FEATURED AUTHOR
Rolf Torstendahl
I am emeritus professor of history and have worked as such since 1978, first in Stockholm and from 1981 in Uppsala. At my university I have been head of department and, later, dean of the historical-philosophical faculty. Beside this I have been director and principal of the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, 1985-90. I have led several research projects on engineers in industrial change, bureaucratization, and professionalism, and I have visited several foreign research institutes.
Biography
After being full professor of history at the University of Stockholm 1978-80 and at Uppsala University 1981-2000 I have been Emeritus Professor, which has given more time for publications.Education
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PhD (fil. dr.) at Uppsala University in 1964
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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1) My interest in social science used in historical research has led to one main investigation of bureaucratization in Western Europe (published by Routledge in 1991) and to several investigations on professionalism, such as two books together with sociologist Michael Burrage in 1990 and works on Swedish engineers.
2) The state as policymaker and framework for political activities is another interest, resulting in books as State Theory and State History (Sage, 1992) and a book (together with Natalia Selunskaya) on state transformation and the birth of democratic culture in Russian late imperialism 1905-07, first published in Russian (by Rosspen, Moscow, 2005; later translated to English (Altus History, Denver, Colorado, 2012).
3) Most longstanding interest in the theory and methods of historical research, with several publications in Swedish and a number of articles in Journals like Storia della Storiografia and History and Theory. Now, most recently, manifested in the book The Rise and Propagation of Historical Professionalism (Routledge, 2015).