Katrine Kehlet Bechsgaard

Katrine Kehlet Bechsgaard

Postdoc

Current research

The power of labels: The meaning and use of names for identities and conditions

I am working on a research project focusing on the ways in which minority identities and conditions are and have previously been labeled - officially and unofficially. Danish outdated examples include kejthåndet, fremmedarbejder, homofil, and DAMP-barnwhich have now been replaced by other labels. Throughout time, identities and conditions have changed both names and connotations. This project will get to the core of the nature of naming minority identities and conditions and look for developments and patterns in how these labels have been used and perceived over the past decades as well as answer the question: What are the societal and social causes and effects of the ways in which minority identities and conditions are named? The project is supported by the Carlsberg Foundation.

 
His name, her name, their name? Surnames, family practices, and identity

I have previously worked on a research project focusing on the surnames that we choose to keep, change or mix in new ways, when we establish (or dissolve) a family. Just four decades ago, Danish women still automatically got their husband’s surname when getting married. Today, 25% of last name changes are done by men, just like it has become common for couples to combine their middle names and surnames in new ways, to choose a new surname together, and it has become possible for unmarried and same-sex couples to share a surname. So, what do these new ways of using surnames mean for building family identity? And which functions do surnames serve in families today? The project is supported by the Carlsberg Foundation.

 

In my PhD project, I have examined which factors are important for parents in Denmark when choosing first names for their children as well as the degree of social differences in name choices.

 

 

ID: 18069187