1. Jan Lundius, Ph.D.
Kolonivägen 26
280 20 Bjärnum
Sweden
E-mail: janlundius@hotmail.com
CURRICULUM VITAE
Citizenship: Swedish
Marital Status: Married, two daughters
Languages written and spoken: Swedish (Danish, Norwegian), English and Spanish. Good
working knowledge of Italian, German and French.
I count upon a varied experience from working with global development in the field, as well as
within HQs at various UN-agencies, NGOs and the Swedish International Development Co-
operation Agency (Sida). Through my work I have met and worked with political, professional,
governmental, and philanthropic leaders in the Nordic Countries, as well as in several countries
of Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. While I worked for Sida, part of my job was to be
informed about and report on development efforts supported by development co-operation
agnecies of Norway, Denmark and Finland.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
International Co-operation:
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Rome 2016. Giving an account of and
analysing IFAD´s work in Latin America and the Caribbean during the last thirty years and presenting the results in a
booklet - Why is IFAD Presence Needed in the Latin American and Caribbean Region (LAC)?
WFP (World Food Program), Rome 2013. Preparing and writing of WFP’s reporting on the UN System-
Wide Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Paris
2009-2012. Programme Specialist. Working at the Executive Office of UNESCO’s Culture Sector and for the
Division for Gender Equality, my tasks were among others to mainstream gender in culture and development
programs, as well as the elaboration of training modules for promoting gender equality in intangible and tangible
cultural heritage activities. I also worked with Indigenous Peoples representatives and participated in inter-faith
dialogue, highlighting the importance of including ethics in development work.
Field missions included: planning of a research program to address gender based violence in DR Congo and Central
Africa; gender and cultural sensitivity training for UNESCO office staff in Iraq, Jordan, India, Nepal, Vietnam and
Brazil.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Rome 2009. Participating in
the preparation of a FAO publication: The State of Food and Agriculture 2010 and the writing of a background paper
The role of culture in determining gender roles in agriculture. The paper of which some parts were later published as
an article ‘Westernised gender research, European history and development”.
ESDCO (Environment and Social Development Company - SARL). Mali, 2008 - 2009 The
elaboration of an Action and Development Plan for the compensation of 30 500 persons whose livelihood would be
affected by land expropriation and sugar production in the Markala district of Mali. The Plan was based on ESDCO’s
and my own field studies among the Mandé and Peul in the Markala region: Plan de reinstallation du projet sucrier

2. de Markala.
FAO, 2008. Participated in the preparation, co-ordination and writing of a draft FAO policy on Indigenous
Peoples.
WFP 2008. Editing and writing parts of a WFP publication: World Hunger Series: Hunger and Markets.
FAO, 2007. Preparation and writing of an essay dealing with current equity issues and agricultural development:
A Review Paper on the Main Anthropological Issues Related to Gender and Social Equity in Agriculture and Rural
Development.
OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), 2007. The
writing of country gender profiles (among them Central Africa Republic and Sudan) in preparation for the
deployment of inter-agency gender consultants participating in the GenCap initiative, which seeks to build capacity
of humanitarian actors at country level to mainstream gender equality programming.
UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), 2004. Assisting staff of an agricultural
development project in Izabal (Guatemala) to address gender issues in final project reporting. Organising workshops
to instruct and train staff on how to collect sex-disaggregated data.
CODERSA (Consultores para el desarrollo rural sostenible), Guatemala, 2004. Carrying out of
field research on impact of gender mainstreaming measures in rural development projects in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
UNOPS, 2003. Assisting staff of an agricultural development project in Zacapa/Chiquimula (Guatemala) to
address gender issues in final project reporting.
CODERSA, 2003. Preparation and writing of a study of sustainable agro-forestry in Petén, Guatemala.
Sociedad, manejo forestal y género en la Reserva de la Biosfera Maya del Petén.
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2003. Preparation of a base study related to sociological aspects of a
project intended to control drifting sand dunes and the growth of salt lakes within the Siwa oasis of Egypt.
Department for Research Cooperation (SAREC) at the Swedish International Development
Co-operation Agency (Sida), Stockholm, 1999-2004. Senior Research Officer, In charge of scientific
cooperation with universities and research institutes in Latin America and Africa. Supervising SAREC’s group for
social sciences and humanities (8 persons). Responsible for gender issues and attending to social aspects of the
HIV/AIDS pandemic.
My work included contacts with decision makers in Sweden, as well as partners in development in the Nordic
countries. I also travelled widely in Latin America, and to a certain degree in Africa, to negotiate research programs
with ministries, universities and various research institutes. I was also in charge of coordinating the implementation
of a Pan African Environmental Archaeology Program.
