Every year, Södertörn University awards an honorary doctorate to someone who has made significant contributions to society and culture, promoted the university’s education or research, or in other ways inspired or contributed to its development. For 2026, the Faculty Board at Södertörn University has chosen to award the honorary doctorate to Cas Mudde, Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, US.

“I am truly honoured and humbled to receive an honorary doctorate from Södertörn University. To see myself in a list with such extremely talented and influential scholars as Wendy Brown and Chantal Mouffe is almost surreal,” says Professor Mudde.

Cas Mudde earned his doctorate in political science from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 1998 and is one of the most prominent and influential scholars studying the far right. He has contributed to theoretical development regarding far-right parties and actors, and has analysed their impact on political systems and liberal democracy. His research has been invaluable in understanding the global spread of populism and the far right over recent decades. His academic output is extensive and his books have been translated into 27 languages.

“Cas Mudde is a hugely influential, world-leading researcher on populism and the far-right, and has established collaborations with researchers at Södertörn University. He is thus an important voice of our time and a very suitable candidate for an honorary doctorate at Södertörn University,” says Leif Runefelt, Chair of the Faculty Board.

For Cas Mudde, this honorary doctorate is a welcome recognition of the importance of his work on the radical right at a time when the radical right is being increasingly normalised.

“The sheer fact that a scholar who is openly critical of the far right and its normalisation is honoured is something that, I fear, is no longer so obvious. I doubt many public universities in red states, like mine, would do this in the US,” he says.

Cas Mudde has been interested in the far right since his undergraduate studies. The topic was marginal when he, as a student in Leiden, wrote about the ideology of the extreme right in his doctoral thesis.

“Sadly, neither my research focus nor my research topic has changed that much. Rather, while far-right parties have remained largely the same, their role in society has fundamentally changed. I used to study the margins and now I study the mainstream,” he explains.

In addition to his extensive and groundbreaking academic work, Mudde actively contributes to public debate. He is frequently interviewed in the international media, writes popular science articles, and is a guest columnist in several newspapers, including The Guardian and Aftonbladet. Mudde argues that it is not possible for researchers to be completely neutral, and that it is important to be aware of one’s own biases and how they affect research results.

“At the same time, I think political neutrality makes little sense for scientists, particularly not in a world where the key struggle is increasingly between liberal democrats and authoritarians. After all, science can only function properly in a liberal democratic regime, as authoritarians do not respect academic freedom — as we can see in Hungary, India, or the U.S. right now,” concludes Mudde.

The citation for the award of 2026’s honorary doctorate is:

“Professor Cas Mudde will receive Södertörn University’s honorary doctorate for his influential and groundbreaking research on one of the major issues of our time: the impact of populism, radical right-wing parties, and extremism on liberal democracy. Through his extensive and innovative work, Mudde has been invaluable to our understanding of the global spread of populism and the far right in recent decades. He is also an active participant in public debate and communicates new research to a wider audience, with regular columns in publications such as The Guardian and Aftonbladet.”