Marco Nilsson
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Department of Natural and Social Sciences
, School of Education and Communication
Associate Professor of Political Science
Research Leader of SUS - Sustainable Societies
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Research
Marco Nilsson leads the research environment Sustainable Societies (SUS) at the School of Education and Communication. His research addresses issues of social movements and violent conflict in international politics. He has conducted research on Swedish jihadists and interstate wars, but also on EU integration of new states and labor market integration of refugees. He currently conducts research on Islam in Sweden and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. He has written more than 30 scientific articles and four books. The lates one, Jihadism in Scandinavia (2022), summarizes several years of fieldwork with active and former jihadists.
Biography
Marco Nilsson is an Associate Professor of political science at the School of Education and Communication. From 2010 to 2014 he was employed as a senior lecturer of political science at the University of Gothenburg. Nilsson received his Ph.D. degree in political science at the University of Gothenburg in 2010 and before that he received MA degrees in political science both from Duke University (2005) and Purdue University (2002).
Article
Nilsson, M., Winman, T.
(2025).
JU-forskare: Det innebär utspelet om att det inte är fred Jönköpings-Posten, 15 januari Jönköping: Hall Media .
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Bejermi, A., Nilsson, M.
(2025).
Changing patterns of media consumption: Palestinian diaspora and citizen journalism during the war in Gaza Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research.
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Bajramović, R., Nilsson, M.
(2025).
Identity management by multiple identification: religious leaders and EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 33(1), 104-120.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Tala klarspråk – även israeler utför terrorism: Terrorforskare: Svenska medier och politiker borde vara konsekventa Aftonbladet.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Varför ökar Gazakriget hotet mot Sverige från al-Qaida? Jönköpings-Posten, 13 januari, 20 Jönköping: Hall Media .
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Detta innebär krigsplacering i Jönköping Jönköpings-Posten, 21 februari Jönköping: Hall Media .
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Stöd till Ukraina kan förebygga nya krig Svenska Dagbladet, 29 februari, 4.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Går det att veta när Putin inte längre bluffar om kärnvapen? Göteborgs-Posten, 14 mars.
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Nilsson, M., Escobar, K., Ahl, H.
(2024).
Labour market integration of refugees in Sweden: Analysing the interactions of CSOs at different levels Journal of ethnic and migration studies, 50(6), 1317-1335.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
”Vi måste knäcka gängen för att stoppa terroristerna” Dagens Nyheter, 26 mars, 5.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Jihad and heroic hypermasculinity: Recruitment strategies, battlefield experiences, and returning home Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Det stora antalet civila dödsoffer göder hämndbegär och terrorism Göteborgs-Posten, 13 juni.
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Bergkvist, F., Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Expert: Netanyahus plan ökar risken för krig med Hizbollah Dagens Nyheter, 24 juni.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
”Vad krävs för att Sverige ska dras in i konflikten?” Aftonbladet.
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Nilsson, M., Bejermi, A.
(2024).
Suède: «Comment les groupes djihadistes cherchent à surfer sur la guerre à Gaza pour recruter de nouveaux membres» FigaroVox.
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Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Kommer al-Qaida få Nobels fredspris nu? Exprtessen.
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Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Var försiktig när du reser – men inte rädd: Terrorforskare: Terroristerna hoppas att rädslan ska påverka vårt land Aftonbladet.
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Nilsson, M., Bejermi, A.
(2023).
Attaque terroriste à Bruxelles: pourquoi la Suède est devenue la cible des islamistes FigaroVox.
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Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Var ligger terrorhotet mot Sverige i dag? Jönköping-Posten, 20 Jönköping: Hallpressen .
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Borell, K., Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Turkey’s universities face a troubled future Research Professional News.
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Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Jihad after the Fall of IS: Reframing the Apocalyptic Narrative Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 1-24.
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Jaresand, W., Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Female combat commanders of the YPJ and political agency – framing the fight on their own terms Critical Military Studies, 9(4), 532-550.
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Aktaş, V., Nilsson, M., Kindap Tepe, Y.
(2023).
Gendered aspects of policies to fight the COVID-19 outbreak Humanitas, 11(22), 42-64.
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Nilsson, M.
(2022).
Motivations for Jihad and Cognitive Dissonance: A Qualitative Analysis of Former Swedish Jihadists Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 45(1), 92-110.
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Nilsson, M., Esholdt, H.
(2022).