I met and worked with political, professional, governmental, and philanthropic leaders in Stockholm and Europe
(The Hague and Geneva) at both national and global level. Part of my job was to be informed about and report on
dvelopment efforts supported by development co-operation agnecies of Norway, Denmark and Finland.
While living in Stockholm I was member of the working group for Culture, Security and Sustainable Development
of Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (the Centenarian Fund of the Swedish National Bank), a fund providing resources to
educational and cultural activities.
IFAD 1997-1998. The writing of a book based on fieldwork in Ecuador, presenting an assessment of a
development project’s impact on female and male beneficiaries, describing socio-economic and gendered realities.
Preparation of a project evaluation profile of a Nepali project dealing with the subleasing of degraded forestland.
Report: Hills Leasehold and Forage Development in Nepal - Some aspects of community development and
development service delivery. I also participated in the preparation of an evaluation of all Nepali IFAD projects.
Preparation, compilation and writing of IFAD’s Annual Report. Preparation of a participatory workshop in Bhutan for
reviewing the first phase of an agricultural project and preparing the guidelines for a second phase. Field research
and the publication of a book reflecting gendered realities in a rural development project in Guatemala. Preparation
of a document on the social and cultural environment of IFAD’s target population in the Dominican Republic.
Report: Descripción breve del campesinado en los valles de San Juan y Neiba en la República Dominican.
UNDP (United Nations Development Program, 1995. Field studies to analyse the impact of a regional
development programme (PRODERE) among indigenous communities in a post-conflict area (Ixil and Ixcan) in
Guatemala.

3. Teaching Experience:
University:
Lecturer, Sapienza University, Rome, 2009. I co-developed the curricula, as well a supervising students
and lecturing within an international masters course “Applied Anthropology and Development”, involving young
professionals from various developing countries. For this course I also wrote and published a paper: “Westernised
gender research, European history and development”.
During 2016, I have lectured on various development issues at the Political Science Department at John Cabot
University in Rome.
Lund University and Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden, 1988-1998 Research Fellow.
Conducting seminars, supervising the presentation and preparation of master theses. Carrying out a research project
on effects of local socio-economic changes on rural communities in the Caribbean. Occasional lectures at Lund
University and at New York University.
Universitá degli Studi ‘G. D’Annunzio’, Chieti, Italy, 1998. Lecturer. Teaching and supervising
students at the bachelor and masters levels in Sociology of Religions.
Universidad Católica de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1983. Lecturer.
At this recently founded Catholic University I was in charge of preparing and implementing the curriculum for
Comparative Religion and History of Art.
High School:
Hässleholms Tekniska Skola, Hässleholm, Sweden, 2014-2015. I taught English and Swedish within
the school´s international program.
Smålandsgymnasiet, Växjö, Sweden, 2013-2014.English, Swedish and Religion. I also served as mentor
to students of pedagogy from the Linné University of Växjö, during their internship at the school.
Linnéskolans Gymnasium, Hässleholm, Sweden, 1995-96. Religion, Swedish, English and Social
Studies
United Nations International School, Hanoi, Vietnam, 1992-93. Head teacher of Social Studies and
English. While in Vietnam, I also lectured at the Institute for Foreign Relations in Hanoi.
Pildammsskolans Gymnasium, Malmö, Sweden, 1984-88. Religion, Swedish, English and Social
Studies
From 1977 to 1982, I held various positions as high school teacher and teacher for adults in different schools in
Sweden, teaching subjects like Religion, English, Swedish, German, Geography and Art.
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. History of Religions, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 1994. History of Religions is a multi-
disciplinary subject, including a wide range of topics essential for in-depth studies of the world’s different religions.
My research mainly dealt with rural religious beliefs and rituals considered as reflections of how members of certain
communities adapt themselves to thorough socio-economic changes.
Ph.D. studies at Lund University, 1988-92. Fieldwork and research on peasant societies in the Dominican
Republic, Haiti, Guatemala and Vietnam. The research was funded by SIDA (the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency). Working papers and research reports were presented at seminars in Sweden, the Dominican
Republic, England, the Netherlands and Costa Rica.
Teachers’ certificate, Malmö University, Sweden, 1978-79. High school and college levels in
Comparative Religion, Literature and Linguistics.
Candidate of Philosophy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 1974-78. A Candidate of Philosophy
consists of a minimum of 120 points. My degree contains 260 points, including History of Religions, Linguistics
(including Danish and Norwegian), Social Anthropology, History of World Literature, Art History, Drama, Theatre
and Film.
Development training:
2007: International Workshop for Gender Advisers in Humanitarian Action, Geneva.
