and organotin speciation in historic layers of antifouling paint on leisure boat hulls
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Pollution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0269-7491 .- 1873-6424. ; 220, s. 1333-1341
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite their ban on small vessels in 1989 in the EU, organotin compounds (OTCs) are still being released into the environment due to their presence in historic paint layers on leisure boats. 23 paint samples scraped from recreational boats from three countries around the Baltic Sea were analyzed for total tin (Sn) and OTCs. Two antifouling paint products were also subjected to the same analyses. A new method for the detection of Sn in paint flake samples was developed and found to yield more accurate results compared to four different acid digestion methods. A new method was also developed for the extraction of OTCs from ground paint flakes. This endeavor revealed that existing methods for organotin analysis of sediment may not have full recoveries of OTCs if paint flakes are present in the sample. The hull paint samples had Sn concentrations ranging from 25 to 18,000 mg/kg paint and results showed that tributyltin (TBT) was detected in all samples with concentrations as high as 4.7 g (as Sn)/kg paint. TBT was however not always the major OTC. Triphenyltin (TPhT) was abundant in many samples, especially in those originating from Finland. Several other compounds such as monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT), tetrabutyltin (TeBT), monophenyltin (MPhT) and diphenyltin (DPhT) were also detected. These could be the result of degradation occurring on the hull or of impurities in the paint products as they were also identified in the two analyzed paint products. A linear correlation (r(2) = 0.934) was found between the total tin content and the sum of all detected OTCs. The detection of tin can therefore be used to indicate the presence of OTCs on leisure boats. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
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| 12. |
- Lehtonen, Kari K., et al.
(författare)
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Development of Tools for Integrated Monitoring and Assessment of Hazardous Substances and Their Biological Effects in the Baltic Sea
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 43:1, s. 69-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The need to develop biological effects monitoring to facilitate a reliable assessment of hazardous substances has been emphasized in the Baltic Sea Action Plan of the Helsinki Commission. An integrated chemical-biological approach is vitally important for the understanding and proper assessment of anthropogenic pressures and their effects on the Baltic Sea. Such an approach is also necessary for prudent management aiming at safeguarding the sustainable use of ecosystem goods and Services. The BEAST project (Biological Effects of Anthropogenic Chemical Stress: Tools for the Assessment of Ecosystem Health) set out to address this topic within the BONUS Programme. BEAST generated a large amount of quality-assured data on several biological effects parameters (biomarkers) in various marine species in different sub-regions of the Baltic Sea. New indicators (biological response measurement methods) and management tools (integrated indices) with regard to the integrated monitoring approach were suggested.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Strand, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Can the concept “political opportunity structure” inform M4D research?
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mobile phone acquisition and usage in Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a tremendous growth over the past decade. In the wake of this expansion, the technology has often been ascribed the role of a potential transformer in diverse areas, such as governance and democratization, civil society mobilization, transparency and anti-corruption. A reoccurring theme in much of the literature, is a taken for granted causality between access to mobile technology and civil society participation and ultimately empowerment of the same connected citizens.Although social movement theory have long recognized the importance of the political context as a key determining factor for the emergence of social movements, their impact and their longevity, few scholars have paid attention to the concepts of "political opportunity structure" in relation to M4D (Mobile Communication for Development). The following paper will explore how this concept can inform our understanding of when and where, i.e., under what socio-political conditions mobile technology seem to become a mobiliser and tool to claim space to participate in political processes. The paper will attempt to conceptualize how perceived political opportunity, and indeed constraints could be understood in relation to M4D. The paper departs from an assumption that mobile phones contains a transformative potential, but argues that whether it become enlisted as a tool by social actors is dependent on their understanding of the medium and parameters such as, but not limited to, the receptiveness of the formal political system, the existence of allies within government or the formal political system, the expected monetary and personal costs for social mobilization as well as likely outcomes of collective action. The research argues that existing political institutions should not be treated as epiphenomenal, but rather seen as important structures warranting attention, in order to understand mobiles as a tool for participation.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Challenging the legacy of the past and present intimate colonialization - a study of Ugandan LGBT plus activism in times of shrinking communicative space
- 2023
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Ingår i: Information, Communication and Society. - : Routledge. - 1369-118X .- 1468-4462. ; 26:12, s. 2488-2505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Through a mixed-methods approach consisting of a directed content analysis of five established LGBT+ organizations' use of Twitter and Facebook during a month in 2022, and semi-structured qualitative interviews with social media content producers, the study attempts to understand the role of self-controlled social media spaces in challenging the Uganda society's logics of oppression. The results indicate that self-controlled spaces are not used for disrupting the basis for repression - the local logic of oppression - or its cocoon of collective post-colonial amnesia. Nor were spaces used for re-constructive engaging with transnational and development partners' unwitting impact on global south actors' agency and legitimacy. Instead, with a few exceptions, spaces displayed a conspicuous uniform human rights advocacy rhetoric, and Western identity labels summarized in the LGBT+ acronym. The interviews with social media content producers suggest that the LGBT+ community's dependency on international support may sway actors into what we call performative visibility, in self-controlled spaces. The study concludes that future analysis of Global South based activist's use of social media spaces' affordances including its potential for supporting de-colonialization efforts, must approach use as relational to actors' dependency on key resources such as funding and protection through affiliation.
