ISFiT: Decolonizing Knowledge

LINK TO EVENT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQQIOSwqzw&ab_channel=ISFiTtube

Many would argue that the structure of modern education in most countries is based on a Western model of education that excludes traditional, indigenous forms of education. However, others would argue that the modern Western academy is already one of the most diverse in the world, as they believe that the inclusion of professors and students from various backgrounds and countries is a testament to the inclusivity of the modern Western academy. This plenary session will therefore be a discussion between academics supporting the movement to decolonize higher education, skeptics of this movement and representatives of prestigious educational institutions.

With us to discuss this we have:

Anne Borg
Anne Borg is the rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. She holds a degree in civil engineering in applied physics as well as a PhD in Physics. Decolonizing the academy for many is not only about the humanities, but it is also about mathematics and the natural sciences. As Norway’s leading university in engineering and natural science, how does NTNU deal with the movement to decolonize the academy?

Oludamini Ogunnaike
Oludamini Ogunnaike is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He holds a PhD in African Studies and the Study of Religion from Harvard University. His academic interests include the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of the Islamic and indigenous traditions of West and North Africa. He has taught, lectured and written on a wide array of topics including Sufism, Islamic Art, African Philosophy, race, and coloniality.

Sunniva Folgen Høiskar
Sunniva Folgen Høiskar is the president of SAIH, the solidarity organization of students and academics in Norway. SAIH has been involved in the debate about the decolonization of academia in Norway. In 2018, SAIH received both praise and criticism after adopting a resolution calling for the decolonization of higher education. In 2020, SAIH published An Introduction to the Decolonisation of Academia where SAIH with contributions from Norwegian academics and students shows ways in which students can take part in the decolonization of academia.

Lasse Hodne
Lasse Hodne is a professor in art history at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His fields of research are Italian medieval and Renaissance art, as well as classical art theory. He is also team leader in PoeticA - an EEA-supported research project in neuroaesthetics. Over the last couple of years, he has published several articles that challenge widespread notions of the alleged relationship between neoclassical art theory's appraisal of Greek sculpture and views on race.

Bjørn Kvalsvik Nicolaysen
Bjørn Kvalsvik Nicolaysen is a professor in reading science at Stavanger University, and has previously been employed at the University in Bergen and the University in Strasbourg. He has worked within the fields of rhetoric, interpretation theory (hermeneutics), older and newer literature, and is now working on a book about the problem of laisity in France. He has also been a regular writer for Norwegian publication Dag og Tid since 2001, and in 2020 he participated in debates relevant to the decolonization debate.

Mary Frances Berry
Mary Frances Berry is a Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan and JD from the University of Michigan Law School. In addition to writing 12 books, she was a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She served as Chair of the commission from 1993 to 2004. Professor Berry has received numerous awards and 35 honorary doctoral degrees. She is currently teaching the History of American Law, and the History of Law and Social Policy.

Moderator: Emil Øversveen
Emil Øversveen works as a post-doctoral fellow in sociology at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His research interests include social inequality, health and medicine, and the social organization of the welfare state, and he currently teaches social theory, critical theory and feminist theory. Øversveen has vast experience in organizing and hosting public and scientific panels, and moderated a debate on decolonization of academia which was arranged by the Trondheim House of Literature in 2018.