This text is translated by UiOGPT
What are you currently preoccupied with?
Right now, I'm busy planning the sixth edition of the Nordic Conference on Violent Extremism, which the Center for Extremism Research (C-REX) is hosting in June. The conference starts with a day trip to Utøya on June 17th and continues with two full days here at the Faculty of Social Sciences on the 18th and 19th of June. We're going to have three exciting keynote lectures and more than 100 other presentations on various aspects related to terrorism, extremism, and hate crime. Nearly 150 researchers and around a dozen practitioners will attend, so it will be bustling and academically stimulating. In addition to conference planning,
I'm also working on a survey about the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals with hate crimes that we're conducting in connection with Pride this summer and with planning data collection for a book project on right-wing extremism in Norway after July 22, 2011.
If you had to explain to an eight-year-old what you do at work in three short sentences, what would you say?
In my job, I study different kinds of hate, how hate is spread (especially on the internet), who hates, and what it does to the people who are hated. I read a lot and write about what I find out, and sometimes I talk about it in the newspaper or to people who are concerned about or working to combat hate. These days I also send a lot of emails, drink a lot of coffee, and try to find time to eat ice cream in the sun.
What motivates you at work?
First and foremost, that I get to delve into academically interesting and important issues. Knowledge about hate and extremism and how it affects democracy is necessary to find solutions for how we can prevent and combat it. I'm also motivated by all my smart, cool, and fun colleagues.
If you were to become something completely different, what could it be?
As a political science student, I dreamed of a secure and stable bureaucratic job in the state. Although being a researcher is more unpredictable, I'm very satisfied with the job I have now.
What do you do when you completely disconnect?
Then I go to concerts, play soccer, or enjoy the spring sun – preferably together with good friends and colleagues at a pleasant outdoor seating area.