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| 17. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Disinformation campaigns about LGBTI+ people in the EU and foreign influence
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this briefing is to give a concise overview of disinformation, misinformation and propaganda campaigns about LGBTI+ persons and rights, originating from or being supported and/or multiplied by actors outside the EU. Based on a review of existing literature, the briefing examines the main narratives used, supported and circulated, as well as which actors or group of actors are involved. Where available, information on methods, funding and impacts on European values is provided. The main narratives identified include negative othering, opposing a ‘gender ideology’, ‘heteroactivism’, restoring a ‘natural’ order, ‘colonialism’ and child safety. The briefing concludes that there is a need for more research, further harmonisation of legal frameworks, the scrutiny of financial flows and strengthened capacity to detect disinformation, misinformation, propaganda and hate speech.
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| 18. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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“Fake News” on Sexual Minorities is “Old News” : Study of Digital Platforms as Spaces for Challenging Inaccurate Reporting on Ugandan Sexual Minorities
- 2019
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Ingår i: Ecquid Novi. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0256-0054 .- 1942-0773. ; 40:4, s. 77-95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For sexual minorities in Africa, fake news is nothing new. However, with the arrival of self-controlled digital platforms, sexual minorities are presented with new ways to counter coverage that misrepresents the community. Inspired by affordance theory and agenda-setting theory, this study explores whether self-controlled digital platforms are used to challenge false media reports on sexual minorities in Uganda, and if so, to what extent. Through a cross-media research design, the largest English-language daily newspaper, the government-owned New Vision, is analysed and positioned against the main sexual minority network's (SMUG’s) public Facebook and Twitter accounts at two points in time in 2013/2014 and in 2018. The study finds that, although social media channels afford direct engagement with false media reports, the platforms are under-utilised as spaces regarding countering false reporting on LGBTQIs. Furthermore, this lack of engagement with the media was found to be stable over time.
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| 19. |
- Strand, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Foreign norm entrepreneurs’ mis-and disinformation narratives on LGBT+ in Europe
- 2022
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Ingår i: Medijska Istrazivanja. - : Media Research. - 1330-6928 .- 1846-6605. ; 28:2, s. 109-132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With ample evidence that foreign state actors and non-state norm entrepreneurs are engaged in misinformation and disinformation campaigns challenging the European Union’s human rights framework on LGBT+, this study analyses the narratives that these actors disseminate. Based on two methods – a standard literature review of academic and “grey” literature, as well as complementary analysis of entries in the EUvsDisinfo database – the study identifies four main narratives that can be attributed to or are actively sponsored by non-European actors: 1) Opposing gender ideology and protecting God’s order, 2) Heteroactivism and the protection of the rights of the “natural” family, 3) LGBT+ rights as Western colonialism, and 4) LGBT+ rights as a threat to the rights of children. Even though EU’s strong protection of freedom of speech makes it challenging to address misinformation and disinformation that falls outside hate-speech legislation, this paper argues that exploring the following counter measures could be worthwhile: 1) harmonization of European legal frameworks, 2) financial scrutiny and 3) strengthened automatic detection, editorial policies, and community flagging, as well as the capacity to systematically deal with misinformation and disinformation campaign targeting LGBT+ across digital spaces in Europe.
