Was Linnaeus a racist? Should his monuments be razed? The public image of Carl Linnaeus as national, scientific icon has been challenged in recent years. In their new study, current SCAS Sabbatical Fellow Petter Hellström and his colleagues examine how Swedish upper secondary school pupils "make sense of [ ... ] Linnaeus’s classification of humans and his alleged role in the history of scientific racism".

Through a large-scale classroom intervention, the authors explored how a multiperspectival understanding of controversial historical figures and issues can be fostered. And the outcome? You will find the full study here: "Was Linnaeus a Racist? Should His Monuments be Razed? Confronting Controversial Issues in Swedish History Classrooms" External link, opens in new window. (in JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education, vol. 25, No. 3, 2026).