The Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture in Turku has decided to award Dr. Theol. Cristoffer Tidelius the Donner Institute Research Prize for 2024. Tidelius’ research examines how people believe in, experience and practice the paranormal in contemporary secular Sweden and how social activities are built around the paranormal.

Cristoffer Tidelius is awarded for the book Paranormal Sweden? Paranormal beliefs and practices in contemporary Sweden (Uppsala University, 2024). The book has been presented as a doctoral thesis in the subject of sociology of religion at Uppsala University. The dissertation studies how widespread paranormal beliefs, practices and experiences are in contemporary Sweden, partly by estimating the prevalence at the population level and partly by studying what an active social engagement around paranormal phenomena can look like.

Tidelius makes visible how Swedes today relate to paranormal beliefs and practices and helps the reader understand how people from different paracultures relate to paranormal phenomena and implement them in their own lives.

The prize winner is very happy about the award:

“First of all, a big surprise, but more importantly: I am deeply honoured, happy and grateful! It feels great to receive this kind of recognition and award after investing several years and several sleepless nights in a project. It is a substantial energy boost that leaves you wanting more for future projects and research.”

About the Donner Institute Research Prize

The Donner Institute Research Prize of 5,000 euros recognizes outstanding research on religion that has newly been published at a Nordic university. It is intended for “researchers whose research focuses on the field of religion in a broad sense.” The prize has been awarded since 2010. This year, the prize is awarded for a doctoral thesis and seven nominations were submitted by professors, supervisors and researchers.

The Board of the Donner Institute states, among other things, the following in its award motivation:

“The thesis has a clear research design and well-formulated research questions. The theoretical framework, the methodological choices for data collection and the analysis are presented in detail. […] The text has a logical flow, with clarifying introductions at the beginning of the chapters and summaries at the end to keep the reader engaged.

Through the qualitative material and the theoretical analysis in the thesis, the reader is given an insight into and understanding of how paranormal actors act and believe. The thesis describes how the actors justify their actions and beliefs, and how they construct their understanding of what constitutes reliable knowledge.”

Tidelius’ award-winning book is available via Uppsala University’s Diva portal: https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1821290/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Further information: 

The Donner Institute’s Research Manager Sofia Sjö
Tel. 050 362 3269
sofia.sjo@abo.fi
donnerinstitute.fi

The Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture is a private research institute connected to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. We gather researchers, students and cultural agents and provide a meeting point for research on religion and culture in Finland and in the Nordic countries. We work to strengthen the visibility of research and create spaces where new knowledge can be born.Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi grundades år 1917 och har som huvudsyfte att stödja Åbo Akademi. Utöver detta understöder stiftelsen vetenskaplig forskning, akademisk utbildning samt konst och kultur på svenska i Finland.
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