War preparedness and its societal implications

The Department of War Studies at the Swedish Defence University nominates Victoria M Basham, Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University in the UK, for a Kerstin Hesselgren Visiting Professorship in 2026.

Professor Basham is a leading scholar of feminist international relations with particular expertise in gendered and critical approaches to war, militarism, and organised violence.

She is widely known for her pioneering work in the field of critical military studies and has actively developed this field through her numerous publications, editing the journal, Critical Military Studies, and civic and policy engagement activities.

During her visit, she would collaborate with scholars at SEDU to consolidate and develop the subject´s and university´s reputation as a site of international excellence for such research.

She would provide mentoring and lend her expertise to students, doctoral, early career, and advanced scholars through seminars, workshops, and contributions to courses.

Professor Basham is also keen to provide opportunities for members of the SEDU community to engage with her military, policy, and civil society networks.

At SEDU, she would prepare an ambitious and timely grant proposal for submission to the European Research Council and explore co-authoring opportunities with academic colleagues at SEDU.

Finally, she plans to visit other higher education institutions in Sweden to actively contribute to and further cross-institutional collaborations.