Publications
Peer-reviewed Journal Article
PhD Thesis
Monograph
Book Chapter
Erdal, Marta Bivand (2018)
Å våge å være norske sammen, in Henrik Syse, ed.,
Norge etter 22. juli: Forhandlinger om verdier, identiteter og et motstandsdyktig samfunn. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk (27–46).
Syse, Henrik (2018)
Forord: Syv år etter, in Henrik Syse, ed.,
Norge etter 22. juli: Forhandlinger om verdier, identiteter og et motstandsdyktig samfunn. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk (9–13).
Syse, Henrik (2018)
Hva er egentlig verdier?, in Henrik Syse, ed.,
Norge etter 22. juli: Forhandlinger om verdier, identiteter og et motstandsdyktig samfunn. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk (15–26).
Kolås, Åshild (2018)
Forståelsen av 22. juli [Understanding 22 July], in Henrik Syse, ed.,
Norge etter 22. juli: Forhandlinger om verdier, identiteter og et motstandsdyktig samfunn [Norway After July 22, 2011 Negotiating values, identities and a resilient society]. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk (109–125).
Kaufmann, Mareile (2018)
Programming and editing resilience?, in Henrik Syse, ed.,
Norge etter 22. juli: Forhandlinger om verdier, identiteter og et motstandsdyktig samfunn. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk (177–191).
Borchgrevink, Kaja & Marta Bivand Erdal (2017)
The Circulation of Transnational Islamic Charity, in Nowicka, Magdalena; & Vojin Šerbedžija, eds,
Migration and Social Remittances in a Global Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (259–280).
Bellanova, Rocco; Stine Bergersen; Maral Mirshahi; Marit Moe-Pryce & J. Peter Burgess (2017)
Exercising Access Rights in Norway, in Norris, Clive; Paul De Hert; Xavier L'Hoiry; & Antonella Galetta, eds,
The Unaccountable State of Surveillance. Exercising Access Rights in Europe. Dordrecht: Springer (257–296).
Ezzati, Rojan Tordhol & Cindy Horst (2014)
Norwegian collaboration with diasporas, in Laakso, Liisa; & Petri Hautaniemi, eds,
Diasporas, Development and Peacemaking in the Horn of Africa. London/New York: Zed Books.
Bøckman, Harald (1994)
A Historical Sketch of Sinology in Norway, in Weddelsborg, Anne; & Stig Thøgersen, eds,
Chinese Studies in the Nordic Countries. Survey no. 3. Europe: European Association of Chinese Studies (57–61).
Tunander, Ola (1992)
New European dividing lines?, in Valter Angel, ed.,
Norway Facing a Changing Europe - Perspectives and Options. Oslo: FNI/PRIO/NUPI/IFS (53–55).
Gleditsch, Nils Petter; Olav Bjerkholt & Ådne Cappelen (1989)
Conversion Effects: A Case Study of Norway, in Dumas, Lloyd J.; & Marek Thee, eds,
Making Peace Possible: the Promise of Economic Conversion. London: Pergamon Press (231–249).
Berg, Per & Nils Petter Gleditsch (1980)
Avtalen [The treaty], in Magne Barth, ed.,
Forhåndslagring i Norge?. Oslo: PAX (215–224).
Lodgaard, Sverre (1978)
Truslene mot Norge [The Threats Against Norway], in Gleditsch, Nils Petter; Ingvar Botnen; Sverre Lodgaard; & Owen Wilkes, eds,
Norge i atomstrategien : atompolitikk, alliansepolitikk, basepolitikk. Oslo: PAX (174–194).
Edited Volume
Non-refereed Journal Article
Popular Article
PRIO Report
Horst, Cindy; Marta Bivand Erdal; Kjersti Fjørtoft; Jonas Jakobsen; Noor Jdid; Per Mouritsen; & Tore Vincents Olsen (2019)
Active Citizenship Today,
PRIO Project Summary. Oslo: PRIO.
Carling, Jørgen; Marta Bolognani; Marta Bivand Erdal; Rojan Tordhol Ezzati; Ceri Oeppen; Erlend Paasche; Silje Vatne Pettersen; & Tove Heggli Sagmo (2015)
Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration,
PRIO Project Summary. Oslo: PRIO.
