New international research initiative on sex education in schools
The research initiation funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences: “Intimate Connections in Europe – Transnational perspectives on the history of school sex education” was held as a 3-day workshop in Stockholm (April 8–10), with 12 teaching researchers from five European countries: Germany, Sweden, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland participating.
The group consisted of doctoral students, lecturers, associate professors, and professors who, using a timeline method ("timeline-thinking," Lindgren & Backman Prytz 2025), presented the history of school sex education in various countries.
The purpose of the research initiative was to lay the groundwork for a new type of European historiography on school sex education. The knowledge exchange was rich and very meaningful, highlighting similarities and differences in aspects such as curricula, guides, media, government policies, and the role of voluntary organizations.
One outcome is that the participants are organizing a joint panel with "cases" from each country at the European Social Science History Conference (ESSHC) in April 2027. Another outcome is that the participants from Germany (Humboldt University in Berlin) will apply to a funder in Germany for a three-year network where the ideas presented and developed in Stockholm can continue to be pursued by the participants.
More information
For more information about the research initiative, contact Professor Anne-Li Lindgren at the Department of Child and Youth Studies.
Contact: Anne-Li Lindgren
Last updated: 2026-10-16
Source: Department of Child and Youth Studies