Thomas Madsen

Thomas Madsen

Postdoc

Office hours: Fridays 13:30-14:30

I am a psychologist with a Master’s degree from the Centre for Cultural Psychology, Aalborg University. I am currently employed as a Ph.D.-student at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Psychology.

My research is situated within the fields of social, cultural and political psychology. In my research, I am interested in: (i) psychosocial processes taking place in modern, pluralistic societies in which knowledge, ideas, and meaning are co-constructed and negotiated, and (ii) how these processes are linked to ideals about citizenship, political interests, power and values. Particularly, I am interested in these phenomena in the context of immigrant integration-, housing- and urban policy.

In my current research, I explore the Danish context and look at how these issues play out in the policy proposal ‘the parallel society agreement’ and in its repercussions over the course of the past four years. The central aim of my project is to understand how the ‘the parallel society agreement’ and its meanings, values and practices are navigated within and between the symbolic contexts of different social actors. I thus aim at uncovering meanings attached to this recent policy by different social actors, as well as the psychosocial processes through which such meanings enter communication around this current issue. I also explore how these same actors position themselves (morally and politically) in regards to this legislation and its repercussions. Theoretically and methodologically, my project is situated within Social Representations Theory and Rhetorical/Dialogical strands of psychology.

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