Jakob Johan Demant

Short presentation

My research field is on the social contexts of alcohol and drug use, and is situated within the perspectives of youth research, criminology, space and urban studies, and cultural sociology. It involves studies on youth culture, specific drug markets including darkweb/cryptomarkets, student population drug and alcohol use, night time economy regulation and use as well as studies in prevention. I am part of the Culture and Civil Society researcher group (and coordinates this group with Bente Halkier).

Primary fields of research

My research on young adults’ alcohol and drug use is based on a non-pathologic perspective founded within British cultural studies and post-subcultural studies. My main finding is that between teenagers, drinking alcohol becomes a symbolic marker of age and gender. And as such, drinking (and intoxication) becomes a way to include oneself in a mainstream cultural position. Within this frame of everyday sociology, the practice of alcohol use can be understood as an active and creative process equally to being involved in more spectacular subcultures.

Traditionally, alcohol and drug research has had a focus on deviance. However, within my research I have been part of developing perspectives that theorizes alcohol and drug use as “normalized behavior”, “controlled loss of control”, or “calculated hedonism”. Further, my research argue that the dynamics of drug use are related to a wide framework of prevention, taxation, policy of control, public discourses, and the culture of hedonism.  As such, my frame of thinking can be situated within a cultural criminology perspective, and more precisely within leisure studies. In this context, I am interested in developing two lines of research. On the one hand, pleasure and risk, and on the other hand social night life spaces. Furthermore I have taken part in the public debate on drug and alcohol within the mass media, as well as the studies on especially alcohol has become very central in the development of new perspectives to prevention on national and local platforms.

Current research

CRYPTOMARKETS FOR ILLICIT DRUGS. Silk Road operated as a the first well known black market, or “cryptomarket”, primarily for drugs, on what is popularly known as the “darkweb” or “darknet”. At the time of writing, more than 35 marketplaces exist. The project have an interest in understanding the scope of the markets researched in terms of available items, by using user reviews as a proxy for sales to examine the demand in the cryptomarkets. Is buyers in the markets as wholesale, lowlevel dealers or end users? But further we have an interest in how the cryptomarkets transforms crimes both online and offline. Users describe the market as a low risk market. This raises questions of how the markets push to existing offline markets and if the availability of drugs outside the offline markets produces a larger range of safety measures for the end users of the drugs (an harm reduction perspective that is often claimed). An important threat against the functioning of cryptomarkets is the fraud and violence users apply against each other. These offenses appear to be extensions of common crimes into the digital world as there are both rip-offs and robberies. From medio 2016 we will adress the local (national) impact if the markets based on funding from The Ministry of Justice. The project consists of Dr. Demant and MsC Rasmus Andersen as well as a number of associated researcher.

Youth Profile Survey. Ungeprofilundersøgelsen (Partner).General survey covering youth from age 12 to 25 on topics on crime, health and drug and alcohol use. 38 municipalities across Denmark participates and have given 48.403 answers on the first round in 2015. The survey is presented as an instrument for the municipalities in their prevention effort. (2014-)

THE SOCIETAL MEANINGS OF THE INTOXICATED BODY: A QUALITATIVE SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF ALCOHOL INTOXICATION, GENDER, AND YOUNG ADULTS. FSE Grant research: (PI: Geoffrey Hunt, AU and Vibeke Asmussen Frank, AU). Existing research indicates that gender patterns in alcohol consumption may be converging, especially in Denmark where drinking is almost omnipresent and positively related to social events. Given this situation, it becomes important to explore the ways in which a balance can be maintained between the pleasurable and social effects of alcohol with increasing contemporary concerns about heavy alcohol consumption and intoxicated behaviors. Using a qualitative, sociological approach, this proposed project aims to explore gender and intoxication as a prism through which to explore the pleasure/risk/harm nexus of alcohol intoxication. Studies on the alcohol-intoxicated body can provide insights both into gendered consumption of alcohol and the more general paradoxical meanings of the body that fluctuate between notions of controlled consumption and uncontrolled transgressive pleasures.