Conference Paper
PRIO Policy Brief
Horst, Cindy & Marta Bivand Erdal (2018)
What is Diversity?,
PRIO Policy Brief, 12. Oslo: PRIO.
Erdal, Marta Bivand & Cathrine Talleraas (2015)
Becoming One of Us?,
PRIO Policy Brief, 11. Oslo: PRIO.
PRIO Paper
Erdal, Marta Bivand; Lubomiła Korzeniewska; Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka & Magdalena Żadkowska (2019)
Building Trust across Borders,
PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.
Report - Other
Report - External Series
Gustavsen, Elin Marthinussen; & Andreas Forø Tollefsen (2018)
Norway and UN Peacekeeping Trends,
FFI Facts. Kjeller, Norway: Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.
Godal, Bjørn Tore; Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv; Mats Berdal; Torgeir Hagen; Gro Nystuen; Kristian Berg Harpviken; Sten Rynning; Astri Suhrke; Rolf Tamnes; & Torunn Wimpelmann (2016)
En god alliert – Norge i Afghanistan 2001–2014,
Norges offentlige utredninger, 8. Oslo: DSS.
Newsletter
Blog Posts
Taliban rule in Afghanistan is now being shaped. The United States, Norway and many other countries have engaged in prolonged dialogue with the Taliban. Now Western countries are closing their embassies and their dialogue with the Taliban is on hold. Is dialogue failing when it is needed most? An absolutely ... Read more »
Posted by Katrine Fangen on Friday, 9 July 2021
Anti-Muslim views have become more widespread in Europe over the past 30 years, but it is important to distinguish between criticisms of certain forms of Islamic practice and the belief that Muslims are taking over Europe. People with anti-Islamic views wish to restrict Muslim immigration and Islamic religious practices. In ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal & Katrine Fangen on Monday, 7 June 2021
Our research project ‘Negotiating the nation’ focused on how different people discussed the nation’s borders and questions related to national identity. Specific parts of this project examined, among other, how «ordinary» men and women thematized national identity, how mayors on 17 May handled the balance between being inclusive but at the same time emphasizing ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal on Thursday, 29 April 2021
Attacks in the USA and reports of pandemic-related harassment of Asians has brought the #StopAsianHate conversation to Norway. In the summer of 2020, the conversation about discrimination and racism spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement also brought forth topics like the experience of adoptees from South Korea. And the ... Read more »
Posted by Kristian Berg Harpviken, Arne Strand & Astri Suhrke on Thursday, 22 April 2021
In the summer of 2001, a Taliban delegation came to Oslo in the hope of holding talks with Norway’s government. The terrorist attacks in the United States that autumn put a stop to such talks, but the Taliban’s attempt at that time to break out of the “steel ring” of ... Read more »
Posted by Michael Bretthauer, Hans Petter Graver, Mette Kalager, Magnus Løberg, Kristin B. Sandvik & Einar Øverenget on Tuesday, 20 April 2021
On 7 April, prime minister Erna Solberg presented the government’s plan for reopening society. The plan provides predictability and clarity about prioritization, including the prioritization of children and young people. This is welcome, but the plan also reveals the problematic aspects of Norway’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. The government’s ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal & Peder Nustad on Thursday, 25 March 2021
Polarized debates about racism can be counterproductive, closing down possible spaces of mutual understanding, instead of opening them. Over the last few months, the debate in Norway around racism has been far more polarized than it needs to be. Many of the discussions are important, like the exchanges around the ... Read more »
Posted by Kristin B. Sandvik, Hans Petter Graver & Peter Scharff Smith on Tuesday, 9 March 2021
The democratic struggle over the Norwegian Covid-19 curfew proposal. Up until a year ago, no one could have anticipated the scope, intensity, and character of the current Norwegian debate on some of the most central civil rights in a democratic society. With the advent of the COVID-19 lockdown and the ... Read more »
Posted by Kristin B. Sandvik & Julia Köhler-Olsen on Tuesday, 7 July 2020
“The lost generation of the Covid-19 pandemic is not those at risk over 65, but our children and youth, particularly at present here in Larvik municipality. We communicate with children subjected to violence by siblings, threats, mothers who cry all day, children with mentally ill parents, parents with drug and ... Read more »
Posted by Therese Sefton on Thursday, 28 May 2020
This piece is part of our blog series Beyond the COVID Curve. COVID-19 has quickly changed everything from our daily routines, to the policies of governments, to the fortunes of the global economy. How will it continue to shape society and the conditions for peace and conflict globally in the near ... Read more »