After the Caliphate: Changing Mobilization in the Swedish Salafi-Jihadist Environment following the Fall of ISIS Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.
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Nilsson, M.
(2022).
“Aren’t You Tired of Talking?” – Priming Men and Women into Violence through Gateway Organizations Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.
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Nilsson, S., Stenport, V., Nilsson, M., Göthberg, C.
(2022).
A retrospective clinical study of fixed tooth- and implant-supported prostheses in titanium and cobalt-chromium-ceramic: 5–9-year follow-up Clinical Oral Investigations, 26, 6097-6103.
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Nilsson, M.
(2021).
The Magnitude of Warfare Revisited: System Polarity and War Duration Journal of Strategic Security, 14(2), 25-46.
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Nilsson, M.
(2021).
Jihadiship: From radical behavior to radical beliefs Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 44(3), 181-197.
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Nilsson, M., Esmaiel, L.
(2021).
Kurdish women and TV journalism in Iraqi Kurdistan: Experiences and strategies Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 14(2), 169-188.
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Nilsson, M., Badran, D.
(2021).
Surviving seemingly endless refugeeship—Social representations and strategies of Palestinian refugees in Ein El Hilweh The Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(3), 3423-3441.
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Nilsson, M., Badran, D.
(2021).
Conflicts and Relative Deprivation in Ein El Hilweh: Palestinian Refugees in the Shadow of the Syrian Civil War The Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 453-473.
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Nilsson, M.
(2020).
Vad är terrorism? Ikaros - Tidskift om människan och vetenskapen, 16(1), 8-9 Åbo .
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Nilsson, M.
(2020).
Hezbollah and the Framing of Resistance Third World Quarterly, 41(9), 1595-1614.
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Aktaş, V., Nilsson, M., Borell, K., Persson, R.
(2020).
Taking to the streets: A study of the street academy in Ankara British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(3), 365-388.
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Borell, K., Nilsson, M., Aktaş, V.
(2019).
Den akademiska friheten i Turkiet har snöpts , 1, 30-35.
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Aktaş, V., Nilsson, M., Borell, K.
(2019).
Social scientists under threat: Resistance and self-censorship in Turkish academia British Journal of Educational Studies, 67(2), 169-186.
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Borell, K., Nilsson, M.
(2019).
Debatt: Samhällsvetenskaperna och den akademiska friheten i Turkiet: Massavskedanden, resignation och motstånd Sociologisk forskning, 56(3-4), 311-317.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Causal Beliefs and War Termination: Religion and Rational Choice in the Iran-Iraq War Journal of Peace Research, 55(1), 94-106.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Hard and soft targets: the lethality of suicide terrorism Journal of International Relations and Development, 21(1), 101-117.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Muslim Mothers in Ground Combat Against the Islamic State: Women’s Identities and Social Change in Iraqi Kurdistan Armed forces and society, 44(2), 261-279.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Interviewing Jihadists: On the Importance of Drinking Tea and Other Methodological Considerations Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 41(6), 419-432.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
The logic of suicide terrorism: Does regime type affect the choice of targets? Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 10(2), 176-185.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Primary unit cohesion among the Peshmerga and Hezbollah Armed forces and society, 44(4), 647-665.
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Nilsson, M.
(2018).
Kurdish Women in the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict: Perceptions, Experiences, and Strategies Middle Eastern Studies, 54(4), 638-651.
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Josefsson, T., Nilsson, M., Borell, K.
(2017).
Muslims opposing violent radicalism and extremism: Strategies of Swedish Sufi communities Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 37(2), 183-195.
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Nilsson, M.
(2017).
Vägen till jihad .
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Nilsson, M.
(2016).
Mental strategies for fighting the IS: A field study of the Peshmerga soldiers in Northern Iraq Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 39(11), 1007-1018.
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Nilsson, M.
(2015).
Foreign Fighters and the Radicalization of Local Jihad: Interview Evidence from Swedish Jihadists Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 38(5), 343-358.
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Nilsson, M.
(2012).
Offense-Defense Balance, War Duration, and the Security Dilemma Journal of Conflict Resolution, 56(3), 467-489.
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Book
Nilsson, M.
(2022).
Jihadism in Scandinavia: Motivations, Experiences, and Change.
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Hjerm, M., Lindgren, S., Nilsson, M.
(2014).
Introduktion till samhällsvetenskaplig analys.
Malmö:
Gleerups Utbildning AB
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Nilsson, M.
(2013).
