https://www.mdu.se/

The post-seminar gathering took place at one o’clock in the cafeteria. People were drinking, and many colleagues were attending. The senior faculty member walked up to a female colleague, placed his hand on her bum and groped her. This happened in front of everyone. Up to this point she had been socializing and taking part in the event. When she was groped, she froze, went to the back of the room and sat down. She probably felt violated and ashamed, I think. I saw her try to make eye contact with her colleagues, as if she expected someone to do something. The next day, someone told her in private that she should file a complaint. No open or collective action was taken by any of her colleagues, not even those who saw the groping. She was new to the department and unfamiliar with the procedures for how to file a report or complaint, or to whom. She was also dependent on the senior faculty member, as he was her co-supervisor. She left academia. He stayed, and is now supervising another doctoral student in a project for which he has external funding. (Female junior scholar during #akademiuppropet)

The testimony above exemplifies the 100 real testimonies that were shared in a unsearchable Facebook group with the aim of raising awareness of sexual harassment in Swedish higher education. It is an example of the types of testimonies that formed the basis of what later would be called #akademiuppropet. It can also be seen as a typical testimony, as it shares many of the themes that occur in the real testimonies, such as the dilemma of asymmetric power dynamics in academia, sexist and misogynist organizational cultures, and various kinds of sexual harassment that women in Swedish academia had experienced. The testimonies also included bystanders’ reactions, flawed reporting processes, and women’s feelings of marginalization, disappointment, shame and guilt. The testimonies are consistent with those from other academic organizational contexts, countries and times (see for example Husu, 2000). The consistency of the testimonies is something that I have thought about a great deal since the #metoo movement peaked in November 2017. These thought are presented in this article.