Eva-Lotta Päiviö Sjaunja
Presentation
Eva-Lotta completed her PhD in 2008 focusing on how values in Sweden's agrarian landscapes were shaped by late 20th-century agricultural policy. Her research since then has explored how local communities manage natural resources, particularly among pastoralist groups, and how their practices interact with broader rules and decision-making at other levels. In recent years, she has examined the social, economic and ecological factors influencing historical changes in land use and property rights, especially among the Indigenous Sami of northern Fennoscandia. She also has extensive experience in public administration, particularly in organizational governance and quality development.
Research
From January 2025, she has been part of the five-year ERC-funded project TransRein at SLU, which investigates the transition from hunting and small-scale reindeer herding to pastoralism with large reindeer herds in the Early Modern period. It represents one of the great transformative shifts in human history, from foraging to pastoralism. The project emphasizes the role of Indigenous actors and their everyday strategies, rather than solely external drivers, and draws on sources such as court records, tax registers, clerical reports, and travel accounts.
Research projects
Research groups
Teaching
Lecturer, Agrarian history summer course, LB0094
Co-supervisor for PhD-candidates William Renström, SLU and Hanna Bendz, SLU
Cooperation
Visiting researcher, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mid Sweden University
Background
- Researcher, Agrarian History, SLU (2025–)
- Quality coordinator, Vice-Chancellor’s Office, Mid Sweden University (2024)
- Senior policy analyst, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2018–2023)
- Researcher and lecturer, Agrarian History, SLU (2016–2023)
- Postdoctoral fellowship, Economic History, Stockholm University (2011–2015, including two periods of parental leave)
- PhD in Agrarian History, SLU (2009)
- Administrative officer, County Administrative Board of Jönköping (2001–2004)
- Master of Science in Agronomy, SLU (2001)