Posted by Anne Hellum, Kristin B. Sandvik, Tatanya Ducran Valland & Marta Bivand Erdal on Tuesday, 14 April 2020
On 1 April, the Norwegian News Agency (NTB) reported that rates of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection among Norwegian-Somalis were significantly higher than among other foreign-born inhabitants of Norway. Hospitals are reporting that 30–40 percent of patients who test positive for the virus are from immigrant backgrounds. The government has now granted NOK ... Read more »
This piece is part of our blog series Beyond the COVID Curve. COVID-19 has quickly changed everything from our daily routines, to the policies of governments, to the fortunes of the global economy. How will it continue to shape society and the conditions for peace and conflict globally in the ... Read more »
Posted by Sirianne Dahlum, Carl Henrik Knutsen & Tore Wig on Thursday, 26 March 2020
Seen in hindsight: was Norwegian democracy actually in peril for a few days in mid-March 2020? This piece is part of our blog series Beyond the COVID Curve. COVID-19 has quickly changed everything from our daily routines, to the policies of governments, to the fortunes of the global economy. How ... Read more »
Posted by Kristin B. Sandvik & Kjersti Lohne on Friday, 21 February 2020
Kristin Bergtora Sandvik and Kjersti Lohne ask: How can education help to realize the multiple goals and visions of transitional justice, and how can transnational justice be adapted to new educational objectives? This is the first post in an occasional series on the legal, bureaucratic and political aftermaths of the July ... Read more »
Posted by Indigo Trigg-Hauger, Bruno Oliveira Martins, Andrea Silkoset & Heiko Schaub on Tuesday, 4 February 2020
On February 12 PRIO will host a launch event for the report: Counter-Drone Systems: Implications for Norway in an EU and NATO context. The report aims to comprehensively address opportunities and potential risks, associated with the implementation of counter-drone technology (C-UAS). Together with Arthur Holland Michel, PRIO researchers Bruno Oliveira ... Read more »
Posted by Elin Marthinussen Gustavsen & Andreas Forø Tollefsen on Wednesday, 8 August 2018
For nearly 20 years, Norway has prioritized contributing to NATO-led operations over UN peacekeeping forces. At the same time, recent research shows that increased commitment to UN operations has a conflict-reducing effect. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first Norwegian UN soldiers’ departure to Lebanon to serve in ... Read more »
The Norwegian involvement did not produce lasting results in Afghanistan, but it did foster goodwill with the United States and other allies. But the negative international ripple effects are serious, including an erosion of the commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, as well as an undermining of international norms and rules. ... Read more »
Imagine this. Close to a small lake, there is a little building. It has stood there for 120 years – ever since your ancestors, who lived off fishing and foraging, built it. Your grandmother brings you to this place to pass your people’s traditions on to you. You go there ... Read more »
Posted by Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Ståle Ulriksen & Kristian Berg Harpviken on Monday, 9 April 2018
Foreign and security policy impacts everyone, and is therefore too important a topic to be silenced or restricted to the backrooms of government ministries. In general Norwegians have a high level of knowledge on international affairs, not least reflected in a substantial societal interest in the subject. The world is ... Read more »
Posted by Kai Eide on Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Is Norway’s asylum policy simply strict – or is it also fair and humane? In the coming weeks, approximately 200 young Afghans – the so-called “October children” – will have their cases re-assessed. Originally these children were granted temporary residence permits until they turned 18. Thereafter they were to be ... Read more »
Posted by Isak Svensson on Monday, 3 April 2017
The Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström has invested in a network of female mediators to strengthen women’s roles in peace and reconstruction processes. However, it is not just the supply of female mediators that is the problem, but the demand as well. Where can opportunities be found for women to ... Read more »
Posted by Pia Bergmann on Tuesday, 20 September 2016
From “the pre-emptive defence of Norway”, to “conflict resolution and peace”, even in the event of “war-like actions”, Norwegian politicians have adapted their rhetoric on Afghanistan as required by circumstances and public opinion. From day one, the Norwegian government has been enthusiastic in its support of intervention in Afghanistan. But ... Read more »
Posted by Henrik Syse on Friday, 22 July 2016
