Bergen Summer Research School 2017

All of these sessions are open for all and free to attend.

Make sure to take note of the venue of the sessions that are of interest to you as it varies from event to event.

Breaking BAD: Understanding Backlash Against Democracy


Monday June 12, 09:45–10:30

Earlier optimism about a final wave of democratization and the global consolidation of democracy as humanity’s penultimate political form is called into question. With Lise Rakner, Professor at Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen.

Migration, language and workplace interaction

Tuesday June 13, 13:30–15:00


What are the communicative practices adopted by an increasingly international workforce that uses a work language different from many employees’ mother tongue? Jan Svennevig Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo.

Water Management, Development Trajectories and the Modern World




Tuesday June 13, 15:30–17:00

Why was Western Europe, and not other areas of the world, first to develop a market economy and an industrial economy? Terje Tvedt Professor at the Department of Geography, University of Bergen.

Between “Victims” and “Criminals”


Wednesday June 14, 13:30–15:00

Trafficking, smuggling, and everyday violence among Nigerian women migrants. Sine Plambech Researcher and film maker at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

Legal geographies at land and sea: the island as (new?) border


Thursday June 15, 15:30–17:00

This talk explores islands as sites of detention and struggle over entry, exclusion, and asylum-seeking. Alson Mountz Professor of Geography and Canada Research Chair in Global Migration, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, Canada.

Sustainability Science: The state of the field


Monday June 19, 13:30–15:00

A review of the state of sustainability science and some of the challenges with which researchers are grappling. William Clark Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Improving health and reducing poverty


Wednesday June 21, 09:00–10:30

This talk will critically examine the Sustainable Development Goals for health and poverty and discuss how they are interlinked. Ole Frithjof Norheim Professor at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen.

Climate Change: What do we know?


Wednesday June 21, 11:00–12:30

Helge Drange Professor at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen.

On Science and Ethics – Rotten Apples or Corrupted Quality?


Wednesday June 21, 13:30–15:00

This lecture traverses scientific practice from serious cheating to unintentional flaws in quality. With Carl Walter Matthias Kaiser Director of Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen.

Understanding behavior to understand development


Wednesday June 21, 15:30–17:00

Have you ever participated in an experiment before? In this lecture, we invite you to take part in one. With Sandra Halvorsen, PhD Candidate, NHH and Ingrid Hoem Sjursen, PhD Candidate, NHH.

Walls, Fences and Borders in the Wake of Globalisation

Thursday June 22, 11:00–12:30

What is the relevance of borders in a time when certain aspects of globalisation are challenged? With Antonio De Lauri, senior researcher at CMI, Hege Toje, former postdoc of social anthropology at UiB, Ståle Ulriksen, research fellow and lecturer at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, and moderator Åse Gilje Østensen, postdoc at CMI.

Welcome!