Staffan Bengtsson
Associate Professor
Philosophy doctor in social work
Change your information Staffan Bengtsson is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and an Associate Professor (Docent) of Disability Research.
Staffan holds a PhD in the interdisciplinary field of Disability Research. His doctoral dissertation adopts a historical-sociological perspective and examines early Swedish social and educational policy in relation to disability. In particular, it analyzes the motives behind nineteenth-century institutional ideology and how politicians and experts justified new social policy reforms in this field, as well as how these developments can be understood from a citizenship and recognition perspective.
The focus of his current research is primarily on disability as a societal phenomenon in relation to various theoretical perspectives and models, with particular attention to sociocultural dimensions as they appear within different value systems, such as religious and political-ideological ones. This approach illustrates how persons with disabilities are assigned different positions and functions depending on how individuals are incorporated into broader value systems, where moral codes and values constitute the community, and where the tension between inclusion and exclusion becomes the central analytical axis.
Other ongoing research projects examine, from a historical perspective, the Deaf community’s own interest-based political organization and its struggle for increased recognition.
Article
Dinu, R., Bengtsson, S.
(2026).
Circles of recognition: Deaf identity, sign language, and social justice in turn-of-the-century Sweden Scandinavian Journal of History, 51(1), 1-23.
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Pakpour, A.
Eriksson, M.
Ahorsu, D.
Björling, G.
Broström, A.
Bengtsson, S.
, ... Huus K.
(2025).
Gaming disorder among Swedish adolescents: Measurement, risk factors, and classification Comprehensive Psychiatry, 143.
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Elmazoska, I., Bengtsson, S., Widén, S.
(2025).
"It's about wanting to disappear from the world… " - an interpretative phenomenological analysis on the meaning of music and hearing-related risks International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 20(1).
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Pakpour, A., Eriksson, M., Ahorsu, D., Broström, A., Bengtsson, S., Jakobsson, M., Huus, K.
(2025).
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Swedish adolescents' mental well-being: the role of impulsivity, sleep, spirituality, and self-esteem BMC Psychology, 13(1).
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Bengtsson, S., Panican, A., Ulmestig, R.
(2024).
Activation measures through the lens of governmentality Critical and radical social work An international journal, 12(3), 364-380.
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Pakpour, A., Eriksson, M., Erixon, I., Broström, A., Bengtsson, S., Jakobsson, M., Huus, K.
(2024).
The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS): A psychometric evaluation of adolescents in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic Heliyon, 10(6).
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Egonsdotter, G., Bengtsson, S.
(2023).
Reflections in Case-Based Learning: Experiences of Computer-Based Simulations in Social Work Education Journal of social work education, 59(4), 964-976.
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Egonsdotter, G., Bengtsson, S., Israelsson, M., Borell, K.
(2020).
Child protection and cultural awareness: Simulation-based learning Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 29(5), 362-376.
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Olsson, L., Bengtsson, S., Granlund, M., Huus, K., Elgmark Andersson, E., Kåreholt, I.
(2020).
Social service utilisation in relation to class setting - a longitudinal study among children with mild intellectual disability in Sweden European Journal of Special Needs Education, 35(4), 544-558.
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Bengtsson, S.
(2018).
Building a community: Disability and identity in the Qur’an Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 20(1), 210-218.
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Bengtsson, S.
(2018).
The nation’s body: disability and deviance in the writings of Adolf Hitler Disability & Society, 33(3), 416-432.
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Bengtsson, S.
(2017).
Out of the frame: disability and the body in the writings of Karl Marx Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 19(2), 151-160.
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Bengtsson, S., Bülow, P.
(2016).
The myth of the total institution: Written narratives of patients' views of sanatorium care 1908–1959 Social Science and Medicine, 153, 54-61.
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Bengtsson, S.
(2016).
The two-sided coin – disability, normalcy and social categorization in the New Testament Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 18(3), 269-279.
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Börjesson, U., Cedersund, E., Bengtsson, S.
(2015).
Reflection in action: implications for care work Reflective Practice, 16(2), 285-295.
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Bengtsson, S., Svensson, L.
(2014).
Projektmänniskan: arbetsrehabiliteringens möte med den enskilde Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, 20(2), 25-40 Karlstad: Karlstads universitet .
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Bengtsson, S.
(2014).
On the borderline – representations of disability in the Old Testament Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 16(3), 280-292.
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Börjesson, U., Bengtsson, S., Cedersund, E.
(2014).
“You have to have a certain feeling for this work”: Exploring tacit knowledge in elder care SAGE Open, 4(2).
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Alexandersson, K., Beijer, E., Bengtsson, S., Hyvönen, U., Karlsson, P., Nyman, M.
(2009).
Producing and consuming knowledge in social work practice: research and development activities in a Swedish context Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, 5(2), 127-139.
