While the situation in the world has been gradually and not so gradually destabilized over the last years, not least due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the catastrophic developments in Sudan, the latter now threatening to become the worst disaster the world has seen for a long time in terms of violence, starvation, and lives lost, last summer few anticipated what would happen October 7. Once Hamas’s terror attack had taken place and hostages had been taken, most of us knew, or feared, what would follow. Eight months later, we are still witnessing the suffering and deadly effects of these disastrous developments, and they affect many of us at TF and at UiO, perhaps especially those of us, staff and students, who have lived in the Middle East or have relatives or friends there, on either or both sides of the conflict.
Highly polarized debates
These conflicts and wars are accentuated exponentially by the highly polarized debates raging among those who do not live in the areas affected by the violence, but who are taking sides and seek to influence developments through channels offered in democracies but which are very limited or non-existent in non-democratic countries. In democracies, polarization, and the demonization of the Other that often follow, may have serious and destabilizing effects on society.
We must exercise our critical thinking and analytical skills
In such a situation, for us in academia I believe it is of vital importance that we exercise our critical thinking and analytical skills, as we have been trained and done for decades, as we contribute to these public debates and scholarly discussions. Our position in society is unique and our voice particularly important, as it can – and should – contribute with a much needed knowledge-based foundation for these debates. This is imperative in equal measure whether we engage the international situation or the situation here in Norway, as we and our neighbors are affected by what happens beyond our borders.
In these conversations, not everyone will agree with one another, but this is not news in the academic world. Rather, it is one of the key points of academic freedom: the freedom to argue cases from diverse perspectives with the aim of producing new knowledge and contribute to constructive debates, in which understanding is deepened for everyone involved. And this is no mere game for the academically minded. It is fundamental for the very idea and practice of democracy.
Engagement in public conversations is part of the core task of any university taking its mission seriously
In this spirit, over the last academic year TF has contributed to a number of important debates in Domus Bibliotheca, UiO’s arena for making scholarship available to society at large and creating a space for knowledge-based discussion and debate. In June 2023 we arranged a panel discussing Skeive og islam in light of the terror attack in Oslo the year before. In October, TF took part in a panel discussion on the issue of public burnings of the Quran, in the series Ubehagelige samtaler You can listen to the Podcast recording here. In December, TF was part of two events centering on women and human rights in the Middle east and elsewhere. Religion, Law and Women’s Human Rights and Har menneskeverdet tapt for krigens logikk? And in April we responded to the steep rise in anti-Semitism in Norway and the Nordic countries in the wake of the war between Hamas and Israel with the event J?dene i Norden etter 7. oktober. Putting focus on the climate crisis, TF has also contributed significantly to the series Anthropocene throughout the spring semester, also in Domus Bibliotheca.
Isn’t this activism rather than academic work? someone might object. My answer would be no. On the contrary, such engagement in public conversations is part of the core task of any university taking its mission seriously, sharing and applying research in the immediate context in which we all live. Anything else would be irresponsible, and a failure to live up to the fundamental principles of the university as such.
In my speech to this year’s candidates at our graduation ceremony last Friday, I addressed more specifically issues orbiting truth, academic freedom, and democracy, especially in the face of the current situation in the Middle East.
Putting academic freedom into action
The responsibility of the university, however, goes deeper and further than what we – as a faculty – can do on the public scene. Putting academic freedom into action, every individual researcher and teacher is free to address contemporary issues in their teaching and research in accordance with their expertise. And our research groups are, as they have always been, free to arrange any academic events they feel respond to crises in our immediate surroundings or internationally. I encourage individuals and research groups, who feel an urgency in this regard to take action accordingly.
Our faculty is never more and never less than what we represent as a team, putting academic values at the top of our agenda and into action, as we focus on our goal: understand religion – change the world. Your professionalism in research, teaching, administration, and service to the community is what keeps us at the top in Norway and among the fifty best universities in our field internationally. I feel privileged, and I’m proud, to work together with you all, as we consolidate our position as a faculty and take our field even further in the years to come.
Thank you for all your work and your collegiality
So, last but certainly not least: Thank you for all your work and your collegiality over the past academic year. These are challenging times, and signs are that this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. Working at TF gives me hope, though, that we – experts in theology and religion and administrative virtuosos – together will continue to enable genuine progress in a number of fields, both historical and contemporary, of vital significance for the society in which we live, and beyond.
Importantly, though, there is no work without rest… I hope each and every one of you will find time this summer to unwind and enjoy being off duty; to be able, in your mind, to go back to the time, as Amalie Leirvik sang at the graduation ceremony, ‘when time was all we had.’
I wish you all a relaxing and refreshing summer!
