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Louise Karl­skov Skygge­b­jerg

Assistant Professor

Subjects
Technology Qualitative methods Environment Foundation Social responsibility History

Primary research areas

Busi­ness His­tory
I am spe­cial­ized in the his­tory of Dan­ish in­dustry. In a cur­rent pro­ject, we ex­plore how and why a spe­cif­ic com­pany sur­vived for 200 years.
En­vir­on­ment­al His­tory
I ex­plore the his­tory of cor­por­ate en­vir­on­ment­al­ism and more gen­er­ally, the role of busi­ness in re­la­tion to pol­lu­tion, cir­cu­lar eco­nomy, and sustain­ability is­sues his­tor­ic­ally. An ex­ample is my study of beer can re­cyc­ling and the in­fra­struc­tur­al sys­tem de­veloped for the pur­pose.
His­tory of Tech­no­logy
I ex­plore in­nov­a­tion in a his­tor­ic­al con­text and re­lated dis­cus­sions to give his­tor­ic­al per­spect­ive to cur­rent de­bates on cli­mate, AI, and more gen­er­ally the role of tech­no­logy in our so­ci­ety. An ex­ample is a study of the re­peated fear of tech­no­lo­gic­al un­em­ploy­ment.
Non­profit or­gan­isa­tions and phil­an­thropy
What does it mean to be work­ing for the com­mon good? Study­ing sav­ings bank found­a­tions, I ex­plore the concept “al­mennytte” and how found­a­tions have struggled bal­an­cing profit and so­cial goals. This in­cludes busi­ness eth­ics is­sues and ex­plor­a­tions of the com­bin­a­tion of praise­worthy goals and high-risk bank­ing be­fore the fin­an­cial crisis.

Us­ing his­tory to un­der­stand cur­rent chal­lenges

I inform current technological, environmental, and ethical discourses by offering historical perspective and humanistic insights into subjects such as corporate environmentalism, the impact of new technologies, and more broadly the messy everyday of running a business. 

As a historian, my strength lies in the application of a holistic view and a long-term perspective, exploring a broad range of aspects from production layout to business ethics. I am especially interested in the immense societal transformation from 1800 to 2000.  

Theoretically and methodologically, I am informed by new materialism, practice theory, and other approaches that helps exploring the ordinary and mundane. A focal point is to understand how ideas, phenomena, and practices become taken-for-granted in organizations. Building on my expertise from museums, another is an interest in objects, infrastructure, and technologies. Last but not least, I love to teach and disseminate my knowledge. 

Publications

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Recent research projects

Sav­ings Bank Found­a­tions

An ex­plor­a­tion of the his­tory of sav­ings bank found­a­tions and the concept and prac­tice of “al­mennytte”. Fund­ing: Nordea-found­a­tion.

The his­tory of Grøn­bech

A com­pany his­tory told through people and things. In­cludes ex­plor­ing how one of the old­est Dan­ish com­pan­ies got so old and ex­per­i­ments with new ways of writ­ing busi­ness his­tory. Fund­ing: Grøn­bech.

The black trans­ition (Den sorte om­stilling)

His­tor­i­ans and en­gin­eers col­lab­or­at­ing to ex­plore how we came to need a green trans­ition. The pro­ject in­cluded his­tor­ic­al life cycle as­sess­ments. Led by Odense Mu­seum. Fund­ing: Velux-found­a­tion.
Project output: Anthology “Den sorte omstilling”

Outside activities

Writ­ing for Realdania , 2021 -

Au­thor­ing texts for pub­lic­a­tions when an in­dus­tri­al build­ing is ren­ov­ated by Realdania.
Realdania

Ex­tern­al lec­turer Kon­ser­vat­or­skolen (Det Kon­gelige Aka­demi) , 2018 -

Lec­tures on di­git­al con­ser­va­tion and philo­sophy of sci­ence
Konserveringsuddannelsen

Ex­tern­al co-ex­am­iner in his­tory , 2022 -

Ex­tern­al co-ex­amin­ing in his­tory
Censorportal

Board mem­ber Elle­ham­mer­fonden , 2022 -

The Elle­ham­mer found­a­tion is a grant-mak­ing found­a­tion.
Ellehammerfonden