Young adults, drugs and alcohol – a 10-year longitudinal study (YODA II). Project team: Professor Margaretha Järvinen (PI), professor Peter Gundelach, senior researcher Jeanette Østergaard, researcher Stefan B. Andrade, associate professor Jakob Demant and researcher Signe Ravn. The aim of this longitudinal study is to analyse the development in drinking and illegal drug use from adolescence to young adulthood. The project is a longitudinal study, encompassing both survey and register data. The survey is a continuation of a questionnaire sent to a representative sample of 2.000 15-16-year olds in 2005 and to the same youths when they were 18-19 in 2008. The project is funded by the Rockwool foundation.

CV

CV

Jakob Demant, PhD
8/3 1972
Associate Professor

Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen

Education:

University of Copenhagen, Department of Sociology, PhD 2008.

University of Copenhagen, Department of Sociology, Cand. Scient. Soc. 2003.

University of Copenhagen, Department of Economics, 1th & 2th year. 1993

Research Management Course - Uddannelse for forskningsledere, CBS (2011)

Employment (research):

Associate Professor (2014-). University of Copenhagen, Department of Sociology

Associate Professor (2011-2014). Aarhus University, Department of Psychology, CRF

Assistant Professor (2009-2011), Aarhus University, CRF

Research assistant (2006-2009), Aarhus University, CRF

Research assistant (2003-2006), University of Copenhagen, Department of Sociology,

Positions at Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen:

Leader of the researcher group Culture and civil society at Department of Sociology (2015-)

Member of study board, at Department of Sociology (2016-)

Head of PhD Assessment and employment committee (2015)

Research projects:

Cryptomarkets for Illicit Drugs. (PI: Dr. Jakob Demant) The project have an interest in understanding the scope of the markets and how the cryptomarkets transforms crimes both online and offline. Funded by The Ministry of Justice  (2016-)

Handling of Stolen goods within the general Danish Population (PI: Dr. Heinskou).  Funded by the Crime prevention Council (2015 -2016)

The Societal Meanings of the Intoxicated Body: (PI:Dr.Prof.Geoffrey Hunt, Aarhus University) A Qualitative Sociological Study of Alcohol Intoxication, Gender, and Young Adults (2014-2018).  (2015-)

Young adults, drugs and alcohol – a 10-year longitudinal study (YODA II). (2015-2017)Professor Margaretha Järvinen (PI), professor Peter Gundelach, senior researcher Jeanette Østergaard, researcher Stefan B. Andrade, associate professor Jakob Demant and researcher Signe Ravn. The aim of this longitudinal study is to analyse the development in drinking and illegal drug use from adolescence to young adulthood. The project is funded by the Rockwool Foundation. (ongoing)

Calibrate: European Survey of University Student Alcohol Use. PI: Cooke, R. Aston University, UK. (2014) 
Drugs and Nightlife (YODA – Rockwool-project 2008-2011): (PI: Dr.Prof. Järvinen)Mixed method study on Danish young and young adults’ use of illicit drugs. Project consists of a national representative survey (age 17-19) and a unique mixed method night club study.

Qualitative study on young people’s perceptions of media texts on alcohol (AMPHORA 2010-2012).PI: Dr. Mathilda Helman, University of Helsinki)Aim: collect and compare knowledge on youth within six European Countries. Method: Reception Analytical Group Interview (RAGI). 

Qualitative study of changes within Danish youths’ culture of intoxication (KUFUF 2010-12): (PI: Dr. Jakob Demant)  Aim: to follow up on the PUNA findings on young people’s alcohol intoxication culture. The study applied similar focus group method.

Youth, parties and alcohol (PUNA Rockwool-project 2003-2006): Mixed method study of adolescents drinking behaviour. Three sub studies: An extensive qualitative followup study over three years with 8th t 10^th grade students in different parts of Denmark.