Five years have passed since the shocking events of 22 July 2011. We still notice how these events have taken hold of us. We notice it all the more when similar terrorist attacks take place elsewhere in the world: in Istanbul, Dallas or Nice. We shed tears in sympathy with ... Read more »
In contrast to the impression one may derive from “the debate about the debate” in Norway, “we” – the overwhelming majority – can agree on many points, including the fact that we stand united in the struggle against extremism. We succeeded in doing so in the “rose marches” five years ... Read more »
The 22 July attacks, now five years ago, bore horrific testimony to what an ideology of exclusion and hatred, at the hands of one man, can do. Whilst the terror was of such a scope that the moment called for a unified response, ideological cleavages along the Eurabia, anti-Islam, and ... Read more »
Posted by Åshild Kolås & Katrine Fangen on Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Foreign fighters returning from Syria have emerged as a looming security threat in many European countries, so also in Norway. As well as preventive measures against radicalization and mobilization by the Islamic State, there have been calls for the withdrawal of citizenship and deportation of returned foreign fighters. This raises a number of questions: Are Norwegians more secure ... Read more »
Posted by Anab Ibrahim Nur on Sunday, 12 June 2016
As the blessed month of Ramadan begins, many here in Mogadishu are concerned about the security situation, with talks of increased numbers of Al-Shabaab insurgents entering the city in preparation of carrying out attacks. Driving through the Makka Al Mukram road, considered to be in the safe zone, that is, ... Read more »
Posted by Robert Mood on Thursday, 9 June 2016
The military interventions by the West in the Middle East, Afghanistan and North Africa in recent years are examples of bold and efficient use of force resulting in immediate achievement of goals. Saddam Hussein’s military forces were defeated, the Taliban were deprived of their havens and possible massacres in Libya ... Read more »
Posted by Arne Strand & Lovise Aalen on Tuesday, 3 May 2016
Many asylum seekers who choose assisted return are from a country destroyed by war and conflict. More than half of those who return to countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq plan to migrate again. Assisted return is a viable type of support to assist with the return, but is not ... Read more »
Posted by Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert & Torkjell Leira on Tuesday, 1 December 2015
While the Norwegian overseas aid budget has been debated intensely here at home, Crown Prince Haakon was recently on an official visit in Brazil, from 16-19 November. Brazil is unquestionably the largest recipient of Norwegian aid, while simultaneously donating aid itself to poorer countries. This paradoxical situation tells us much ... Read more »
Return migration to Pakistan is diverse. It ranges from return mobilities of naturalized citizens and those born abroad to so-called ‘voluntary assisted returns’ and deportations of migrants without regular status. Pakistan receives returnees from the Middle East, as well as from Europe and North America, which reflects broader Pakistani migration ... Read more »
How do Polish Migrants in Norway Consider Return Migration? After Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004 and the substantial emigration that followed, return migration was an expectation widely shared by observers in Poland and abroad. Return migration has been modest, however, even in the wake of the 2008-2009 ... Read more »
Posted by Cathrine Talleraas & Marta Bivand Erdal on Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Citizenship and naturalization legislation in France, Norway, and the UK has changed substantially more during the 2000s than in previous decades. In which areas of citizenship policy have changes occurred? And how do these changes relate to the trend of reinvigorating the citizenship institution to increase social cohesion? This blog ... Read more »
Posted by Henrik Syse on Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Four years have passed since the biggest terror attacks on Norwegian soil during peacetime. Once again we are solemnly commemorating the dead and expressing our solidarity. The debate about the potential uses of the actual sites that were affected is also very much alive and continuing. But are there other ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal on Wednesday, 17 June 2015
The recent demonstrations against Norway’s Child Welfare Service (Barnevernet), in Oslo and outside Norwegian embassies abroad, express the deep frustration and fear felt by some parents with immigrant background. In recent years this frustration has received increased attention both in Norway and internationally. The international diplomatic repercussions of this crisis ... Read more »
