Open Call to History NorDev2025

🌐 Exciting News: NorDev Conference 2025 🚀

Hey NorDev community! 🎉 We’ve got some thrilling news to share – the opportunity to host the NorDev Conference 2025 is knocking on your door!
NFU is looking for partners to host the Conference in Norway!

Event: Book Launch in Oslo

Next week the “Handbook of International Development and the Environment“, which was edited by Benedicte Bull og Mariel Aguilar-Støen, is having its book launch in Oslo in an event open to all.

The event is being co-organized by SUM, NFU and  UHR-Samfunnsfag.

This is great opportunity to participate in a debate about the book and development bureaucrats.

The event will happen on the 28th of September from 18:00-20:00 in the Vinterhagen, Sentralen, Øvre Slottsgate 3 0157 Oslo.

To learn more about the event, click here.

Utsnitt av forsida på boka.

EADI 50 years: Interested in co-organizing events?

EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) celebrates its 50 years anniversary next year in 2024 and would like this to be celebrated at different places. The events can be in person, online or hybrid.

EADI is an association that aims to connect researchers from different countries with a common goal to “promote a concerted approach to the gaps and shortcomings in research on development problems as practised in the rich countries” (The EADI Story, 1999, page 71).

This is a great opportunity to contribute with their efforts and promote different events with a focus on development.

For more information, click here.

NFU is also interested in co-organizing events and would be happy to work together on seminars or other activities. If you wish to collaborate with us, please send us an email on: nfucoordinator@gmail.com.

mage by Rochak Shukla on Freepik

NFU on the media: The future of Norpart

This summer, news that the Norpart program, which provides resources for academic cooperation and and exchange programs, is being placed on hold due to uncertainty regarding its budget.

Our chair, Arnhild Leer-Helgensen, alongside with several other academic leaders at University of Agder have talked to Khrono regarding the impacts that this can bring to norwegian students and to development studies, as well as the academic environment in the country.

To read the full article, click here.

NFU on the media: School Fees in Norway

The repercussions of the introduction of school fees for international students have began to show. The number of students from outside the EU and Switzerland has dropped considerably for the coming student year.

In an interview with “Panorama Nyheter”, NFU’s Chair Arnhild Leer-Helgesen has talked about this issue and the impacts it has already had at University of Agder (UiA), particularly in the Master’s courses focused on development.

In addition, Gudrum Cecilie Eikemo Helland from SUM at Universitet i Oslo and Martin Halvorsen from OsloMet also talk about the impacts that their respective universities are experiencing in regards to the number of new international students.

However, State Secretary Oddmund Løkensgard states that these numbers were expected and defends the need for the introduction of these school fees.

To read the full story, click here.

Public Lectures: EADI Conference

This week, the conference organized by EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) will take place in Lisbon.

The “New Rhythms of Development” conference will go from July 10th to July 12th.

As a great opportunity for those not able to attend, there will be two public lectures on Zoom that are free to attend, but require registration.

The first lecture will take place on July 10th at 18:00 with the topic of: Development studies in an age of crisis.

The second will take place on July 11th at 19:00 with the topic of: Soft Authoritarianism: Marching to a Different Drum of Democracy.

To learn more about the lectures and register for them, as well as other opportunities during to attend the Conference click here.

NFU meeting at NorDev 2023

Are you joining NorDev2023?

Make sure to book some time to join our informal meeting on the first day of the conference, August 21st.

The meeting will be at 16:30 in Sal XI and it’s a great opportunity to connect with other norwegian researchers and network.

You will also be able to learn more about NFU and provide valuable input into our organization.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the Conference programme, click here.

Image by Freepik

Open Position: PhD position or Post-Doc fellowship

There is an open position at the JUSTEXPORTS Project in the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law (IKRS) at the University of Oslo.

The position isfor either one PhD fellowship or Postdoctoral fellowship to undertake research as part of the project “Promoting Justice in a Time of Friction: Scandinavian Penal Exports” (JustExports).  It is possible to read more about the project here.

Deadline to apply for it is on August 14th, 2023.

To learn more and apply, follow the link below:

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/246134/phd-or-postdoctoral-fellowship-in-criminology-or-sociology-of-law

Image by wirestock on Freepik

NFU General Assembly

Earlier this month NFU had its General Assembly of 2022. The assembly took place on the 15th of May, between 15-16:30.

It counted it the participation of several board members as well as the General Secretary from EADI.

The notes from the meeting can be found on the link below and contain what has been happening and what to look forward in the future with NFU.

NFU statement regarding school fees in Norway

The General Assembly of NFU unanimously supports the movement resisting school fees for international students from outside EU/EØS and Switzerland and applauds the strong opposition from the higher education sector and parts of the political parties. As a global development research community, we are deeply worried about the consequences these fees will have on the quality and relevance of education and research in Norway.

In a time when we lift the Sustainable Development Goals as a common global project, we need knowledge, perspectives and cooperation that include all regions of the world. School fees do not only affect individual students, but the entire higher education system in Norway. The quality and relevance of our education will be weakened, as we will miss important critical perspectives and be more narrow-minded. As researchers and educators within the field of global development, we know how teaching a truly international student group challenges all involved and leads to a unique co-creation of knowledge. In addition, relationships between students from different places have lasting effects and create bonds that lead to more cooperation in research and current or future workplaces. If these school fees become a reality, Norway will lose both in terms of quality of education and research, and international networks.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that in a world that is ever more connected, the plurality and diversity brought by students from different parts of the world can help Norway become a more rounded and inclusive country.

The introduction of these school fees for students from outside EU/EØS and Switzerland can be seen as discriminatory and cause students from other parts of the world to not feel welcomed, which in the long run will be detrimental to Norwegian educational environment.

Therefore, we at NFU stand in opposition of these fees.