We would like to kindly invite you to the SAIH Conference 2025 with the theme ‘Universities as Sites of Resistance and Social Justice’. In collaboration with the University of Oslo, this conference will take place on Thursday 24 April at Georg Sverdrups hus Aud 1.
This conference aims to create a vital space for dialogue, strategy, and collaboration among students, academics, civil society, and decision-makers at the intersection of academia and activism in Norway and beyond. We will examine the role of academia in defending democratic values, fostering international solidarity and shaping a more just and equitable future.
Amongst others, we will hear from the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy, Henry A. Giroux, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, and Professor of Sociology at Wits University, Johannesburg, Srila Roy. More information on the program and speakers can be found on our website.
In order to be considered for inclusion in the program, please indicate clearly the number and title of the panel that you wish to contribute to.
We are also aiming to accommodate a limited number of panels for paper submissions that do not fit under the themes of the open panels listed below. If your paper does not fit with in a pre-identified panel, please label your submission with “Undefined Panel”.
The list for Open Panels can be found by clicking the link bellow:
We are calling for paper abstracts to the Open Panel Sessions listed below. Submissions of abstracts of no more than 250 words can be sent to conference-nordev25@nmbu.no.
Deadline: Friday, April 4th.
In order to be considered for inclusion in the program, please indicate clearly the number and title of the panel that you wish to contribute to.
We are also aiming to accommodate a limited number of panels for paper submissions that do not fit under the themes of the open panels listed below. If your paper does not fit withing a pre-identified panel, please label your submission with “Undefined Panel”.
Growing inequalities, geopolitical instabilities, political polarization, new and protracted conflicts, anti-democratic and nationalistic tendencies and environmental and social injustices linked to unsustainable development trajectories and the “green transition” within and beyond the Nordic countries and Europe threaten to undermine academic and civic freedoms, human rights and development gains and efforts worldwide. The need for collaborative efforts, and critical thinking on “the global development project” and the root causes and solutions to the interlinked sustainability challenges of our times has never been greater. Yet while Nordic universities and development research environments have traditionally played a key role in championing global perspectives, and pursuing collaborative, internationally oriented research and teaching approaches, these activities are under increasing threat. Reforms in academic funding models (leading inter alia to the introduction of study fees for international students in Norway last year), changing geopolitical realities, and new and changing development assistance priorities and modalities are undermining the “global classroom” and weakening possibilities for international collaboration and solidarity. There is an urgent need in this changing context for enhanced Nordic cooperation and rethinking of the roles, responsibilities and possibilities for Nordic development research environments to foster and support inclusive and just transitions to sustainability both at home and abroad. The role of Nordic universities in contributing to inclusive and safe spaces for cross-cultural dialogue and fostering academic-civic solidarity and long-term institution building and reconstruction in the context of increasing geopolitical instabilities, war and protracted conflicts are also important and urgent topics.
🌍 Join the conversation on Solidarity, Social Justice, and Sustainability! 🌱✨
Our upcoming conference embraces inclusivity and broad perspectives on these critical themes. 🎤 Call for Panels, Workshops, & Side Events opens early December and closes January 24th—perfect timing to showcase your ideas!
Encourage PhDs, young scholars, and colleagues to start brainstorming submissions now. Let’s shape an inspiring and impactful program together!
💡 Learn more on our website https://www.nmbu.no/evu/nordev25-solidarity-social-justice-and-sustainability-be-held-nmbu-24-26th-september-2025.
Welcome to the 8th Joint Nordic Development Research conference (NorDev) to be held at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in the Fall of 2025. The theme of the conference is “Solidarity, social justice and sustainability”: Nurturing academic-civic solidarity, fostering social justice, and cultivating collaborations in an era of uncertainty”. NorDev25 is organised by NMBU, with support from the university’s Global South Working Group, and the Norwegian Association for Development Research (NFU).
The conference will gather researchers, scholars, students, policy makers and civil society actors from the Nordic counties and from collaborating universities and partners in other parts of the world, including the Global South, to discuss how to strengthen solidarity and social justice across borders and secure progress towards social, economic and environmental sustainability and equality for all.
Find more detail here https://www.nmbu.no/evu/nordev25-solidarity-social-justice-and-sustainability-be-held-nmbu-24-26th-september-2025.
If you are interested and want to be updated, please click here to register: https://nettskjema.no/a/465907#/page/1
The eight joint Development Research Conference NorDev 2025 will be hosted by NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) and NFU (Norwegian Association for Development Research) 24-26 September 2025. The theme of the NorDev2025 Conference is “Solidarity, social justice and sustainability: Nurturing academic-civic solidarity, fostering social justice, and cultivating collaborations in an era of uncertainty”. The conference will gather researchers, students, policy makers and civil society actors from the Nordic counties and from other parts of the world, to discuss key global developments. The Nordic associations for global development research have a long-standing and established cooperation and co-organized NorDev Conferences since 2011. More information will come.
In the autumn of 2020 – while the pandemic was still raging – the Storting’s report on student mobility called “A world of opportunities” came out. The foreword to the message states: “Spring 2020 has clearly shown us how dependent we are on each other and how intertwined the world is. International cooperation and dialogue across national borders are prerequisites for being able to handle the major global social challenges the world is facing. Global challenges require global solutions.” Just over two years later, tuition fees were introduced for students from countries outside Europe and the result is markedly fewer international students at Norwegian universities. This is part of a larger picture where support for collaboration with higher education institutions and researchers in the global south is cut or reduced (e.g. NORGLOBAL and NORPART). What are the immediate consequences of this for the quality of education and research? Should we see these policy changes as something more than domestic education and research policy? What long-term consequences could this have for the labor market and Norway’s international relations? At Arendalsuka, we invite you to a discussion about who the Norwegian authorities have in mind when exchange and academic cooperation are to contribute to finding global solutions to global challenges.
Hey NorDev community! 🎉 We’ve got some thrilling news to share – the opportunity to host the NorDev Conference 2025 is knocking on your door! NFU is looking for partners to host the Conference in Norway!