In May 2015, one of Norway’s leading daily newspapers, Aftenposten, launched a series of profiles titled #JegErNorsk (#IAmNorwegian). One is of Slavomir, who has made his everyday life easier by changing his name to Stian. Another is of Tara, who feels at her least Norwegian on Norway’s national day, when ... Read more »
Immigrants have become integrated into Norwegian society with degrees of success that range between two possible extremes: strong attachment and total alienation. In debates about integration, ethnicity and country of origin are often claimed to be the key factors for determining whether or not integration will be successful. Other important ... Read more »
We cannot make do without surveillance, and even political actors must expect to be kept under observation if they espouse extreme positions. But we must keep surveillance under control. This article tells the story of the information about me that had lain in the files of the police security service ... Read more »
Posted by Marte Nilsen, Stein Tønnesson & Emil Jeremic on Thursday, 23 October 2014
Are the people of Myanmar able to distinguish between Norway’s role in promoting peace and the commercial interests of Norwegian businesses? Now that several state-owned Norwegian companies have entered into large and risky ventures in Myanmar, Norway is walking a tightrope between peace and commerce. The maintenance of support for ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal & Tove Heggli Sagmo on Monday, 20 October 2014
The war in Syria, the threat of Islamic radicalisation, and fears that terrorists may recruit Norwegian citizens have sparked renewed debate about Norway’s citizenship legislation. Meanwhile, another debate continues to be forgotten: We call for a reopening of the debate on dual citizenship, as Norway’s antiquated legislation is out of ... Read more »
Edward Snowden’s nomination for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has stirred controversy in Norway and internationally. Is Snowden a (US) traitor or a (global) saviour? Will Norway allow him to receive the prize, resisting US demands to arrest and hand him over? Along with previous years’ nominations of Julian Assange ... Read more »
A record number of refugees have arrived by boat in southern Europe this summer. Norway should voice its support for a common European solution to the issue of boat migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Last year this would have been front-page news, but now each new arrival – or each refugee ... Read more »
Posted by Tine Ustad Figenschou & Kjersti Thorbjørnsrud on Friday, 27 June 2014
In times of crisis, citizens and victims typically look to the government for leadership, protection, direction, and order – what is often characterized as a ‘master narrative’. Faced with terror and tragedy journalists seek to comfort and reassure the public, and willingly and instinctively move from their professional, neutral critical ... Read more »
Posted by Henrik Syse on Friday, 27 June 2014
One of the most famous anecdotes about the passing of time is from the early 1970s, when Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was asked what he thought about the French Revolution, to which he replied: ‘It is too early to say’. The fact that the interpreter has later pointed out that ... Read more »
On July 22nd 2011, I was home from work when I heard a loud blast. It sounded like thunder. Strange that I had not seen any lightning, with a sound this loud, I thought before carrying on with household chores. Half an hour later I took a break, logging onto ... Read more »
Posted by Henrik Syse & Odin Lysaker on Wednesday, 30 October 2013
”This is moralism‘, we were told after having published an op-ed in one of the largest Norwegian newspapers, Aftenposten, in June 2013. This reaction made us even more curious about whether ethics is of any relevance to citizens’ freedom of expression. In our view, the critique is due to the ... Read more »
Posted by Marta Bivand Erdal on Saturday, 22 December 2012
For a society such as the Norwegian one, public trust in the state is a cornerstone. But what happens when that trust is lacking? In several cases over the past year (2012), the involvement of Norway’s Child Protection Service (“Barnevernet”) with families of immigrant background has been the subject of ... Read more »
Posted by Inger Skjelsbæk on Sunday, 14 August 2011
“Why do some people want to attack both my countries?” asks my 11-year old son with tears in his eyes. He is Norwegian and American, and this summer we are in California with his American family. He has just heard about what happened in Norway on 7/22. Our eyes are ... Read more »
Posted by Jørgen Carling on Sunday, 7 August 2011
A lot has already been written about the the events of 22 July 2011 their consequences. For me, the first weeks have been filled with emotionally draining experiences, coupled with debates that I haven’t felt prepared to engage in. Trying to see it all from a bit of distance, beyond ... Read more »