Majken Jul Sørensen

Norwegian version of this page Department of Natural Sciences, Practical-Aesthetic, Social and Religious Studies
Norwegian version of this page Position
Associate Professor
Contact
majken.j.sorensen@hiof.no
Study place
Halden
Office nr.
-

Majken Jul Sørensen, PhD, is an associate professor of sociology at Østfold University College, Norway. The basic question underlying all Majken’s research is “how do people change society?”. Her interest in nonviolent social movements, conflict transformation as well as humour and political activism has to a large degree focused on participants’ experiences and people’s agency and ability to create change from below. The question of how change occurs has taken Majken to social science areas such as social movement theory, resistance studies and sociology of humour, law, history and emotions. Currently Majken is exploring the phenomena constructive resistance and everyday resistance empirically and theoretically. Majken leads the projekt "Children's expressions of resistance in kindergartens" where she together with collegues from the college explores childrens' quiet and discreet resistance to adult power in preschools.

Research interests

  • Humour and nonviolent political activism
  • Time, temporality and resistance
  • Social movements and nonviolent resistance
  • Conflict transformation and conflict escalation
  • Constructive resistance
  • Everyday resistance in the welfare state
  • Children's expressions of resistance in kindergartens

Courses taught

  • Social science for preschool teachers

Background

  • Associate professor of sociology at Karlstad University, Sweden
  • PhD degree in social science, University of Wollongong, Australia
  • Master degree in peace and reconciliation studies, Coventry University, UK
  • Bachelor degree (BA) in sociology, University of Tromsø, Norway
  • Advisor at Østfold county council, working on issues related to universal design and inclusion of immigrants, elderly people and people with disabilities in regional decision making.
  • Training as a social educator in Denmark and work experience in schools and kindergardens

Key publications

  • Majken Jul Sørensen, Stellan Vinthagen & Jørgen Johansen. Constructive Resistance: Resisting Injustice by Creating Solutions. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2023.
  • Majken Jul Sørensen & Kristin Wiksell. "Constructive Resistance to the Dominant Capitalist Temporality."  Sociologisk Forskning, 2019. Vol. 56, no. 3-4.
  • Majken Jul Sørensen. Humour in Political Activism: Creative Nonviolent Resistance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 
  • Majken Jul Sørensen. På Barrikaderne for Fred. Sparsnäs: Irene Publishing, 2012.
  • For full list of publications until 2020, click here

Publications

  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2021). Humoristisk motstånd i den serbiska ickevåldsrevolutionen. In Vinthagen, Stellan & Lilja, Mona (Ed.), Motstånd: En introduktion. Irene Publishing. ISSN 978-91-88061-51-5. p. 186–215.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2021). Resistance and Milgram’s obedience studies in light of new research. Journal of Resistance Studies. ISSN 2001-9947. 7(2), p. 111–127.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2020). Resisting the rat race: Self-sufficiency as a search for resonance in rural Sweden. Sociologisk forskning. ISSN 0038-0342. 57(2), p. 121–140.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul & Wiksell, Kristin (2019). Constructive resistance to the dominant capitalist temporality. Sociologisk forskning. ISSN 0038-0342. 56(3-4), p. 253–274.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul; Nilsen, Ann Christin Eklund & Lund, Rebecca (2019). Resisting the ruling relations: Discovering everyday resistance with Institutional Ethnography. In Lund, Rebecca Waters Bolden & Nilsen, Ann Christin Eklund (Ed.), Institutional Ethnography in the Nordic Region. Routledge. ISSN 9780429019999. p. 203–213. doi: %20https:/doi.org/10.4324/9780429019999. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2017). Laughing All the Way to Social Change: Humor and Nonviolent Action Theory. Peace and Change. ISSN 0149-0508. 42(1), p. 128–156.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2017). Glorifications and Simplifications in Case Studies of Danish WWII Nonviolent Resistance. Journal of Resistance Studies. ISSN 2001-9947. 3(1), p. 99–137.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul & Ribgy, Andrew (2017). Frontstage and Backstage Emotion Management in Civil Resistance. Journal of Political Power. ISSN 2158-379X. 10(2), p. 219–235.
  • Martin, Brian & Sørensen, Majken Jul (2017). Investigating Nonviolent Action by Experimental Testing. Journal of Resistance Studies. ISSN 2001-9947. 3(2), p. 42–65.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2015). Radical Clowning: Challenging Militarism through Play and Otherness. Humor: An International Journal of Humor Research. ISSN 0933-1719. 28(1), p. 25–47.

View all works in Cristin

  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2024). Pacifism Today: A Dialogue about Alternatives to War in Ukraine. Irene Publishing. ISBN 978-91-88061-69-0. 71 p.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul; Vinthagen, Stellan & Johansen, Jørgen (2023). Constructive Resistance: Resisting Injustice by Creating Solutions. Rowman & Littlefield International. ISBN 9781538165393. 219 p.
  • Johansen, Jørgen & Sørensen, Majken Jul (2021). Fred med fredelige midler: En introduksjon til ikkevold og konflikttransformasjon. Irene Publishing. ISBN 978-91-88061-53-9. 141 p.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2016). Humour in Political Activism: Creative Nonviolent Resistance. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-57345-2. 237 p.

View all works in Cristin

  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2024). Webinar: Alternatives to war in Ukraine - Nonviolent resistance in the Ukraine war context.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2024). Hva er konstruktiv motstand?
  • Brown, Craig; Johansen, Jørgen; Sørensen, Majken Jul & Vinthagen, Stellan (2023). REPLIK LEDARE: Alla värden som ska försvaras går upp i rök när kriget väl inleds. Dagens nyheter. ISSN 1101-2447.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2023). David Graeber & David Wengrow: The Dawn of Everything: A new History of Humanity. Journal of Resistance Studies. ISSN 2001-9947. 9(1), p. 103–108.
  • Brown, Craig; Johansen, Jørgen; Sørensen, Majken Jul & Vinthagen, Stellan (2022). Ukrainians could defeat a Russian occupation by scaling up unarmed resistance. Waging Nonviolence.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2022). Roundtable: What is the Role of Resistance for Peace and Conflict Studies?
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2022). Economic Justice as a Human Right: What Might Researchers and Practitioners of Nonviolent Action Learn from the Political Philosophy of Anarchism.
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul (2022). Vad skulle vi göra om vi var ukrainare idag. [Journal]. Fredsnytt.

View all works in Cristin

Published Aug. 23, 2021 1:34 PM - Last modified June 19, 2024 3:29 PM