Society & culture - Sciencenorway.no

Women's liberation and homoerotic desire in Knut Hamsuns works

New research demonstrates expressions of women’s liberation and homoerotic desire in Knut Hamsun’s works from the 1890s.

Can foreign tourists be trusted to clean Norwegian mountain cabins?

Norway is attracting many hikers from new groups and other countries. Will the values and cabin system of the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT), based on unwritten rules and trust, survive this transition?

A two-sensor-system will be a disappointing setback for higher education in Norway

OPINION: From a scientific perspective, the proposed law revision should be rejected.

The growth of Airbnb can support tourism development in remote tourist destinations

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: New study sheds light on the effect of Airbnb in rural areas.

These groups of people drank more alcohol during the pandemic

The most common explanation for drinking more was that they deserved it.

Seven rare gold pendants were sacrificed 1500 years ago in Østfold county of Norway

It must have been a considerable ritual act, reserved for only the most privileged in society, according to researchers.

Kinder, Kirche and Küche - Gender and family rhetoric of the German far right

Far right actors often rely heavily on traditional narratives about gender and family, whilst simultaneously weaponizing women’s rights and gender equality in pursuit of an anti-immigration and anti-Islam political agenda. In a recently published article, Katrine Fangen and Lisanne Lichtenberg explore this tension within the rhetoric of various German far right organizations.

How do companies and people hide money in tax havens?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Tax havens are used to avoid paying taxes. Criminals also use tax havens to hide their illegal income. But why doesn’t the international community stop this practice?

This is where Neo-Nazi foreign fighters fought alongside communists

The foreign fighters came from extremist groups on the right and left. This didn’t stop them from working together.

Norwegians were intimidated by the labour movement in the United States

The Norwegians emigrating to the United States were Republicans and agreed with the northern states. But the Republican Party was a completely different animal from what it is today.

There is no evidence that many Norwegian immigrants supported slavery in the USA

OPINION: A scintillating, but very misleading narrative, claims Nancy L. Coleman.

Many Norwegians supported slavery in the United States

But the persecuted Haugean Christians were clear in their belief: No one has the right to own another human being.

Netflix has made Norwegian TV shows better than ever

Norwegian television is experiencing a new golden age, thanks to the competition from streaming services like Netflix, says researcher.

Visiting children who were quarantined in hospital over a hundred years ago

For infection control reasons, family members were only allowed to visit their children and husbands through windows at Ullevål hospital. The state had the prerogative to forcibly admit people with infectious diseases.

Companies can talk themselves into becoming more sustainable

OPINION: We should not systematically cry "greenwashing" when companies speak about sustainability.

Children who spent a lot of time in daylight were calmer

Kindergarten children were equipped with bracelets that measure light exposure. A study found a link between lots of daylight and low hyperactivity in the children.

The people who become CEOs aren’t necessarily the smartest in the company

For every top executive at a large company, there are likely more than a hundred employees who are smarter.

Efforts to promote peace can make women more vulnerable

In recent years, gender has become an important factor in the international work against extremism. But some researchers fear that when women become part of the first line defence against radicalisation, they also become more vulnerable.

Six out of ten poor children in Norway have immigrant backgrounds

Child poverty in Norway continues to increase. Children with immigrant backgrounds are increasingly overrepresented in the statistics.

Menstrual art: Why do people still see red?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Period blood in art is still often dismissed as a joke or “just activism”. Would that be the case if it wasn’t such a taboo?

Mimicking and manipulating the news: How neo-Nazis use professional media to promote antisemitism

In recent years, far-right alternative media have increasingly managed to influence the digital public sphere by promoting uncivil and exclusionary ideas, in particular about immigration and Islam.

Research on school lockdowns: These are the mistakes to avoid

Resarchers from the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies list three things to be learned from the Norwegian school lockdown last year.

No one has been murdered in Norway so far this year

Not one murder has been registered in Norway three months into the year of 2021. Corona restrictions could be an explanation.

The Dutch election: Far right side characters in the ‘Mark Rutte show’

The Dutch parliamentary elections took place last week, after a tumultuous period of anti-lockdown protests, and the fall of the Dutch government in January, over a welfare fraud scandal rife with ethnic profiling. RightNow! Editor Iris Beau Segers interviews Professor Cas Mudde about the most striking outcomes of the election, and what this might mean for the radical right and the state of liberal democracy in the Netherlands.

Growing concern inside French academia due to controversy about “Islamo-leftism”

French academia is currently under scrutiny after the Minister of Research and Higher Education validated the theory of a growing “Islamo-leftism” within social science research. Studies on race and gender have become contentious, and met in the public debate with accusations of fostering identity politics. Recently, a group of academics tried to delegitimize the work of Nonna Mayer, a respected scholar in the field of far right politics.

Nordic people use gossip to deal with those who violate social norms

If you help yourself to too much food and drink at a Norwegian party, people may gossip about you afterwards. In other countries, the reactions to breaking unwritten rules can be far stronger.

