Researcher
Kjetil Selvik
Contactinfo and files
Summary
Kjetil Selvik is a Research Professor and Head of NUPI’s Research Group on Peace, Conflict and Development. He holds a PhD in political science from Sciences Po in Paris and works on struggles over states and regimes in the Middle East.
Selvik har previously worked as researcher at Fafo and at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) and been Adjunct Associate Professor at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, and at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Language, University of Oslo.
See all Selvik's publications from CMI here.
Expertise
Education
2004 Docteur en sciences politiques, Sciences Po, Paris. Dr Artium, University of Oslo
1999 Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies (Master), Sciences Po, Paris
1998 Cand. Mag. (Bachelor), University of Oslo (Political Science, Arabic, Middle East)
Work Experience
2017- Senior Research Fellow/Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
2015-2017 Adjunct Associate professor, University of Oslo (Middle East Studies)
2012-2017 Senior Researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute
2013-2015 Adjunct Associate professor, University of Bergen (Comparative Politics)
2007-2012 Researcher, Fafo institute of Applied International Studies
2007-2012 Adjunct Associate professor, University of Oslo (Middle East Studies)
2004-2007 Assistant professor, University of Oslo (Culture Studies & Oriental Languages)
2005-2006 Assistant professor, Oslo University College
2001-2004 PhD fellow, Norwegian Research Council/University of Oslo
Aktivitet
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Clear all filtersOn digital media in Lebanon's political crisis
The technology-driven transformation of the media environment is changing politics worldwide. Yet everywhere is not the same. The digital revolution yields different results in different political contexts. This policy brief analyses digital media’s role in the political crisis unfolding in Lebanon – a weak, divided and contested state. It discusses the implications for Norwegian development aid to the country. Part 3 of 4 in the series: Digital technology and international politics
Ali Hosseini Khamenei: Routinizing Revolution in Iran
This chapter analyzes how Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei consolidated his rule and the political consequences of his survival strategy. The author argues that Iran’s long-serving leader capitalized on the institutional and ideological legacies of his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, as well as on the high potential for repression in revolutionary regimes. Khamenei has invested in nonelected and parallel revolutionary bodies, maintained strong emphasis on the Islamic Revolution’s ideology and recruited a new generation of followers to the ruling coalition. This essay outlines the tensions arising from Khamenei’s reliance on the organizational structures, aims, and elite selection mechanisms of the revolution and the wish of the Iranian population to change the political course of this important Middle Eastern country.
On digital media in Lebanon’s political crisis
The Big Man Muqtada al-Sadr: Leading the Street in Iraq under Limited Statehood
The article conceptualises the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as a big man to explain his proven capability for navigating the hazardous terrain of Iraqi politics. Introduced in Sahlins’ anthropology on Melanesia and refined in African studies, the notion of the big man has been underexploited in accounts of the Arab region. This article defends its relevance for sociopolitical analyses of Iraq and for the study of religious actors. Personal authority is the defining characteristic of a big man, and the mobilisation of followers is the key to his renown. In situations of limited statehood, the ability to build support upon extra-institutional foundations can yield longlasting political results. Muqtada al-Sadr has relied on an exceptional combination of resources to establish himself as a kingmaker on the political scene. We trace the roots of his ascent and foreground the strategies he has used to accumulate authority in his person. The article analyses Muqtada’s response to the wave of popular protests that swept Southern Iraq in 2019, observing a shift from initial support to open confrontation with the demonstrators. We argue that this shift threatens his status because it undermines his most important power resource: the ability to lead the street.
Education as Activism in the Syrian Civil War
The Syrian Civil War has witnessed grassroots mobilization for education combined with agendas of political resistance. The article explains why education lends itself to activism in the face of extreme adversity.
Education Activism in the Syrian Civil War:Resisting by Persisting
This article analyzes education activists’ resilience in emergencies, building on life story interviews with Syrians who engaged in civil society initiatives for schooling in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising. It investigates the meaning that education acquires under extreme adversity and how it inspires individuals to act. Finding that these activists think of education as a means to resist authoritarianism and transform society, the article brings the change agendas of local education actors to the fore. It concludes that resilience can be the extension of political purpose. The article conceptualizes education as a vehicle of resistance, foregrounding how temporal projections enable individuals to maintain belief in their capability to enact changes. The activists make connections between their own experiences in school, thoughts about the future, and the reasons they mobilize for education. Working with time is a potent enabler when, objectively, the situation is deteriorating.
Humanitarian aid in Syria: The role of the UN and the great powers
What are the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people now? And how can the international community best help?
Research group for Peace, Conflict and Development
Research group for Peace, Conflict and Development