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| 20. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Is there a template for human rights activism? : a study of Ugandan LGBT+ organizations' digital spaces
- 2022
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Ingår i: AoIR 2022. - : AoIR.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Albeit criminalization against same-sex desires is a remnant of the British colonialization, it was the Ugandan state’s 2009 Anti-homosexuality Bill that catapulted the country’s homophobic policies into the international spotlight. The ensuing battle over the Bill between on one hand, local and international human rights defenders including Northern development partners and transnational conservative and religious norm-entrepreneurs in partnership with local religious and political elites, on the other; highlighted that domestic identity and sexual politics are no longer local affairs. Through a qualitative directed content analysis, the study explore to what degree ten established Ugandan LGBT+ organizations engage with international norm entrepreneurs’ attempts to influence Ugandan social mores on non-heteronormative sexuality and non-conforming gender identities, in their self-controlled digital spaces - websites and Facebook- during January 2022.With few exceptions, digital spaces displayed a conspicuous uniform human rights advocacy rhetoric, where same-sex desires and gender identities are presented in essentialist terms as in LGBT+ and universal sexual rights, as opposed to sexual desires and gender identities as embedded and realized in a unique social contexts, that at least in the Ugandan context historically has include significant pluralism and multi-positionality. LGBT+ organizations’ did not engage with the impact of waves of international norm entrepreneurs’ attempts to define and influence the struggle for equal rights, and subsequent potential re-colonialization of Ugandan understandings of sexual desires outside the heteronormative model and non-conforming gender identities. The level of rhetorical uniformity could suggests the existence of a latent template for activism, which could be an unintended consequence of dependency on international funding.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Strand, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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The one who pays the piper calls the tune-a study of the unintended consequences of donor influence on Ugandan LGBT+ communication.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Silenced Voices.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT. In 2009 Uganda gained notoriety for proposing one of the world’s harshest laws – The Anti-homosexuality bill- against same-sex relationships. The Bill capitalized on social anxieties stemming for globalization, donor dependency, growing social disparities (Peters 2014, Sandgrove 2012) and led to a surge in anti- LGBT+ hostility (SMUG 2016). Ugandan media responded mostly with silence or demonization, only rarely allowing LGBT+ voices an opportunity to self-represent. The intense international attention in and after 2009, resulted in a considerable increase in international funding and the number of CSO mushroomed (Interview 2021). Through a mix of netnographic methods and fieldwork conducted in 2021, and analytical framework consisting of complimentary theoretical lenses of rhetoric and network media logic; this paper explores 13 Ugandan LGBT+ CSOs’ self-representation in digital spaces. The study find that local actors have adopted conspicuously similar rhetoric to describe organizational scope and work methods. The analyzed organizations’ remarkably similar self-narrative indicates an adoption of a template for human rights activism that is rooted in Western-derived identity politics which features Western understandings of sexual identity and sexual preferences as relatively fixed and exclusive categories. CSO’s does thus not appear to be inspired by less stringent local understanding of SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics) language, which allows individuals to inhabit multiple and diverse SOGIESC positions simultaneously (Peters 2014, Murray, and Roscoe. 1998, Summers 1991). The study raise serious questions around the unintended consequences of international actors’ funding practices and preferences, including preferential treatment of lingua franca NGOish.
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| 23. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Towards a Situated Understanding of Vulnerability : An Analysis of Ugandan LGBT plus Exposure to Hate Crimes in Digital Spaces
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Homosexuality. - : Routledge. - 0091-8369 .- 1540-3602. ; 70:12, s. 2806-2827
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study maps Uganda LGBT+ experiences of online hate crime and analyzes how preexisting vulnerability morph in digital spaces. Based on field notes, workshop material, and interviews with 13 LGBT+ individuals, the study finds that digital presences in contexts where users are vulnerable due to state-sanctioned discrimination and social exclusion, digital arenas exacerbate users' vulnerability to hate crimes through their digital footprints. The longing for community and intimacy, together with in some cases an unfamiliarity with how digital media can be misused, appear to facilitate both the ideologically driven perpetrators hunting LGBT+, and Crime passionnel, where an (ex)partner miscalculates the implications of publishing private material. This study thus illustrates how digital spaces are not safe(r) spaces, where LGBT+ are free to playfully explore sexual orientation and gender non-conformity, away from society's abhorring gaze. Furthermore, contrary to what could be expected, LGBT+ individuals' vulnerability was most often not the result of an outside intruder hunting LGBT+ online. The article reiterates the importance of a situated approach, acknowledging the environmental influences when studying and addressing LGBT+ vulnerabilities in digital spaces.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Strand, Cecilia, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Western funding and its consequences for the Ugandan LGBT+ rights struggle : negotiating community dynamics and activism during Pride 2022
- 2023
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Ingår i: Global LGBTQ Activism. - London : Routledge. - 9781032498577 - 9781032498560 - 9781003395805 ; , s. 43-62
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Uganda gained international notoriety in 2009 for introducing one of the world’s harshest bills proposing the death penalty for homosexuality. Against the backdrop that the Ugandan LGBT+ community has enjoyed moral and financial support from international partners for more than a decade, this chapter examines and discusses the potential unintentional consequences of external and prolonged support of LGBT+ activism. Furthermore, unintended and unintentional consequences are likely to have fluctuated over time depending on domestic politics and international priorities. Through historical sources, the first part of the chapter traces the emergence of organized resistance against state-sanctioned homophobia in Uganda, as well as the entrance of international support to the community. The gala provided examples of how international funding has unintended consequences and potentially distorts intra-community relations. It is, however, also important to highlight that despite prolonged and pronounced donor dependency, Pride 2022 signaled a significant degree of community agency.
