She teaches political science and peace and conflict studies and supervises BA, MA as well as Ph.D. thesis. She has also been teaching at Fudan University, Shanghai, where she lectures yearly on international diplomacy, and at Trapca, Arusha Tanzania where she lectures on international trade negotiations.

During the fall of 2011, Björkdahl was senior research fellow at the National Centre for Research on Europe, Canterbury University, New Zealand on the KEEENZ-mobility project, funded by the European Commission. She was also a research fellow at the Centre for International Studies, Cambridge University in 2000-2002. Björkdahl has worked for the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as well as for the United Nations.

Among her recent publications are Rethinking Peacebuilding: The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkans, (2012) Routledge, (co-ed with K. Aggestam), War and Peace in Transition (co-edited with K. Aggestam, 2009)  ”A Gender-Just Peace: Exploring the Post-Dayton Peace Process”, Journal of Peace and Change, April 2012 and ”The EU Administration of the divided Bosnian city of Mostar: Implications for EUs evolving peacebuilding approach”, Australian-New Zealand Journal of European Studies, 2012 4(1): pp. 2-17. Most recently she published the article "Towards a reflexive study of norms, norm diffusion and identity (re)construction: The transformative power of the EU in the Western Balkans in Canterbury Law Review 2012. 

She has also published articles in journals such as Journal of European Public Policy, Cooperation and Conflict, International Peacekeeping, Cambridge Review of International Affairs. She is currently working on a research monograph on Urban Peacebuilding in Divided Cities.

Research interests

• Peacebuilding in divided cities 
• Peacebuilding, transitional justice and gender-just peace 
• Conflict Prevention, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding 
• Global Norms and local practices 
• Small states in international relations
• Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo) 
• United Nations 
• European Union

Within Peace and Conflict studies she researches the role of international organizations in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding in the western Balkans. She is particularly concern with the interplay between international and local actors in post-conflict peacebuilding and the localization of internationally sponsored peace agreements. Her recent research expands on this as she unpacks the multidimensionality of peacebuilding  as an object of knowledge, and conceptually develops the notion of urban peacebuilding to reconcile divisions in contested cities cities such as Mostar, Mitrovica, Belfast and Nicosia. Björkdahl's research also includes a gender dimension as she explores gendered hierarchies of peacebuilding and the absence of women in the peace process which creates a “peace gap” that is gendered, and the challenges of building a gender-just peace.

Björkdahl’s research on small states in international relations discusses small state strategies such as norm advocacy and norm entrepreneurship as ways for small states to punch above their weight also in areas which are deemed to be high politics such as peace and security and the domain of great powers. She has focused on tracing Sweden's influence as a norm entrepreneur and norm advocate within the UN and the EU.

On the theme ideas and norms in IR, Björkdahl's research has explored theoretically and methodologically the role of ideas and norms in IR. A recurrent theme in much of her research is the friction between global norms and local practices as norms travel across borders and are changed and charged by their travel. Particular attention has been paid to the EU and its efforts to export the norms and values that guide the internal interaction of the EU member states through its enlargement processes, neighborhood policies, aid and development programs, CSDP and its civilian and military missions.

Among her recent publications is Rethinking Peacebuilding: The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkans, (2012) Routledge, (co-ed with K. Aggestam), War and Peace in Transition (co-edited with K. Aggestam, 2009)  and she has published articles in journal such as Peace and Change, Journal of European Public Policy, International Peacekeeping, Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

Björkdahl was recently rewarded two grants by SIDA for 1) Contested Cities: Challenges to Peacebuilding and Development and 2) Gender-Just Peace and Transitional Justice" for three years starting in 2013. The research projects are in collaboration with Uppsala University and Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

Björkdahl is currently project leader of the collaborative project a) Contested Administrations - Conflict Resolution and the Improvement of Democracy, b) Divided Cities a Challenge to Development and Peacebuilding and c) Transitional Justice and Gender Just Peace. At the same time she is completing in the collaborative research project Precarious Peacebuilding with Gothenburg Unviersity, Uppsala University and Swedish Institute of International Affairs. She was also project manager for the research project on just and durable peace within EU:s 7^th Framework Programme completed 2011.

Ongoing and Completed Research Projects

“Divided Cities: Challenges to Peacebuilding and Development", (2013-2015) a collaborative research project with Uppsala University and Swedish Institute of International Affairs funded SIDA, Project-leader Annika Björkdahl.

"The Effects of Urban Peacebuilding in and from Divided Cities", (2013), a collaborative experimental research project, funded by Georgia State University, lead by Henry Carey.

"Gender-Just Peace and Transitional Justice", (2013-2015) a collaborative research project with Uppsala University and Swedish Institute of International Affairs funded SIDA, Co-project leader Annika Björkdahl.

"Contested Administrations: Conflict resolution and the improvement of democracy” (2012-2015) a collaborative research project with Roskilde University, funded by the Swedish Research Council, Project-leader Annika Björkdahl.

"Prearious Peacebuilding" (2011-2013) in cooperation with Uppsala University, Gothernburg University and Swedish Institute of International Affairs, funded by SIDA.

