SMIDGE Meets OppAttune: Joint PhD Seminar Explores Digital Reactionary Movements

October 2, 2025 | Malmö, Sweden

On Thursday, October 2, Malmö University hosted a vibrant and thought-provoking joint PhD workshop titled "Digital Reactionary Movements," co-organised by Dr. Tina Askanius from the OppAttune project and Dr. Line Nybro Petersen from the SMIDGE project at the University of Copenhagen. The event brought together eight PhD candidates and four senior scholars for a full day of academic exchange, critical dialogue, and in-depth feedback sessions.

Held at Storm, Campus Orkanen in central Malmö, the seminar provided a unique space for emerging researchers from across Europe to present their ongoing work on the dynamics of far-right and reactionary politics in online spaces. Topics ranged from online extremism and misogyny to cancel culture, antisemitism, and the role of digital media in shaping radical ideologies.

The day was structured around three main sessions. In the morning, PhD students Jullietta Stonecheva, Phelia Weiss, Nanna Ellen Amer, and Guilherme Giolo Rego presented their research, with senior feedback from Dr. Mikkel Bækby Johansen and Dr. Florencia Enghel. After a lunch break in the heart of Malmö, the afternoon session featured presentations by Philip Baun Stenmann, Daniel Madsen, Joshua Farrell-Molloy, and Kaarel Lott, guided by commentary from Dr. Tina Askanius and Dr. Line Nybro Petersen.

The workshop concluded with an informal dinner, allowing participants to continue their conversations and strengthen cross-institutional networks.

Bringing together scholars from institutions including Malmö University, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Vienna, Erasmus University, Aarhus University, Jönköping University, University of Tartu and beyond, the event marked an important step in fostering collaboration between the SMIDGE and OppAttune projects. It also highlighted the value of interdisciplinary and cross-generational dialogue in tackling the complexities of digital reactionary movements.