ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ

Decolonizing the academy has become a global debate. There are different views within ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ about this particular approach, and what it means for scientific practice. As an institution, ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ does not hold an official position, but remains committed to increased diversity in the academy as well as scientific excellence.

On Friday 8 June, ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ held the widely attended event ‘Decolonizing the Academy’. (In case you missed the discussion – which was held in English – a sound recording of the event can be found here).

The initiators of this event, Research Professor Cindy Horst (ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ) and Research Assistant Ida Roland Birkvad (ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ), published calling for the decolonization of academia in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten on the same day. An English translation is available .

In a reply to Horst and Birkvad, Senior Researcher Tore Wig (University of Oslo and ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ) published an article ‘’ [Decolonization Gone off the Rails] in the newspaper Klassekampen on 3 August 2018. An English translation is .

Ida Roland Birkvad was also interviewed on the subject on 15 June by the Norwegian radio show Dagsnytt 18 for NRK Radio. You can listen to the interview (in Norwegian) .

As the initiators intended, the event created a broad public debate in Norway over the course of the summer. The debate – within a series of interviews and opinion pieces – has largely played out in the Norwegian daily newspapers, Klassekampen and Aftenposten.

Some of the debate is behind paywalls, but here is a list (in Norwegian):

1. ‘’ [More Voices Wanted], Klassekampen, 21 July 2018.
2. ‘’ [This Reeks of Identity Politics], Klassekampen, 26 July 2018.
3. ‘’ [It’s Not Just Representation], Klassekampen, 28 July 2018.
4. ‘’ [The Crucial Practice], Klassekampen, 30 July 2018.
5. ‘’ [They’re Simplifying the Debate], Klassekampen, 31 July 2018.
6. ‘Om «vestlig» vitenskap’ [On «Western» Science], Klassekampen, 9 August 2018.
7. ‘Alternativ kunnskap’ [Alternative Knowledge], Klassekampen, 9 August 2018.
8. ‘’ [The Ideology of Decolonization Threatens Universities], Aftenposten, 14 August 2018.
9. ‘»?’ [Are Cancer Medications Really a Product of «Male, Western Logic»?], Aftenposten, 16 August
10. ‘’ [This is how the natural sciences can be decolonized], Forskning.no, 22 August
11. '' [Decolonization may strengthen research'], Aftenposten, 24 August

For related discussions on this topic, see the 11 May 2018 op-ed in Klassekampen – ‘Kolonistaten Norge’ [‘Norway – The Colonial Power’] – by Research Assistant Inga Marie Nymo Riseth (ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ). An .

For a discussion of how decolonizing the academy might intersect with academic everyday practice, you can read this post by Research Professor Marta Bivand Erdal (ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ) over at the ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ blog: ''?

ÌÇÐÄÍøÒ³°æ puts great value on the freedom of our researchers to engage in the public debate and encourages them to do so. The debate continues.