Completed projects

"Just and Durable Peace", (2008-2011) international project coordinated by Associate professor Karin Aggestam and project manager Associate Professor Annika Björkdahl at the Department of Political Science, Lund University.

"State, Conflict and Democracy: How can the interests of peace and democraacy be jointly served in state reconstruction". International conference held in Lund 12-13 May 2006. hhtp:://www.svet.lu.se/conference.index.html.

“New Ways to Influence International Politics: New Roles for the EU?” (2003-2006) Led by Professor Ole Elgström, Department of Political Science, Lund University, financed by SIEPS.

“Cosmopolit: World Images, Institutions and Personal Orientations in Global Society”, (2003-2007) an inter-diciplinary research project with anthropologists, sociologists, historians and political scientists. Lead by Professor Ulf Hannerz, financed by The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation

”Conflict Prevention: analysis, policies and practices”. International Conference held in Lund the 8th-9th of May 2003.

Dissertation project ”From Idea to Norm – Promoting Conflict Prevention”, completed 2002.

”Future Challenges to Conflict Prevention – How can the EU contribute?” a joint researchproject with Dr. Gunnar Sjöstedt Swedish Institute of International Affairs, published a report 2001, and a conference in Paris May 2001.

“Conflict prevention - In search of political will, strategies and effective tools” conference organized by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs to be held at Krusenberg castle, Stockholm.

”Developing a Culture of Prevention”, A joint Swedish-Canadian research project led by Professor W.A. Knight, University of Alberta, financed by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.(Completed)

"Attitudes and identity within the EU" and "Yes to Europe and No to the EU". Research commmissioned by Swedish Carrefour. (completed)

Subproject of Arena (Advanced Research in the Europeanisation of the Nation-State) led by Professor Magnus Jerneck, financed by the Nordic Research Council. (completed).

She also teaches the following courses (not during this semester):

International Politics (STV 001)
This is a 5-point course in Political Science 1-20 p. It discusses some of the main theoretical schools of international relations. The international system is analyzed and problems concerning international security, international political economy and relations between "North" and "South" is given particular attention. Different international actors and the interaction between them are analyzed, and the problems and prospect of conflict and cooperation is discussed. This course is given in Swedish.

Diplomacy, Negotiation and Mediation (STV 003)
This is a 5-point (7,5 ECTS Credits) optional course in Political Science 41-60 p. The course will introduce and elaborate on diplomatic practice, such as negotiation and mediation. Central issues to be discussed and compared are bilateral and multilateral tracks of diplomacy, defining characteristics of economic diplomacy, summitry, crisis diplomacy and cultural differences in international negotiation. Practice and strategies will be linked to various diplomatic actors, such as states, IGOs, NGOs official and unofficial diplomats. The course stresses the linkage between theory and practice in international relations. It is also one of the departments "web courses", which means that some information, e.g. schedules and certain assignments, will be available only via this medium. This course is given in English.

Peacebuilding, democratization and Development (FKVA21:2) This is a peace and conflict course comprising 7,5 hp exploring the interface between these three often parallel processes in postwar societies. It is a multidisciplinary course taught in Swedish.

UN, International Law and Violent Conflict (FKV11:3) This is a peace and conflict course comprising 7,5 hp exploring the role of international law and the UN in contemporary conflicts. It analysis the tension between state interests and humanitarian concerns. The interface between the founding ideas of the UN-system and the UN in practice is analyzed. It is a multi-disciplinary course taught in Swedish.

War and Peace in a World in Transition (STVN08) This is a peace and conflict/political science selective Masters course 15 hp that aims to provide a theoretical and empirical orientation of different explanations and analyses of contemporary wars and attempts to achieve a more peaceful world. The course highlights theoretically how war as an institution is transformed and what consequences this alteration has on warfare, security and peace support operations in different parts of the world. Various theoretical perspectives are discussed and evaluated. Particular emphasis is placed on the interplay between normative assumptions about war and peace and how these ideas affect issues, such as legitimacy, justice and security.

 Moreover, the course addresses peace in practice through empirical analyses about specific peace-building models and peacemaking strategies in such regions as Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans. The linkage between civilian and military dimensions, and the variation of strategies among actors (states, intergovernmental, non-governmental) in peace support operations are highlighted. Through case studies, the students will be able to generate knowledge and insights about specific circumstances of war and the possibilities as well as the restraints that exist in peacemaking efforts.

War and Peace in the Western Balkans (FKVB22) This is a peace and conflict/political science selective course 7 hp that introduces and elaborates on various theoretical perspectives of war and peace in the Western Balkan conflicts. Central issues discussed and compared over time are (1) the causes of the conflict, such as identity, nationalism, religion, territory and great power politics (2) the international community’s role as well as the role of local actors in peace-building and state-building highlighting the various agreements, third parties, the roles of mediators and the implementation of peace accords; and (3) conflict resolution, visions of peace and various solutions, such as independence, power-sharing, international administration, EU-membership, regional cooperation.

Peace Security and Development (15 hp) Ph.D. course at Global Political Studies, Gothenburg University.

Annika Björkdahl also teaches at Fudan University, Shanghai, China, and at trapca, Arusha, Tanzania.

She supervises BA and Master’s thesis in Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Science and Human Rights.

She also supervise four Ph.D. candidates.