- Workshop for Emergency Management (WEM), for UNHCR’s Emergency Response Team,

4. Starum, Norway.
PUBLISHED WORKS
Scholarly works
Books:
Mishqui-yacu, Sweet Water: The story of a development project carried out with the
indigenous peoples of Ecuador. IFAD: Rome, 2001. A description of a development project in the
Ecuadorian highlands, focusing on the struggle to control water sources for irrigation.
Peasants and Religion: A socio-economic study of Dios Olivorio and the Palma Sola
Movement in the Dominican Republic. Routledge: London and New York, 2000. (Written in
collaboration with Mats Lundahl). A multi-faceted study of the impact of modernization processes on a rural
area. The book is written together with a professor of economics and presents in-depth descriptions of the socio-
economic conditions of rural communities and their local religion.
PROZACHI: La historia de un proyecto para el desarollo de pequeños productores en Zacapa
y Chiquimula. IFAD: Rome,1998.A book dealing with an IFAD sponsored agricultural project, including the
history, geography and socio-economic issues of the area.
The Great Power of God in San Juan Valley: Syncretism and Messianism in the Dominican
Republic. Almquist & Wiksell International: Stockholm, 1994.Based on extensive filed work, a local
messianic peasant religion is related to its immediate environment, as well as the geographic, historical and socio-
economic factors that have been crucial for its development. Comparisons are made between similar phenomena in
other regions of the world. A variety of socio-religious concepts are explained and a historical analysis is presented,
tracing their roots in different cultures.
Articles:
‘Westernised gender research, European history and development’ in Ciccodiola, Floriana and
Palmeri, Paolo (eds.) Practising Anthropology in Development processes: New perspectives for
a radical anthropology. Edizioni Nuova Cultura: Rome, 2012. An historical-anthropological analysis of
how a common, globalised development agenda finds its origins within a specific European cultural tradition that has
evolved from unique cultural practices and patterns of resource utilisation.
‘El éxito y el fracaso del movimiento olivorista: los factores económicos fundamentales’ (in
collaboration with Mats Lundahl), in Davis, Martha Ellen (ed.) La ruta hacia Liborio.
Mesianismo en el sur profundo dominicano. Editora Manatí: Santo Domingo, 2004. This article
focuses on the economic reasons for the emergence of a messianic cult in the Dominican Republic.
‘Olivorio Mateo, en dominikansk bondegud’, Svensk Religionshistorisk Årsskrift, 1997. An essay
stressing the importance of local knowledge while investigating broad socio-religious concepts like messianism and
millenarism.
‘Rural Cofradias: A Comparative Study of Syncretism, Fertility Beliefs and Communal Worship
among Peasants in Medieval Europe, the Dominican Republic and the Mayan Regions of Central
America.’ Ibero Americana: Nordic Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 23, Nos. 1-2,
1993. The influential institution of Catholic cofradias (religious brotherhoods) is illustrated with examples from
Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, gathered from extensive fieldwork among rural populations in both
countries. The European origins and development of cofradias are described and related to the emergence of similar
brotherhoods among Mayan Indians and West African populations.
‘Socio-Economic Foundations of a Messianic Cult: Olivorismo in the Dominican Republic’ (in
collaboration with Mats Lundahl), in Lundahl, Mats and Svensson, Tommy (eds.) Agrarian
Society in History: Essays in Honour of Magnus Mörner. Routledge: New York and London,
1990. The emergence of local religious concepts is related to the economic and social realities of a particular rural

5. setting.
‘Voodoo, Hispanidad and Noirisme: Popular Religion and the Search for Cultural Identity in the
Dominican Republic and Haiti’ Minor Field Studies Series. Department of Economics, Lund
University: Lund, Sweden, 1990. An essay describing how religious concepts and various prejudices have
been used to forge a ‘nationalistic mentality’ among the inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola, divided between
Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
‘Olivorio Mateo: Vida y muerte de un dios campesino’ (in collaboration with Mats Lundahl).
Estudios Sociales, Vol. 23, No. 76, 1989. A biographical essay about a religious peasant leader who, at the
beginning of this century, was active in rural and isolated parts of the Dominican Republic. After his death, he
became a god for several of the inhabitants in the area.
Literary essays:
”Charles Dickens och minnets plågor” (Charles Dickens and the Agony of Memories) Bakhåll:
Lund, 2016. Afterword for a Swedish edition of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol.
“Olivorism”, in Westerlund, David (ed.) Vodou, santeria, olivorism. Makadam: Gothenburg,
2006. Description of a visit to a rural, cultic centre and a demonstration of various cultural layers related to a rural,
fertility cult.