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Svensson, Jakob, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Development cooperation and the stratification of lesbian, gay, bi- and transsexual activism : international donors, elite activists and community members during Uganda Pride 2022
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Journal of Politics and Gender. - : Bristol University Press. - 2515-1088 .- 2515-1096.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Uganda's infamous state -sanctioned homo-hostility has resulted in intense international attention, development cooperation and Western funding to local lesbian, gay, bi- and transsexual (LGBT+) organisations. However, Western funders and allies in this context are becoming increasingly questioned. Researchers have highlighted the complexities, opportunities and constraints of an increasingly transnational LGBT+ movement, but how is this manifested on the ground in the Global South? Through an inductive and ethnographically inspired study, we set out to explore the Ugandan LGBT+ community and its intra-community relationships and relations with Western funders and allies in the unique setting of Uganda Pride 2022, to which we had rare first-hand access. The results reveal that security concerns, both from outside and within the community, shaped Uganda Pride 2022. The most salient finding is that competition for international funding distorts activists' relations, as it stratifies the LGBT+ community based on who has access to Western donors and international funders.
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
- Svensson, Jakob, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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ICT4D post-2015 MDGs
- 2015
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development agenda created at the UN General Assembly year 2000 and the birth of the MDGs provided development partners a unique opportunity to focus efforts and pool resources. There mere fact that all goals came with clear sets of indicators also highlighted the renewed importance placed on evidence based monitoring and evaluation system. Although the post-2015 development agenda is still under formation, the establishment of a common robust monitoring and accountability framework is essential for future partnerships around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as long-term public support.The following paper is based on a literature review of the ten highest ranking ICT4D journals’ research on mobile phone supported monitoring and evaluation systems of development cooperation in Africa. The review concludes that while there exists an abundance of pilot studies showcasing ICTs’ and mobiles in particular, potential to contribute to timely and cost efficient data collection, data management and analysis, there are very few examples of comprehensive and large scale monitoring and evaluation systems. Especially mobile technology’s potential to provide continuous feedback on monitoring and evaluation indicators, and potential for agile operational learning processes, appears to be both under-utilized and underdeveloped in development cooperation. With no less than 17 Sustainable Development Goals being proposed as the post-2015 MDG development framework, dynamic monitoring and accountability systems are more important than ever, and it is high time to explore how mobiles can support the post-2015 development agenda.
