Noemi Katznelson: Back in the day, the research we do at the Centre for Youth Research was viewed as prostituting ourselves

By Lea Laursen Pasgaard, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Press photo. Graphics: Søren Emil Søe Degn

Noemi Katznelson had never dreamed of becoming a researcher. As in not at all. But in her studies in pedagogy and history, she became interested in the dawning youth of the post-war years. They chewed Stimorol gum, drank Coca Cola and styled their hair in a ducktail. They were actually referred to as 'Youth'.

"I myself was fumbling about enormously in my youth, and it was actually that exploration that drove me into the field of youth research after having spent time as an apprentice gardener and as an actor. It grew on me, and of course there were also coincidences," says Noemi Katznelson about her path into the world of research.

Ever since, youth research has been the focal point of Noemi Katznelson's working life. Today, she is a professor and head of the Centre for Youth Research in the Department of Culture and Learning at Aalborg University.

An entirely new look at youth research

When Noemi Katznelson finished her thesis in pedagogy at Roskilde University Centre (RUC) in 1996, she became part of an international research project on marginalized youth in various European countries. One of the people she wrote the project with was involved in the opening of a centre for youth research at RUC. Here, they approached youth research in a completely new way, which she found really exciting and wanted to be a part of. Young people's own voices were used much more systematically and to a much greater extent than before.

Noemi Katznelson has been a part of the Centre for Youth Research since it was created in 2000. The research has always been very practice-oriented and aimed at helping and supporting various work with young people in practice.

The right match

In 2013, the Centre for Youth Research became part of AAU, and Noemi Katznelson believes that it has been the right match.

"AAU's mission to create Knowledge for the World is exactly what the centre is all about. The Centre for Youth Research’s justification and presence in the world is about – effectively – making a difference for young people. And this focus is well suited to the approach to research and education that exists at AAU. It means a great deal to have an environment and framework around you that supports, thinks along the same lines and understands what you want," says the youth researcher.

With the move to AAU, the research group has received a completely different kind of attention than before. Her experience is that the road to senior management has become shorter in many contexts, and that AAU appreciates the centre's strong ties to institutions, organisations and companies. Still, it has also taken some time to get used to suddenly finding yourself 'in the eye of the storm’. Something that is of course also related to the fact that young people's well-being is now on the political agenda.

Increased strategic management

When Noemi Katznelson is asked to describe how AAU has changed over time, she mentions, for example, the increased strategic management of the university. This can be found both at AAU and in the university world in general, she believes. At AAU, this focus has most recently resulted in a new strategy for the university to work in a mission-oriented way.

The professor understands the reasons for the development and largely shares the ambition that our knowledge should contribute to solving societal problems, but also believes that it is a difficult balance.

"On the one hand, I think there is an obvious need to have overarching, unifying ideas for the kinds of challenges we want AAU to help solve. On the other hand, research is also constantly tasked with disrupting and pushing 'society's' notions of what the challenges actually are and how to work on them," explains Noemi Katznelson.

The professor therefore believes it is important that the university’s governance be a kind of framework that supports and makes room for research to both speak to societal problems, but also push them.

"I really understand the university's mission-oriented mindset and share the desire to make a difference and set a strategic course. In many ways, this is exactly the way we work. But at the same time, our missions at the Centre for Youth Research are in a sense growing 'from below' because of our continuous contact with the outside world, and we have always been driven to go toward where we see movement," she says.

The role of universities is changing

Noemi Katznelson finds that general attitudes toward the role universities should play in society is changing. So is the perception of what useful research is.

"At the Centre for Youth Research we have always conducted what I would call world-oriented research, and I remember sitting in meetings with management at other universities who viewed my and our type of research as prostituting ourselves. At that time, good, proper research was research that did not have an immediate application," she says.

The professor believes that the centre has had time on its side, because today many are interested in the way the Centre for Youth Research collaborates with the outside world. Both within and outside academia.

Maintain the breadth of AAU

Noemi Katznelson hopes for AAU that the university will be able to keep up with the times and remain relevant – even in 50 years' time.

"My hope is that in the future we will be a university that is a relevant partner in the great division of labour that exists in society. And that we are in all scientific main areas," says Noemi Katznelson.

The business community is crying out for more STEM graduates, and politicians also have many opinions on what universities should prioritize. Therefore, her worst-case scenario is that AAU choose the narrow path and ends up reduced to a highly application-oriented, but primarily natural sciences and technical university.

"With the development we’re seeing, I believe a major task for the university is finding out how we avoid the social sciences and humanities simply being reduced to attributes or 'supporters' of a strong engineering university," says Noemi Katznelson.

She believes that the university must continue to strengthen its already very strong position as a university, but that we must be ambitious in all areas.

"If we are to be a driving force and a leader in Social Sciences and Humanities, then we need to prioritize this – not least in times of societal pressure. And the pendulum will swing – social science and humanities knowledge will once again experience increased demand, and then we must be there and get strong knowledge environments going," she states.