This text has been translated from Norwegian with the assistance of GPT UiO.
– What preoccupies you at the moment?
– I've recently finished serving as an expert witness in the ongoing court case against the man convicted for the terrorist attack in B?rum in 2019. Together with talented colleagues, I've penned an extensive article for Aftenposten and a blog post for C-REX about far-right violence in Norway, following the brutal murder of Tamima Nibras Juhar just over three weeks ago.
– Additionally, I'm planning the next breakfast meetings entitled “Ekstremisme p? fremmarsj og demokratier under press” under the auspices of C-REX and the research group CIR at the Department of Political Science.
– I'm editing a book in Norwegian about the developments in far-right extremism in Norway since 22 July, and I'm working on a draft for an English-language book based on a dataset documenting far-right violence and terrorism in Western Europe in recent decades.
– If you were to explain to an eight-year-old what you do at work using three short sentences, what would you say?
– I try to understand why some people do things that are very dangerous or mean because they disagree with others. And I try to understand how we can stop them from hating or using violence against others. Together with my colleagues, we aim to make society safer for everyone, so we can live together without fear.
– What motivates you in your job?
– The privileged opportunity to better understand society and the people who live in it. The chance to help make society a better and safer place. And the opportunity to work with great colleagues and connect with engaged students who wish for the same.
– If you were to become something different, what would it be?
– I'd have to say a teacher. It was always plan B if an academic career didn't pan out. Teaching is one of society's most important professions, and I'm still grateful for all the good and dedicated teachers I had at school.
– What do you do to completely unwind?
– I coach my son's football team, bake sourdough bread and cinnamon buns, and play in a punk band with three childhood friends – the same band we had during our teenage years.
– Some colleagues suggest our lyrics have elements of 'incel' rhetoric, and it's not an entirely unreasonable interpretation. But that's what happens when the lyrics are crafted by an insecure secondary school boy without much luck in romance.