Fertility rate in Norway drops to 1,5 children per woman

That’s half a child less than in 2009.

Almost half of us belong to the working class. But workers have become more invisible, researchers say

Norwegian social scientists have given the workers a voice.

Brain researcher: Here’s why the pandemic came as a surprise to us

The brain’s two systems make it difficult for us to understand dangers we haven’t actually experienced.

Why did things go so wrong in Sweden?

Sweden wanted to show the world a more humane way through a global pandemic. For some, this has become a tragic example of how wrong things can go in a society. But opinions are divided.

What do teachers need to feel confident about addressing sexual violence with students?

New perspectives on school leadership and solutions in teacher education and the school curriculum are what’s needed, says the researcher.

‘The new normal’? Radical right resistance to the Dutch curfew

Over the last few weeks, the Dutch radical right has used curfew controversy to portray the government as a danger to the freedom of the average citizen. C-REX scholar Iris Beau Segers asks if the liberal-conservative VVD party might have themselves to blame, and argues that their ‘doctrine of normalcy’ has mainstreamed radical right ideas that now pose a challenge to the government’s covid-19 measures.

What distinguishes the men who buy sex from men who don’t?

Men who paid for sex were more often dissatisfied with their own sex lives.

Do you stay up late because you need time for yourself?

Sleep researchers have long known that many people go to bed late. In Chinese, the term “revenge bedtime procrastination” has become popular. It’s used to describe people with little personal time who choose to sleep less so they can unwind at night.

What would a Norwegian version of Bridgerton look like?

Norway stands out in Europe as a country where the nobility was almost insignificant, and in 1814 noble titles were forbidden. Still, in some circles in the capital, women dressed like their British trendsetter counterparts.

Polish people with PhDs work as cleaners and builders in Norway

Even if they eventually learn the language, some jobs are simply not available to Eastern Europeans in Norway, according to one researcher.

Vaccine resistance is nothing new. What can we learn from sceptics of the past?

In order to get married in the 19th century, Norwegians had to present a certificate showing that they had received the smallpox vaccine. In the UK, the vaccine requirements were enforced even more strictly.

Dads spend an hour more each day on housework and childcare than they did in 1980

These are pretty big changes, says one of the researchers behind a new analysis of Norwegians' time use.

Does the story of Beowolf explain the Oseberg, Gjellestad and Sutton Hoo ships?

The new Netflix film “The Dig” tells the story of the excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship in England. A Norwegian professor believes that a 1500-year-old poem can explain why a number of large ships were buried during the Viking Age.

Norwegian professor received death threats from Ethiopians in exile

One of the world’s leading experts on Ethiopia, professor Kjetil Tronvoll, is being harassed by Ethiopian authorities, and has received death threats from Ethiopians in exile.

How the Syrian war affected Norway and Sweden

Without the war in Syria, the number of children born in Sweden in 2017 would have been three per cent lower. In Norway, one per cent fewer children would have been born that year.

How do search and rescue dogs train to find missing people?

Every year, search and rescue dogs find between 40 and 50 missing people in Norway. They are trained through interaction and rewards. “They’re clearly sad when the people they find are dead,” says Bjørn Tore Ulsrud, from Norwegian Search and Rescue Dogs.

The Georgian far right failed its electoral debut. But its season may not be over

Taken together, the emerging groups of the Georgian far right obtained less than 5 per cent in the October 2020 elections to the national Parliament. But limited electoral success does not mean that the far-right has limited political power, in Georgia and elsewhere in the world.

LGB-people in Norway are less happy with their lives than the general population

For the first time, Statistics Norway has conducted a national quality of life survey that includes both sexual orientation and sexual attraction.

The nuclear family has become a political tug-of-war in Russia and Poland

Domestic violence has now become a matter of dispute between liberal and conservative forces, which demonstrates that even authoritarian ruling powers have to take the popular opinion into consideration.

New report shows workers in the fossil fuels industry have a deep distrust of environmentalists

Distrust against environmentalists is widespread among those employed in oil- and gas-related businesses. There’s also a sense of bitterness against unions that are pushing for a more climate friendly industry.

The Storm and the Web: Communication Technology and the Ecumenical Far Right

As seen on January 6th, 2021, once disparate tendencies within the radical right are mixing and collaborating as never before. The very core technological features of the internet and world wide web have played a crucial role in this process of integration.

Ski jumping judges favour contestants from their own nations

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Unfortunately the nationalistic bias in ski jumping has not disappeared. French, Czech, Polish and especially Russian judges seem to significantly favour their compatriots.

Who believes in conspiracy theories?

People who believe in conspiracy theories consider themselves critical thinkers. But most often they go by their gut feeling.

Tuberculosis and cholera gave us sewage systems and posters against spitting. What will the coronavirus leave us with?

Will we ever be able to hug again?