Juridik i professionellt lärarskap: lagar och värdegrund in den svenska skolan.
Malmö:
Gleerups Utbildning AB
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Doctoral thesis
Nilsson, M.
(2010).
War and Unreason: Bounded Learning Theory and War Duration
(Doctoral thesis).
Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg
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Book chapter
Nilsson, M.
(2024).
Islam, apokalypsi ja jihadismi.
In:
Niko Huttunen & Elina Kahla
(Ed.),
Apokalypsi nyt! Perikadon politiikka
(pp. 67 -90).
Helsinki: Kirkon tutkimus ja koulutus
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Nilsson, M.
(2020).
Scandinavian Jihad.
In:
Tom Smith &Hussein Solomon
(Ed.),
Exporting Global Jihad, Volume One:
Critical perspectives from Africa and Europe
(pp. 187 -204).
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Nilsson, M.
(2019).
You only die once: Döden i Islamiska staten.
In:
Stefan Marling
(Ed.),
Shakespeare, Bergman och döden:
Romateaterns Shakespearesymposium 2018
(pp. 69 -74).
Göteborg & Stockholm: Makadam Förlag
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Review
Nilsson, M.
(2024).
The mother, the politician, and the guerilla.
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Nilsson, M.
(2017).
Review of the book: A Sociology of the Total Organization: Atomistic Unity in the French Foreign Legion by Mikaela Sundberg.
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Conference paper
Aktaş, V., Nilsson, M.
(2022).
İsveç’teki Müslümanların algıladıkları dini ayırımcılığın incelenmesi [Examining the perceived religious discrimination by Muslims in Sweden].
21. Ulusal Psikoloji Kongresi, 13-16 Ekim 2022, Doğuş Üniversitesi, Çengelköy Yerleşkesi, İstanbul, Türkiye [21. National Psychology Congress, 13-16 October 2022, Dogus University, Cengelkoy Campus, Istanbul, Turkey].
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Aktaş, V., Tepe, Y., Nilsson, M., Persson, R.
(2022).
Mültecilere yönelik tutumlar üzerine kültürlerarası bir çalışma [A cross-cultural study on attitudes towards refugees].
21. Ulusal Psikoloji Kongresi, 13-16 Ekim 2022, Doğuş Üniversitesi, Çengelköy Yerleşkesi, İstanbul, Türkiye [21. National Psychology Congress, 13-16 October 2022, Dogus University, Cengelkoy Campus, Istanbul, Turkey].
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Josefsson, T., Nilsson, M., Borell, K.
(2017).
Everyday resistance to violent radicalism and fundamentalism: Sufi strategies in Sweden.
Seventh International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society: Understanding Globalism, Respecting Difference, April 17–18, London, UK.
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Nilsson, M.
(2017).
Radicalization Processes: From Sweden to the Jihadi Groups in Syria.
Risks, Roots and Response – Nordic Conference on Research on Violent Extremism, The Segerstedt Institute, University of Gothenburg, April 24-26, 2017.
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Blog Post
Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Sverige är det nya Frankrike .
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Nilsson, M.
(2023).
Vad innebär Finlands Nato-inträde för Sverige? .
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Other publications
Nilsson, M.
(2022).
Statsvetaren om kränkningar mot politiker: ”Det är ett hot mot demokratin” [tv-sändning].
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Nilsson, M.
(2022).
Forskaren om frivilligkrigarna: ”De söker ofta en högre mening i livet” [tv-sändning].
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Nilsson, M.
(2022).
Konfliktforskaren: Mer skärrade i Finland än här i Sverige [tv-sändning].
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Nilsson, M.
(2021).
Splittring kan leda till ökat deltagande i kyrkovalet [tv-sändning].
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Report
Nilsson, M.
(2025).
Eftervalsanalys 2022 – Valdeltagande och social sammanhållning i Råslätt och Österängen i Jönköpings kommun.
Jönköpings:
Jönköpings kommun
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Escobar, K., Nilsson, M., Ahl, H.
(2021).
Multi-level governance and civil society’s work on integrating migrants after the migrant crisis of 2015 in Jönköping.
Jönköping:
Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication
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Escobar, K., Nilsson, M., Ahl, H.
(2021).
Styrda fast ändå inte?: Flernivåstyrning och civilsamhällets arbete med att integrera flyktingar efter flyktingkrisen 2015 i Jönköping.
Jönköping:
Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication
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