”Reality made abstract: the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre as an aesthetic
phenomenon”, in Lundmark, Fredrik (ed.) Culture, Security and Sustainable Social
Development after September 11. Gidlunds: Stockholm, 2003. An essay of how violence has been
aesthetized in Occidental culture and how this has been mirrored by various reactions in connection with the
destruction of the Twin Towers. The text was a contribution to an anthology written by members of The Working
Group for Culture, Security and Sustainable Development of the Centenarian Fund of the Swedish National Bank.
‘Händer’ (Hands), in Artes: Quarterly Review of the Swedish Academy and the Academies of
Music and Fine Arts. No.3, Vol. 23, 1997. An essay describing concepts related to the ‘power of hands’ in
classical Syrian and Roman religions. The important role of hands in popular Catholicism, Voodoo, Islam and
Buddhism is also dealt with.
Fiction:
Beskyddaren (The Protector), a novel Bakhåll: Lund, Sweden, 2011.
Kommer strax in på spår fyra (Arriving at Track 4), Bakhåll, 2009
Ensamma Män (Lonely Men), a novel. Bakhåll, 2000.
Förförelsen (The Seduction), a novel. Bakhåll, 1999.
Alfio Scandurra, a novel. Bo Cavefors Bokförlag: Lund, 1975.
Movie scripts:
En gammal kärlek (An Old Love), bought by ‘Pictures in Motion’ (a Swedish Production Company) in
1996.
Stagnelius, bought by the Swedish Television in 1988.
Sacre de Printemps, bought by the Swedish Film Institute in 1986.
Web site:
www.inspiteofitall.se
A bi-lingual site (English and Swedish). The essays deal with history, art, religion, politics and current issues.
References may be provided if requested.
Bjänum, Sweden, 2 January 2017
Jan Lundius

6. setting.
‘Voodoo, Hispanidad and Noirisme: Popular Religion and the Search for Cultural Identity in the
Dominican Republic and Haiti’ Minor Field Studies Series. Department of Economics, Lund
University: Lund, Sweden, 1990. An essay describing how religious concepts and various prejudices have
been used to forge a ‘nationalistic mentality’ among the inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola, divided between
Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
‘Olivorio Mateo: Vida y muerte de un dios campesino’ (in collaboration with Mats Lundahl).
Estudios Sociales, Vol. 23, No. 76, 1989. A biographical essay about a religious peasant leader who, at the
beginning of this century, was active in rural and isolated parts of the Dominican Republic. After his death, he
became a god for several of the inhabitants in the area.
Literary essays:
”Charles Dickens och minnets plågor” (Charles Dickens and the Agony of Memories) Bakhåll:
Lund, 2016. Afterword for a Swedish edition of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol.
“Olivorism”, in Westerlund, David (ed.) Vodou, santeria, olivorism. Makadam: Gothenburg,
2006. Description of a visit to a rural, cultic centre and a demonstration of various cultural layers related to a rural,
fertility cult.
”Reality made abstract: the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre as an aesthetic
phenomenon”, in Lundmark, Fredrik (ed.) Culture, Security and Sustainable Social
Development after September 11. Gidlunds: Stockholm, 2003. An essay of how violence has been
aesthetized in Occidental culture and how this has been mirrored by various reactions in connection with the
destruction of the Twin Towers. The text was a contribution to an anthology written by members of The Working
Group for Culture, Security and Sustainable Development of the Centenarian Fund of the Swedish National Bank.
‘Händer’ (Hands), in Artes: Quarterly Review of the Swedish Academy and the Academies of
Music and Fine Arts. No.3, Vol. 23, 1997. An essay describing concepts related to the ‘power of hands’ in
classical Syrian and Roman religions. The important role of hands in popular Catholicism, Voodoo, Islam and
Buddhism is also dealt with.
Fiction:
Beskyddaren (The Protector), a novel Bakhåll: Lund, Sweden, 2011.
Kommer strax in på spår fyra (Arriving at Track 4), Bakhåll, 2009
Ensamma Män (Lonely Men), a novel. Bakhåll, 2000.
Förförelsen (The Seduction), a novel. Bakhåll, 1999.
Alfio Scandurra, a novel. Bo Cavefors Bokförlag: Lund, 1975.
Movie scripts:
En gammal kärlek (An Old Love), bought by ‘Pictures in Motion’ (a Swedish Production Company) in
1996.
Stagnelius, bought by the Swedish Television in 1988.
Sacre de Printemps, bought by the Swedish Film Institute in 1986.
Web site:
www.inspiteofitall.se
A bi-lingual site (English and Swedish). The essays deal with history, art, religion, politics and current issues.
References may be provided if requested.
Bjänum, Sweden, 2 January 2017
Jan Lundius