Skipping lunch break can be bad to your health

Skipping your lunch break at work increases the risk of physical and mental exhaustion, according to a new study from the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Norwegians get happier as they age, but the richest 25 per cent of the population is still the happiest

One in every four Norwegians is very happy with their life, according to a new survey. The young are less content than the old.

Norway’s wooden stave churches are are a demanding heritage to maintain

Only 28 of Norway’s unique stave churches remain. Maintaining them presents challenges.

Why does therapy for mental illness work?

Psychoanalysis. Cognitive behavioural therapy. Compassion-based therapy. People use countless forms of therapy for mental illness. Why do they all work equally well?

Covid-19 memorials: How people around the world are remembering those who have died

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: As hospitals keep filling up, and the death toll rises, people around the world are finding traditional and new ways of remembering those we have lost so far.

Creeping Fascism in America

The January 6 attack on the US Capitol was not unexpected. It was anticipated by numerous warning signs, and it built upon a years-long process of radicalization that involves, but is not limited to, Trump supporters.

Viking women played an important role in raids

Kitchen equipment from the British Isles has been found in graves belonging to Viking women from aristocratic families. “We can gain new knowledge about women’s participation in the Viking raids by posing new questions to old findings,” says researcher.

Why do parents in one of the world's most gender equal countries still give children their dad's surname?

It's a romantic gesture, claims one researcher. "Men take their surnames for granted", says Line Førre Grønstad, who recently defended a doctoral dissertation on the topic.

Half the inmates in Norwegian prisons suffer from substance abuse, but there's only room to treat 3-4 per cent of them

“There’s a large, unmet need for treatment,” says Norwegian researcher.

Pupils’ skills no better after more math and science classes

Pupils in Denmark receive more mathematics instruction than their Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish counterparts. Yet they still do worse in the subject than Norwegian and Finnish students.

Partner articles on ScienceNorway

The partner articles on ScienceNorway.no give insight into new and interesting research in Norway. The articles and press releases are written by communication staff at one of our 79 owners.

Production of pet food for cats and dogs leaves a considerable carbon paw print

Producing dry kibble for our pets requires lots of farmland — equivalent to roughly twice the area of the United Kingdom. Replace animal remains used in the feed with insects, suggests one Norwegian researcher.

Sex, Covid and archaeology. Here’s what you enjoyed reading the most in 2020.

Health and archaeology are the clear winners in our list of top ten most read articles last year.

Here's how Vikings celebrated Christmas

They drank, and they ate horse meat.

Why do young people long for a little house in the woods?

They want to live in cities, but also want a life in the country. That paradox has led to more and more young, urban middle class Scandinavians to buy second homes.

Kindergartens in the olden days

A lot has changed since childcare centres in the 19th century. But the reason children went to them was the same as today: parents needed to go to work.

Do White Supremacist Women Adopt Movement Archetypes of Mother, Whore, and Fighter?

White women have long been part of white supremacist movements in the U.S. and elsewhere. That continues today. But what place do they occupy in deeply misogynist movements that force white women into idealized categories of white mother, sexual partner, or racial fighter?

Netflix triumphs over the history books. Our brain remembers what we see on the screen better than what we read

The Crown and the new Norwegian series Atlantic Crossing are fiction, not fact. But research shows that viewers remember them as factual. One Norwegian historian argues that the series creators need to take responsibility for this misperception.

Quiet people suffer without being seen

A surprisingly large portion of the population may suffer from a personality disorder that very few have heard of.

St. Lucia's Day: An Italian saint, a German child and a female demon all play a role in the story of 13 December

The St. Lucia celebration in Sweden can be traced to the end of the 1700s or early 1800s, while it is still fairly new in Norway.

Why are Norwegian trade unions opposed to the EU's minimum wage proposal?

The EU is proposing to introduce a system of statutory minimum wages in EU and EEA member states. But in Norway, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) adamantly opposes the EU Directive.

We have to clean up our approach to cleaning up beaches, researcher says

The commitment among Norwegians to clean up plastic trash from beaches is enormous. But at the same time, the clean-ups have become chaotic and themselves have to be cleaned up, one researcher says.

Coronavirus measures are dividing Scandinavia. What is going on with the Swedish border?

OPINION: For people living near the border between Norway and Sweden, moving between the two countries was part of everyday life. The border was something they rarely – if ever – thought about. Coronavirus measures have changed this, dividing families and causing unemployment in Swedish border municipalities .

Having a foreign name decreased chances of being called for a job interview by 25 per cent

Using identical fictitious applications, researchers in Norway were in 2012 able to track who was and who wasn’t called for an interview - those with a Norwegian or those with a Pakistani name. But the study raised some ethical issues.

The border between Norway and Sweden is closed for the first time since 1954. Will the pandemic ruin their special friendship?

The Nordics were supposed to be the most integrated region in the world. But along came the coronavirus.

People have lost arrows and other objects at this spot in Jotunheimen — for more than 6000 years