Profile
Johan Vekselius, PhD, M.P.S., is an ancient historian and political scientist currently working as an independent scholar. Completing a Master in Political Science (M.P.S.) with a specialisation in public administration at the University of Gothenburg, Vekselius pursued his historical interests within Classical Archaeology and Ancient History coupled with studies of classic Greek and Latin. In Gothenburg, Vekselius commenced his PhD at Lund University. He dedicated his doctoral thesis to tears and weeping in Roman political culture. Vekselius’ work situates emotions in the different intersections between politics, power, status, gender, Rome, Greece, literature, and history. An ongoing project researches emotional populism in ancient Rome and brings together political science and classical studies as it applies contemporary theories about populism to Roman politics. Vekselius is also reworking his thesis for publication. His latest project, Mapping Roman emotions, maps Rome’s political emotions onto a digital map. Besides his time spent at Gothenburg, Lund and Stockholm, Vekselius regularly researches at the Swedish Institute in Rome, an indispensable scholarly context. His teaching experience chiefly concerns the Etruscans, early Rome, the Roman Republic, and Latin literature.
Contact information
Name and title: Johan Vekselius, Ph.D., M.P.S.
Phone: +46766339291
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
OCRID: 0000-0003-2386-2992
Education and positions
M.P.S. 2005. Political Science with a specialisation in Public Administration, School of Public Administration, University of Gothenburg.
Equivalent to Fil.Mag. (M.A.) 2009. Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, the University of Gothenburg (not formally arranged as I pursued doctoral studies in the subject ).
Doctoral Student 2010-2018 Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University. Research Fellow 2013-2014. Swedish Institute in Rome.
Sick-leave: Parts of 2014-2016. PhD. 2018 Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University.
Postdoctoral Researcher 2019-2021. Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Stockholm University.
Publications
Dissertation: Weeping for the RES PUBLICA: tears in Roman political culture.
Chapter: Trajan’s tears: reading virtue through emotions. Reading Roman emotions. Visual and textual interpretations. eds. M. Prusac Lindhagen, M. von Ehrenheim, H. (2020).
Chapter: Tiberius and tears: grief and genre. i Usages of the Past in Roman Historiography. eds. Damtoft Poulsen, A & Jönsson, A. (2021).
Popular Science: DNA och etruskernas ursprung. Nygamla svar på ett antikt problem? Medusa 2004:4.
Conference talks (selection)
2011. Irony and humour as Imperial Greek literary strategies. The playful Plutarch. (University of Oxford): Humour and ironic tears in Plutarch’s Lives.
2011. Classical Association Annual Conference. (Durham University): Public tears: the case of Paullus and Perseus.
2011. Emotions in East and West. The cultural history of emotions in pre-modernity II. East and West. (Sabancı University och Bilkent University, Istanbul): Tears and cultural identity in Polybios.
2012. Classical Association Annual Conference. (University of Exeter): Weeping victors in Plutarch: tearful variations of a Hellenistic motif.
2014. Reading emotions. (Swedish Institute in Rome.): Reading reflections of emotions: Porcia’s tears.
2014. Invited talk (Università degli studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale) Tears in Roman Political culture.
2018. Usages of the past in Roman historiography. (Lund University). Grief and genre: the mourning of Tiberius.
2020. Invited talk (Swedish Institute in RomeI. Populism i antikens Rom: Den folklige, folklighet, folket ELLER Plebs, populus, popularer, 2020
Administration and union positions
Board member, The Faculty Council of the Doctoral Student Union Board at The joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology (AU-HTDR), Lund University (2011-2013)
Board member, The Research Board at The joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology, Lund University (2011-2013)
Board member, Lund’s Doctoral Student Union (LDK) (2012-2013)
Member, The Governing council of Lund’s Doctoral Student Union (LDK) (LDK) (2012-2013)
Board member, The Central Postgraduate Education Committee, Lund University (2012-2013