The making and unmaking of ethnic boundaries in the public sphere: The case of Norway

This article employs theories of ethnic boundary-making to explore when and under what conditions ethnicity and religious background shape minorities’ experiences when participating in the public sphere in Norway. Drawing on in-depth interviews with elite individuals with various ethnic and religious minority backgrounds, the analysis calls into question interpretations made in other studies, which tend to imply an all-encompassing significance of race, ethnicity or religion. Although the analysis support previous findings in that negative comments and harassment do occur, the interviews demonstrate a variety of experiences and positions and that several individuals are able to strategically cross existing ethnic boundaries. Overall, the findings suggest that important changes are occurring in Norway’s mediated public sphere. The question is whether these changes point to broader, societal processes of boundary-blurring or rather are opportunities offered to exceptional individuals while the existing hierarchy of ethnic categories stays intact.The making and unmaking of ethnic boundaries in the public sphere: The case of NorwaypublishedVersio

Innvandringshistorie som faghistorie: Kontroverser i norsk migrasjonsforskning

Dette er en skisse til innvandringshistorie som faghistorie. Med utgangspunkt i sentrale tekster og fagdebatter i migrasjonsforskningen fra 1970-tallet og til i dag, viser artikkelen hvordan innvandring har beveget seg fra periferi til sentrum i norsk samfunnsforskning. Utviklingen har vært preget av en gradvis forskyvning i faglig dominans og en pendelbevegelse fra innvandringsaktivisme på 1970- og 80-tallet, via kontroverser om rasisme og multikulturalisme på 1990- og begynnelsen av 2000-tallet, til dagens dominerende fokus på innvandringens økonomiske konsekvenser for velferdsstaten.publishedVersio

Gendered Consequences of Social Mobility: Second-Generation Immigrants’ Work–Care Considerations in High-Status Occupations in Norway

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The Making of Immigrant Niches in an Affluent Welfare State

This article explores how immigrant niches have emerged within two traditional working-class industries in Norway. Drawing on extensive case studies in urban and coastal areas, we analyze how employers perceive the availability and desirability of native-born and immigrant workers and discuss how these perceptions are related to underlying changes in the structure of employment. The article contributes to the literature by developing a general model of the formation of immigrant niches as well as pointing out the context-specific institutional conditions that explain how and why such niches emerge in the first place.The Making of Immigrant Niches in an Affluent Welfare StatepublishedVersio

Ideological biases in research evaluations? The case of research on majority–minority relations

Social science researchers tend to express left-liberal political attitudes. The ideological skew might influence research evaluations, but empirical evidence is limited. We conducted a survey experiment where Norwegian researchers evaluated fictitious research on majority–minority relations. Within this field, social contact and conflict theories emphasize different aspects of majority–minority relations, where the former has a left-liberal leaning in its assumptions and implications. We randomized the conclusion of the research they evaluated so that the research supported one of the two perspectives. Although the research designs are the same, those receiving the social contact conclusion evaluate the quality and relevance of the design more favorably. We do not find similar differences in evaluations of a study on a nonpoliticized topic.Ideological biases in research evaluations? The case of research on majority–minority relationspublishedVersio

Den kritiske fase. Innvandring til Norge fra Pakistan 1970–1973

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Dual Citizenship in an Era of Securitisation: The Case of Denmark

This article uses the case of Denmark to critically discuss key assumptions in the theoretical literature on dual citizenship. When Denmark surprisingly accepted dual citizenship in 2015, the decision reflected two distinct lines of argument: first, accepting dual citizenship would allow Danes living abroad to keep their Danish citizenship; second, because it is considered illegitimate to make people stateless, allowing dual citizenship would simultaneously allow for citizenship revocation of dual citizens who engage in or support acts of terror. This rationale stands in striking contrast to how dual citizenship has been previously theorised. The gradual acceptance of dual citizenship in Western countries since the early 1990s has been seen either as a symptom of a post-national era or as a pragmatic adjustment to the transnational realities of international migration. By contrast, the case of Denmark shows that dual citizenship may serve as a lever to protect the political community of the nation-state from terrorism and, as such, function as a tool of securitisation.Dual Citizenship in an Era of Securitisation: The Case of DenmarkpublishedVersio

Citizenship, integration and the quest for social cohesion: nationality reform in the Scandinavian countries

After having coordinated their nationality laws since the late 19th century, the Scandinavian countries have moved in distinctly different directions in this field since the turn of the millennium. Today Sweden has one of the most liberal citizenship policies in Europe, while Denmark has one of the most restrictive. Norway occupies an intermediate position between its Scandinavian neighbours. In this article, I compare the differences in Scandinavian nationality law and the political processes that led to these changes. The highly divergent development of nationality law in the Scandinavian region questions the widespread idea that a general convergence towards liberalization of European nationality law is taking place. Although static concepts of nationhood cannot account for the recent changes in Scandinavian nationality law, ideas about national identity and social cohesion are still highly influential in determining the content of nationality law.publishedVersionpublishedVersio

Boundaries of free speech in the political field

Building on in-depth interviews with the leaders of Norway’s political youth organizations, this chapter focuses on two types of barriers to free speech that are at work in the political field: First, external barriers resulting from harassment and threats related to identity markers like gender, sexuality, disability and ethnic background. Second, internal barriers stemming from informal party cultures characterized by conformity pressure and silencing mechanisms. These barriers constitute boundaries of free speech which influence some politicians more than others. On the one hand, individuals who bear ‘marks of difference’ seem to be the major recipients of external harassment and threats, raising the cost of engaging publicly in controversial issues. On the other hand, politicians embedded in informal party cultures characterized by ‘cultures of expression’ which discourage political dissent, seem to face social sanctions potentially leading them to silence their voices. Implications for free speech legislation and the future recruitment to politics are discussed.publishedVersio

Diskriminering av samer, nasjonale minoriteter og innvandrere i Norge : En kunnskapsgjennomgang

-I denne rapporten gjennomgår vi den eksisterende forskningen på likestillings- og diskrimineringsutfordringer som samer, nasjonale minoriteter og innvandrere står overfor i Norge i dag. Forskningen dokumenterer at innvandrere opplever diskriminering på de fleste samfunnsområder, og studier av selvopplevd diskriminering antyder at menn opplever mer diskriminering enn kvinner; yngre mer enn eldre; og enkelte innvandrergrupper mer enn andre. Når det gjelder samer og nasjonale minoriteter er det færre studier. Erfaringsbaserte undersøkelser viser riktignok at mellom en fjerdedel og en tredjedel av samiske respondenter oppgir å ha opplevd diskriminering knyttet til sin samiske bakgrunn, men her skilles det i liten grad mellom ulike arenaer. Studier som direkte undersøker diskriminering av nasjonale minoriteter er generelt mangelvare, men det finnes noe forskningsbasert dokumentasjon på forekomst av diskriminering mot jøder, rom og roman