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| 31. |
- Svensson, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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ICTs and Opportunities of Empowerment in a Context of State-Sanctioned Homophobia : the case of the LGBTQI community in Kampala
- 2018
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Ingår i: EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2018 Proceedings. - : Donau-Universitöt Krems. ; , s. 229-236
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: After decades of growing acceptance of LGBTQI human rights in the West, Uganda began an African backlash in 2009, when it introduced an Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Even if the Bill was eventually defeated, it signaled the beginning of a new era of state-sponsored homophobia and wide-spread societal discrimination. State-sponsored persecution has however not silenced the Ugandan LGBTQI community and the following contribution (ongoing research) explores the Ugandan LGBTQI community’s remarkable resilience and quest for social change and in particular their use of ICTs for empowerment. Based on a pilot study conducted in Kampala November 2016, and ongoing online observations, tentative results are that the community organizes their communication practices around a division between intra-group organization and support (so-called deep information), and broadcasting and human-rights advocacy (surface information), due to perceived risks as well as opportunities of different communication modes and platforms
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| 32. |
- Svensson, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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ICTs and Opportunities of Empowerment in a Context of State-Sanctioned Homophobia : The case of the LGBTQI community in Kampala
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Conference EGOV-CeDEM-ePart 2018. - 9783903150225 ; , s. 229-236
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- After decades of growing acceptance of LGBTQI human rights in the West, Uganda began an African backlash in 2009, when it introduced an Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Even if the Bill was eventually defeated, it signaled the beginning of a new era of state-sponsored homophobia and wide-spread societal discrimination. State-sponsored persecution has however not silenced the Ugandan LGBTQI community. In the following reflections we explore the Ugandan LGBTQI community’s remarkable resilience and quest for change and in particular their use of ICTs for empowerment. Based on a pilot study conducted in November 2016, and ongoing online observations, tentative results are that the community organizes their communication practices around a division between intra-group organization (so-called deep information), and broadcasting and human-rights advocacy (surface information), due to perceived risks as well as opportunities of different communication modes and platforms.
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| 33. |
- Svensson, Jakob, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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The Promise of Double Living. Understanding Young People with Same-Sex Desires in Contemporary Kampala
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Homosexuality. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0091-8369 .- 1540-3602. ; , s. 1-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ugandan urban same-sex desiring individuals frequently encounter and navigate competing understandings of sexuality and sexual identity. Western essentialist understanding of sexual identity introduced by international development partners and transnational LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi- and Transsexual) activism, as well as media, offer an alternative to Ugandan non-essentialist and fluid subject positions. This article seeks to understand how young individuals with same-sex -desires in Kampala navigate tensions between Western and local understandings concerning sexuality. We have interviewed 24 young individuals with same-sex desires (unaffiliated and individuals working in LGBT+ organizations) and asked how they approach their sexuality and experiences living with same-sex desires in contemporary Kampala. The results reveal how interview participants engaged in a complex navigation between local community expectations, their own same-sex desires, and embeddedness in a global LGBT+ culture. Although the participants engaged in what Westerners would label as a “double life,” the article problematizes the prescriptive norms of authenticity and “coming out.” The conclusion is that the fluid vs essentialist dichotomy is too simplistic to be helpful when trying to understand the lives and aspirations of young people with same-sex desires.
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Svensson, Jakob, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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We are queer and the struggle is here! Visibility at the intersection of LGBT+ rights, post-coloniality, and development cooperation in Uganda
- 2024
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Ingår i: Sexualities. - : Sage Publications. - 1363-4607 .- 1461-7382.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article unpacks different meanings of visibility and adds to a more complex and nuanced understanding of visibility and its role in LGBT + activism in Uganda, a widely discussed case of political homophobia. Public visibility has a central, although contested, role here. The study aims to explore how visibility is understood and navigated by local LGBT + activists, unaffiliated people with same-sex desires, as well as international development partners. Interviews conducted in Kampala from December 2021–January 2022 reveal different and complex narratives surrounding visibility. Local unaffiliated individuals and activists agreed on the importance of making the LGBT + rights struggle more visible. This, however, did not translate into a wish to “come out” themselves. International development actors expressed a need for caution regarding their own visibility, mindful that explicit and visual support may generate accusations of neo-imperialism.
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| 36. |
- Svensson, Jakob, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Who relates to whom and according to which rationale? : Visibility and advocacy in the Ugandan LGBT plus Twittersphere
- 2024
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Ingår i: New Media and Society. - : Sage Publications. - 1461-4448 .- 1461-7315.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An increase in international funding for LGBT+ rights advocacy in Uganda has resulted in not only a mushrooming of organizations but also intra-community competition for visibility, attention, and limited resources. Against this backdrop, we set out to study how organizations relate to each other in the Ugandan LGBT+ Twittersphere. Following an analytical framework around rationalities of mediated participation, we study with whom Ugandan LGBT+ organizations relate through mapping retweets and @mentions emanating from selected Twitter accounts. The resulting network maps reveal a dividing line between more well-funded and internationally connected organizations and lesser established organizations. By supplementing the network analysis with qualitative readings of key accounts and semi-structured interviews, we conclude that access to international funds and negotiating visibility explains the network structures. The article thus reveals interesting Twitter practices, showing LGBT+ organizations use the platform as a means for negotiating and claiming space inside the Ugandan LGBT+ community.
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