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Doctoral thesis
Bengtsson, S.
(2005).
Varför får jag icke följa med dit fram?: Medborgarskapet och den offentliga debatten om dövstumma och blinda 1860-1914
(Doctoral thesis, Linköping; Örebro:
Linköpings universitet; Örebro universitet).
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Book chapter
Dinu, R., Bengtsson, S.
(2023).
Introduction: Disability and labour in modern societies.
In:
R. H. Dinu & S. Bengtsson
(Ed.),
Disability and labour in the twentieth century:
Historical and comparative perspectives
(pp. 1 -14).
London: Routledge
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Bengtsson, S.
(2023).
For society and the individual: Disability and work in post-war Sweden.
In:
R. H. Dinu & S. Bengtsson
(Ed.),
Disability and labour in the twentieth century:
Historical and comparative perspectives
(pp. 88 -103).
London: Routledge
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Bengtsson, S., Kalin, T.
(2021).
Marknadsorienteringen och välfärdssystemens legitimitet.
In:
M. Dahlstedt, S. Gruber, M. Herz & P. Lalander
(Ed.),
Socialt arbete - rörelse, motstånd, förändring
(pp. 165 -186).
Lund: Studentlitteratur AB
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Bengtsson, S.
(2021).
Funktionshinder i historien.
In:
L. Kilman, J. Andin, H. Hua & J. Rönnberg
(Ed.),
Leva som andra:
Ett biopsykosocialt perspektiv på funktionsnedsättning och funktionshinder
(pp. 329 -343).
Lund: Studentlitteratur AB
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Bengtsson, S., Svensson, L.
(2013).
Erkännandets pedagogik - exemplet lärcenterbaserad utbildning.
In:
Lisbeth Eriksson, Gunilla Nilsson & Lars A. Svensson
(Ed.),
Gemenskaper:
Socialpedagogiska perspektiv
(pp. 181 -207).
Göteborg: Daidalos
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Bengtsson, S.
(2012).
Arbete för individen och samhället.
In:
Kristina Engwall & Stig Larsson
(Ed.),
Utanförskapets historia:
Om funktionsnedsättning och funktionshinder
Lund: Studentlitteratur
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Bengtsson, S.
(2004).
Anstaltens utveckling och innebörd.
In:
Funktionshinder i ett historiskt perspektiv
(pp. 67 -85).
Lund: Studentlitteratur
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Bengtsson, S.
(2004).
Historisk forskning i ett internationellt perspektiv.
In:
Funktionshinder i ett historiskt perspektiv
(pp. 145 -164).
Lund: Studentlitteratur
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Conference paper
Dinu, R., Bengtsson, S.
(2022).
Funktionshinder och arbete – internationella utblickar i ett historiskt perspektiv.
Arbetarhistorikermötet 2022, Det nionde svenska arbetarhistorikermötet, 27–28 oktober 2022, Helsingborg.
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Other publications
Olsson, L., Bengtsson, S., Granlund, M., Huus, K., Elgmark Andersson, E., Kåreholt, I.
.
Integration of pupils with mild intellectual disability in mainstream school settings - goog or bad for social service utilisation? A longitudinal study among children with mild intellectual disability in Sweden.
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Börjesson, U., Cedersund, E., Bengtsson, S.
.
Reflection in Action: A multi-layered approach. “Cause I am good at that, you are supposed to say what you are good at these days!”.
More information
Börjesson, U., Bengtsson, S., Cedersund, E.
.
“You have to have a certain feeling for this”: Exploring tacit knowledge in elder care.
More information
Börjesson, U., Bengtsson, S., Henning, C.
.
A Free regulated work?: Organizational culture and shared knowledge in elder care.
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Niia, A., Almqvist, L., Granlund, M., Bengtsson, S.
.
Mono- and bilingual students' frequency of attending school activities.
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Collections
(2023).
Disability and labour in the twentieth century: Historical and comparative perspectives.
London:
Routledge
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Report
Bengtsson, S., Svensson, L.
(2011).
Närhet och kommunikation på distans: En studie om hur studenter och lärare beskriver och upplever lärcenter/högskolecentrumbaserad utbildning.
Trollhättan
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Bengtsson, S.
(2008).
Arbete, sysselsättning och neuropsykiatriska funktionshinder: En utvärdering av Steget i Jönköping.
Jönköping:
Luppen kunskapscentrum
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Bengtsson, S.
(2007).
LSS i praktiken: En studie av LSS-handläggares syn på biståndsbedömning och yrkesroll.
Jönköping:
Luppen kunskapscentrum
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Bengtsson, S.
(2007).
Etiskt forum: En arena för att diskutera psykiska funktionshinder.
Jönköping:
Luppen kunskapscentrum
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