Areas of Scientific expertise:

Studies on youth and young adults, youth crime, cybercrimes, sociological consumption studies and theories, studies in alcohol and other substances, general sociological theory (especially on embodiment, affects, social context, risks and pleasures), theories and studies on gender and sexualities. Demant has published and teaches master causes in mixed methods. His ambition is to develop methods based on state of the art and in the same time tailor them to the specific task. His ability to work with novel methods and move between symbolic and interpretative perspectives, cognitive perspectives, pragmatic perspectives can be found in his publication as well as doctoral supervising.

Member of boards and networks:

TrygFondens Unge+ network. A cross disciplinary research network with the aim at building potential for large scale Tryg foundation funded projects in the arear and youth research. (2016- )

International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research (IDJR), member of editorial board (2014-)

Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (KBS). Member of board (2008-2013):

Centre for Sociological Studies (CESAU). Member of steering group. The center aims to support and develop sociological education and research at Aarhus University. (2009-2014)

Management experience:

Demant have an excellent ability to lead and supervise complicated research projects that involves a number of different disciplines and methods. His former employment in the crossdiciplinary field of alcohol and drug research has involved working with psychology, anthropology and political scientists. Besides leading students, research assistants and PhD students in the projects above I have participated within the CBS Research Management Course (2011).   

Supervision of post-docs and PhD students.

Dr.Martin Davoren, University of Cork, is supervised in his ambition to obtain a post-soc fellowship based on the project “Alcohol Consumption among University Students: Developing a typology to tailor effective research, policy and interventions”. DR. NOA MILMAN

Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology University of Massachusetts, Amherst (USA), in her ambition to obtain an ERC Marie Curie post-doc fellowship.

I have one current PhD student: Jacob Stradell working on Cognitive Sociology. Former PhD students: Merete Poulsen, MSc in Psychology (2012-2015). Thesis title: “Beruselsesfænomener, subjecter og kroppe. Rusmiddelbrug blandt kvinder I forhold til kvinder”, AU. It is a qualitative study infomed primaily with post-structural and posthumanistisk theory; Ditte Andersen, MSc in Sociology (2011-2014). Title: “Change work in drug treatment for young people: A micro-sociological investigation of interactions intended to transform”. The study is based on ethnographic work and qualitative interviews in drug treatment institutions with young people. Visiting PhD-scholars: Josefin Bernhardsson, University of Stockholm, Feminist study of youth drinking (spring 2013) & Ella Dilkes-Frayne, Monash University, Melbourne (Summer 2013).

Examinations of PhD dissertations: Kirstin Bruvik, Oslo University, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, “Everybody is drunk Street-level alcohol policy in Oslo”; Josefine Bernhardsson, University of Stockholm, Department of Sociology, “Normalitetens gräenser. En fokusgruppestudie om alkoholkultur(er), genus- och åldersskapande”; Nicola Thomson, Curtin University, Faculty of Health Science, Australia, “Making Methamphetamine: Enacting a Drug and its Consumers in Scientific Accounts, Personal Narratives and Service Provision”; Silje Louise Dahl, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap, “Ein forskjell som gjer ein forskjell? Forteljingar om cannabisbruk”.

Peer-review work for the following journals:

Qualitative Sociology; Health Risk and Society; Body & Society; Urban Studies (Environment and planning D); Journal of Youth Studies; Addiction; Distinktion; Young. Nordic Journal for Youth studies; Drug and Alcohol review; Drugs. Education, Prevention and Policy; Scandinavian Journal of Public Health; Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; BMC Psychiatry; Alcohol and Alcoholism; Mediekultur; Kvinder, Køn & Forskning; Dansk Sociologi; Forskning i Sygdom og Samfund

Impact:

Demant has over 60 publications including: 2 books; 45 peer-reviewed journal articles. His google scholar profile shows 540 citations, with an h-index of 13 and an i10-index of 14 (at 02 August 2016). Within a Danish context Demant has ben central in informing policies and prevention strategies regarding alcohol in youth. He has been partaking in meetings with Minister of health and relevant organizations as Kræftens Bekæmpelse, Kommunerns Landsforning, SSP samrådet ect. He has further been an frequent invited speaker and workshops organizer in the field of alcohol and drug prevention within the municipalities in Denmark.