Maria Ackrén is Director of the Stefansson Arctic Institute at the University of Akureyri. Her research covers territorial autonomy, island studies, Arctic affairs and comparative politics. She previously served as Professor of Political Science at the University of Greenland.
Ms Ackrén holds a Bachelor of Political Science from Mid-Sweden University in Sundsvall, Sweden; a Master of Political Science from Åbo Akademi University, Finland; a Licentiate in Political Science at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and a PhD in Political Science from Åbo Akademi University, Finland.
Ms Ackrén’s research interests include Autonomy arrangements in the world, island studies, qualitative methodology and Arctic relations with a special focus on Greenland.
Ms Ackrén is author of several publications such as:
2015. ‘The Political Parties in Greenland and Their Development’, 2015, pp. 317-335 in Eva Maria Belser et.al. (eds.): States Falling Apart? Secessionist and Autonomy Movements in Europe. Publications of the Institute of Federalism Fribourg, PIFF (10), Bern: Stämpfli Verlag AG.
2015. ‘Greenland as a Self-Governing Sub-National Territory in International Relations – Past, Current and Future Perspectives’ (together with Uffe Jakobsen, University of Copenhagen), Polar Record, Vol. 51, Issue 4, pp. 404-412.
2012. ’Autonomy Development, Irredentism and Secessionism in a Nordic Context’ (together with Bjarne Lindström, ÅSUB), Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 494-511 (Special issue).
2006. ‘The Faroe Islands’ Option for Independence’, Island Studies Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp.