Calling for a revival of the discipline of Philology

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union will take place at Uppsala University from the 4th to 6th December 2024. The president of the WPU, Professor Jens Braarvig (MAE) sees the mission of the WPU and the Uppsala Conference as nothing less than reviving the discipline of Philology. The conference in December is titled “Philology and the narrative heritage” and will take a close look at ancient texts from all over the globe.
President of the WPU, Professor Jens Braarvig (MAE).

President of the WPU, Professor Jens Braarvig (MAE).

– Today, academics who are experts in Philology, see their discipline being scaled down or disappearing in universities. We have set up the World Philology Union organisation to show the importance of the philological disciplines, says Jens Braarvig, a major driving force behind the WPU.

He sees the study of historical languages as fundamental to other disciplines also, such as the study of History. Furthermore, he sees much of the fantasy fiction of today as allegories over the ancient stories. Braarvig is eager to see the discipline of philology revived so that the modern versions of the ancient stories are not the only curation of the ancient texts available to the public.

– If we don’t have any experts capable of reading the historical languages, you do not have access to the sources, Braarvig says.

– Stories are everywhere. There are stories in the discipline of law, there are stories in politics and also in science. Narratives are part of our heritage. This immaterial heritage is as important as our material heritage, and a major reason why we should study the ancient languages at the universities, he adds.

Still, looking at the programme for the Uppsala conference, the field of philology seems very vibrant with experts spanning a variety of traditions, making sure that the conference programme spans the study of texts from all over the world, from the Old Norse stories to the Vedas.

Yes, the discipline is still attractive to experts, and they span many traditions, allowing both our conference and the WPU to have a truly global perspective. The problem is that experts in philology don’t have very good working conditions at the universities today.

Narrative heritage

– In the WPU, we see philology as a basic tool to access the narrative heritage, and of course this is a heritage we must curate academically. We seek to define and showcase the vital role that our discipline has played, and continues to play, in relation to the narrative heritage in its original languages, in analysing, interpreting and teaching stories preserved from all regions of the world, Braarvig says.

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union is headlined "Rhilology and the narrative heritage". Illustration: Sculpture of the norse god Odin at Gøteborg Stadsmuseum. Photo: Unsplashed

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union is headlined “Philology and the narrative heritage”. Illustration: Sculpture of the norse god Odin at Gøteborg Stadsmuseum. Photo: Unsplashed

The World Philology Union (WPU) was founded on the 2nd of December 2021 at the Norwegian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Oslo, as an international association which promotes the philological study of written cultural heritage from all regions of the world. It was established in coordination with the Union académique internationale (UAI), the umbrella organization of all academies of science worldwide, and the UNESCO-related Conseil international de la philosophie et des sciences humaines (CIPSH).

The Uppsala Conference (4th to 6th December 2024) is an open conference with no attendance fees.

Academia Europaea Bergen is a co-organizer of the Uppsala Conference.

Read or download the complete programme for The Uppsala Conference here. 

 

Fiskevelferd i bærekraftig havbruk

Etter petroleumsprodukter er fisk og sjømat Norges viktigste eksportvare, og denne er i økende grad dominert av laks fra havbruk. Oppdrettsnæringen har betydelige utfordringer knyttet til fiskevelferd og for stor dødelighet i produksjonen. Kom og hør hvordan det står til med fiskevelferden i norsk havbruk, og hvordan forskning kan bedre den.

bilde av en laks

 

Etter petroleumsprodukter er fisk og sjømat Norges viktigste eksportvare, og denne er i økende grad dominert av laks fra havbruk. Oppdrettsnæringen i Norge har betydelige utfordringer knyttet til fiskevelferd og for stor dødelighet i produksjonen.

Norges Tekniske Vitenskapsakademi (NTVA) har for tiden fokus på teknologier som kan forbedre bærekraften i samfunnet i en bred kontekst. I samarbeid med Academia Europaea, Tekna og Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultetet ved UiB arrangerer NTVA et møte om hvordan det står til tilstanden til med fiskevelferden i norsk havbruk og forskning for å forbedre den.

Fagsjef for strategi og utvikling Geir Magne Knutsen i Bremnes Seashore vil først beskrive næringens utfordringer. Deretter vil forsker Sofie Remø (Havforskningsinstituttet) og professor Sigurd Olav Handeland (Universitetet i Bergen) belyse ulike sider av hvordan forskning kan bidra til bedre fiskevelferd.

Til slutt blir det spørsmål fra salen og antatt en interessant og lærerik diskusjon.

Det blir lett servering utenfor auditoriet fra kl. 16.00.  

Møtet er åpent for alle, og starter 16.30 i Auditorium 2 i Realfagbygget (underetasjen), Allegaten 41.

Arrangører: NTVATekna Bergen og Academia Europaea Bergen.

Philology and the narrative heritage Conference

Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union 2024

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union is headlined "Rhilology and the narrative heritage". Illustration: Sculpture of the norse god Odin at Gøteborg Stadsmuseum. Photo: Unsplashed

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union is headlined “Philology and the narrative heritage”. Illustration: Sculpture of the norse god Odin at Gøteborg Stadsmuseum. Photo: Unsplashed

The Second Biennial Conference of the World Philology Union will take place at Uppsala University from the 4th to the 6th December 2024. Participants are invited to arrive on Tuesday, December 3rd, with the conference formally commencing the following day. The core sessions of
the conference will be scheduled on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but various other meetings
and specialized sessions are planned for those arriving on the Tuesday.

Read an interview with WPU president and conference organizer, Professor Jens Braarvig. 

This year’s conference program focuses on how philologists engage with the narrative heritage
of different cultures. It seeks to define and showcase the vital role that our discipline has played, and continues to play, in curating, analysing, interpreting, and teaching stories preserved from all regions of the world.

Most presentations will be followed by 5 to 10 minutes of discussion. Presenters are asked to include translations of textual evidence and explanations of technical vocabulary, ensuring that the content be accessible across different language traditions and philological methods.

The World Philology Union (WPU) was founded on the 2nd of December 2021 at the Norwegian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Oslo, as an international association which promotes the philological study of written cultural heritage from all regions of
the world.

It was established in coordination with the Union académique internationale (UAI), the umbrella organization of all academies of science worldwide, and the UNESCO-related Conseil international de la philosophie et des sciences humaines (CIPSH). Read more about the WPU at www.philology.org or apply for membership at members@philology.org.

The Uppsala Conference (4th to 6th December 2024) is an open conference with no attendance fees. Academia Europaea Bergen is a co-organizer of the Uppsala Conference.

Read or download the complete programme for The Uppsala Conference here. 

___________________________________________________________________________

Fusion power – the ultimate source for clean energy

Nuclear energy is, together with solar radiation, the only presently known energy resource which can supply humanity for an in practice indefinite time span. This Horizons lecture, on September 16th, will describe the fundamental principles behind nuclear fusion, current research activities, and technologies being developed to make fusion power a reality.

a fusion reaktor

Foto/ill.: Illustration: David Parker/Science Photo Library

 

The lecture (held in English)

Nuclear energy is, together with solar radiation, the only presently known energy resource which can supply humanity for an in practice indefinite timespan. Peaceful nuclear energy generation is now based on fission of heavy nuclei such as uranium. The other process generates energy by fusing light nuclei into larger ones (i.e. colliding hydrogen nuclei to become helium). Controlled energy production based on fusion has many advantages but has so far not been realized in spite of intense research for more than 60 years.

However, significant progress now happens based on two technologies: magnetic confinement and strong laser pulses. Professor Odd Erik Garcia will describe the international development within magnetic confinement fusion, a topic he has been leading research projects within during the past decades, now as Head of Aurora Centre for Non-linear Dynamics and Complex Systems Modelling (DYNAMO) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

The most promising approach involves the magnetic confinement of a superheated, ionized gas—composed of electrons and hydrogen nuclei—within a controlled environment. This presentation will provide an overview of the fundamental principles behind nuclear fusion, current research activities, and the cutting-edge technologies being developed to make fusion power a reality. It will also explore the progress and timelines of key projects, including the ITER facility in France and the SPARC device near Boston, USA, which is pioneering the use of high-temperature superconductors.

Practical information

  • When: Monday September 16th, 2024. Coffee and refreshments will be served from 15.45, and the lecture starts 16.15
  • Where: Egget, Studentsenteret (Parkveien 1).
  • For whom: The lecture is intended for a wider audience, will be held in English, and is part of the Horizons seminar series of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences dedicated to big questions. Everyone is welcome!

About the lecturer
Professor Odd Erik Garcia works at UiT, where he is the leader of tha UiT Aurora Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Systems Modeling (DYNAMO). He is also a visiting Scientist and Fulbright Scholar at MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

Organisers
This lecture is a joint event organised by the Horizon Lecture Committee at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub, supported by Selskapet til vitenskapenes fremme.

Strengthening democracy in Europe: what can be done?

Webinar: Tuesday 24th September 2pm CEST, 1pm UK, organized by the Academia Europaea Cardiff Knowledge Hub.

2024 is the Year of Democracy, when more than 2 billion people go to the polls.

Every European has a deep stake in the policies that shape our lives, from tackling global crises like climate change, to local issues like the state of our schools and hospitals. Yet, many citizens feel disillusioned and disengaged from politics; some vote for populist parties and many do not bother to vote at all.

What are the main challenges facing democracy in Europe, and what can be done? What impact will new digital technologies like social media and AI have on the future evolution and health of democratic systems?

How can we promote the public sphere and public participation in our democracies? What is the state of the relationship between experts, policymakers and the public, and how can we strengthen this nexus?

Join us for this timely debate, which coincides with recent major reports on the state of democracy by the European Group on Ethics and the Joint Research Centre. It is free and open to all.

 

Confirmed panellists 

  • Barbara Prainsack MAE, Professor for Comparative Policy Analysis, University of Vienna and Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
  • Cathrine Holst, Professor in Philosophy of Science and Democracy, University of Oslo
  • Dr Mario Scharfbillig, Unit for Science for Democracy and Evidence-Informed Policymaking, Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission
  • Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE, Professor and Chair of Medical Ethics, Lund University and Vice-Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies

The webinar will be chaired by Professor Ole Petersen MAE, Academic Director of the Academia Europaea Cardiff Knowledge Hub.

About the European Group on Ethics (EGE)

Founded in 1991, the European Group on Ethics (EGE) is an independent advisory body of the President of the European Commission. The EGE provides the Commission with high quality, independent advice on all aspects of EU legislation and policies, where ethical, societal and fundamental rights issues intersect with the development of science and new technologies. In 2023, it published an Opinion on Democracy in a digital age and in 2024 issued a Statement on Defending democracy in Europe.

About the Joint Research Centre

The Joint Research Centre is the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. Its recent work includes the report, Trustworthy public communications (2024), of which Mario Scharfbillig was joint author.

Registration

Register now.

 

Interview with Kjersti Fløttum in AE Cardiff Spotlight Series

Kjersti Fløttum MAE is a Professor Emerita of French Linguistics at the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bergen.

Kjersti Fløttum MAE is a Professor Emerita of French Linguistics at the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bergen. Photo credit: Eivind Senneset

How do the general public experience climate change narratives? In recent studies, MAE and AE-Bergen Knowledge Hub Knowledge Hub steering group member Kjersti Fløttum sees that “the general public is more preoccupied by the tone that characterises climate narratives. They criticize the overwhelming negativity and gloom-and-doom perspectives and request a more positive approach”, our steering group member say. Read the complete interview made by the Academia Europaea Cardiff Hub.

 

About Kjersti Fløttum

Kjersti Fløttum MAE is a Professor Emerita of French Linguistics at the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bergen. She has had an extensive academic career, serving as Vice-Rector for International Relations from 2005 to 2009 and as a member of the University Board from 2013 to 2021. From 2020 to 2023, she was the Chair of the Board of the Holberg Prize. Professor Fløttum has published extensively in international journals and is (co-)author/editor of several books.

Professor Fløttum’s research interests encompass text and genre theory, narrative structure, semantics, pragmatics, linguistic polyphony, and discourse analysis. Since 2012, she has led the interdisciplinary research group LINGCLIM, which investigates the role of language in climate change discourse. From 2020 to 2023, she led the CLIMLIFE project, which explores motivations for lifestyle changes in the context of climate change, funded by the Research Council of Norway.

In recognition of her efforts in promoting bilateral relations between France and Norway, she was honoured with the French Ordre national du Mérite in 2023.

Read the interview

Your work emphasises the importance of language in shaping climate change discourse. How do you believe narrative structures influence public perception and policymaking on climate change?

“Stories’ are made up of narratives, which have different components, of which complication and reaction are the most important. The influence narratives may have is dependent on the focus given to the complication element (climate change itself and its causes) and/or to the reaction component (possible solutions to curb the consequences of climate change). A narrative in which the reaction component is prominent may have a motivating effect, by providing people with suggestions for measures that could be taken at individual, community or societal levels.Conversely, a complication-focused narrative may induce a sense of despondency and fatalism. In addition, narratives may contain different characters (explicitly or implicitly), such as hero, victim and villain, that may display different distributions of responsibility.”

The LINGCLIM project has explored the role of language in climate discourse since 2012. What are the most significant findings that have emerged from this research?

“We have shown that there is a great variety of climate change narratives, caused by the immensity and complexity of the issue and the interests involved. Climate change refers to a process which manifests itself at scales far beyond those of daily experience, and which can only be understood through knowledge from a broad range of scientific disciplines. If we add to this complexity the fact that climate change is a phenomenon that goes well beyond the geophysical domain, to encompass the social, political, ethical, cultural and communicational, then any discourse on climate change is a simplification.We have also found, through the approach of linguistic polyphony, that climate narratives are particularly multi-voiced, with both explicit and implicit voices. With different voices come different values and interests. It has been particularly interesting to reveal how hidden voices can adopt, refute or concede other narrative voices within the same text.”

How do you ensure communication about climate change is both scientifically accurate and accessible to a general audience?

“As linguistics researchers, we cannot ensure scientific accuracy, but our cross-disciplinary approach of including climate researchers helps to avoid inaccuracy. With regards to accessibility to the general public, we have to enter into a dialogue with different segments of the population. For example, in a study where we included students from upper-secondary school, they told us that they found the relation between global and local changes particularly difficult.However, what we see in our most recent studies is that the general public is more preoccupied by the tone that characterises climate narratives. They criticise the overwhelming negativity and gloom-and-doom perspectives and request a more positive approach, pointing at possible solutions and where they can contribute.”

What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for the next generation of researchers in climate linguistics?

“It will be important to focus on the importance of individual action and individual voices. There is increasing interest in who should act, as well as in what should be done to avoid or mitigate the most serious consequences. Clearly, international and national agents are needed to develop policies and implement changes, but individuals are also expected to contribute, especially through lifestyle change. A challenge will be to change the excuse of , “What I do will not have any effect” into an understanding that, “You matter more than you think”.We have seen a trend, both in psychological studies and public debates, that preferences are oriented towards more positive language, with an objection to negative and alarming language, which may demotivate people from engaging in climate action. This tendency should encourage communicators to strike a balance between alarming and encouraging people, when the aim is to motivate them towards climate action.As the consequences of climate change manifest globally, it’s also important to study its linguistic representations in relation to phenomena such as technological innovation, energy policies, armed conflicts, hunger, migration, as well as the destruction of nature and wildlife habitats.”

 

Academia Europaea Bergen wraps up an active season with ERC Board Meeting

Academic Director of AE-Bergen Hub, Eystein Jansen, at the ERC seminar in Bergen. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen/UIB

Academic Director of AE-Bergen Hub, Eystein Jansen, at the ERC seminar in Bergen. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen/UIB

For the University of Bergen (UiB) and for the Academia Europaea Bergen Hub, the seminar and ERC board meeting in Bergen on 26th-27th June marked both the end of the first half of 2024 and the beginning of summer. It also concluded a very active season for the AE Bergen Hub.

Our Academic Director Eystein Jansen, who is also the Vice-President for Physical Sciences and Engineering at the ERC, played a key role in bringing the ERC Board to our hometown of Bergen at the close of the spring semester.

“Frontier research is key to securing Europe’s role in the world, in terms of providing more innovations in society, solving global challenges and securing democratic processes. It has been said that that the creation of the ERC is the best European innovation of recent times, and I think I subscribe to that view.” Eystein Jansen said in his welcome speech at the meeting.

Science diplomacy during crises

In 2024, Academia Europaea Bergen has focused extensively on mapping the conditions for scientific cooperation and science diplomacy during geopolitical crises, with a special focus on Arctic relations. Our report The Future of Science Diplomacy in the Arctic, published in 2023, has led to the Rethinking Arctic collaboration project, funded by a 400 000 NOK grant from UArctic. The project team includes renowned scientists from Europe, Canada and the USA.

The Rethinking Arctic Collaboration project was presented at the Arctic Circle Berlin Forum, on 8th May providing an opportunity for team members to meet in person. The project’s aim is to engage with stakeholders and produce a comprehensive report. Outreach is important, and our proposal for an event at the 2024 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 17th-19th October, was recently accepted amidst strong competition.

Rector Margareth Hagen, University of Bergen, Maria Leptin, President, European Research Council, and Oddmund Hoel, Minister of Research and Higher Education in Norway at the ERC seminar in Bergen.

Rector Margareth Hagen, University of Bergen, Maria Leptin, President, European Research Council, and Oddmund Hoel, Minister of Research and Higher Education in Norway at the ERC seminar in Bergen. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen/UIB

Academia Europaea Bergen is committed to expanding our work in Science Diplomacy and Arctic Relations. We have submitted a pre-application for a grant from Nordforsk to fund a 3-4 year project titled Arctic knowledge and knowledge systems in flux – threats and coping strategies for a sustainable Arctic. If awarded, this project will be a truly Nordic effort, with partners from Norway, Finland and Sweden, as well as Trans-Atlantic connections including experts from Canada and the US.

In addition to these major projects, spring 2024 saw Academia Europaea Bergen continue to co-organise a well-established meeting series (mainly held in Norwegian) together with the Bergen offices of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences (NTVA Bergen) and The Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals (Tekna Bergen). Other collaborations included the Horizon Lectures series at UiB and the Arctic Frontiers Conference.

With this summary of our activities at Academia Europaea Bergen, we wish all Members, collaborators and friends a nice summer!

A new handbook provides tools for researchers in the science-policy interface

The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters has published a handbook for researchers on science-for-policy.

Pathways to Impact: Researcher’s Handbook on Science-for-Policy is a new handbook published by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. It provides strategic tools for strengthening the impact of research in policy-making. It answers questions such as: how is research knowledge transferred to policy-makers? And when is the right time to engage in a policy process?

The handbook can be downloaded from the Finnish Academy website.

“High-quality, multidisciplinary research knowledge is needed to support policy-makers in addressing interconnected societal challenges. Recognising that researchers already face a lot of pressures in their academic work, we wanted to produce a handbook that would make societal impact work more accessible and approachable for researchers. Indeed, we aim to encourage and motivate researchers to engage in societal impact work”, explains knowledge broker Linda Lammensalo.

“The handbook aims to assist researchers in different stages of their careers to excel in their impact work.”

The handbook, for example, outlines different stages of policy-making, with a focus on the Finnish national context. It also includes practical tips from the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office in responding to policy-makers’ knowledge requests. It contains interactive tools to practice and reflect on one’s own experiences and expertise, as well as concrete examples from other researchers who have already engaged in impact work.

According to Lammensalo, the handbook can give researchers a good starting point for their impact work.

“We hope that the handbook will inspire researchers to discover new pathways for increasing the impact of their research.”

Rosendalsveko

Årets Rosendalsveko finner sted 5. – 6. august 2024:

Måndag 5. august:

  • Velkomst ved Vegard Bjørnevik (ordførar i Kvinnherad) Thea Vaage (styreleiar Folgefonnsenteret), Nils Gunnar Kvamstø (direktør Havforskingsinstituttet) og Margareth Hagen (rektor UiB)
  • Klima og natur i ei turbulent verd. Panelsamtale moderert av Frøy Gudbrandsen (VG)
  • Klima og ekstremvér. Innlegg frå forskarar ved UiB/Bjerknessenteret
  • Lunsj
  • Klimarisiko og naturbaserte løysingar. Fagleg innleiing av Siri Haugum (Lyngheisenteret) og Brigt Samdal (NVE), med påfølgende panelsamtale med Hans Inge Myrvold (SP), Une Bastholm (MDG), Terje Halleland (FRP) og Linda Merkesdal (AP).
  • Ekstremvér og beredskap. Fagleg innlegg ved Carlo Aall (Vestforsk) og panelsamtale moderert av Endre Iversen (Norge/Climatefutures)
  • Uteaktivitetar
  • Middag på Baroniet Rosendal

Tysdag 6. august

  • Korleis står det til med fjordane våre? Faglege innlegg (HI) og panelsamtale med Kjell Kvingedal (miljødirektør Statsforvaltaren), Sylvia Frantzen (HI) og Sondre Eide (Eide fjordbruk) moderert av Mari Myksvoll (HI/Bjerknes)
  • Vestlandet som foregangsregion for berekraftig havnæring. Innlegg av Bård Sandal (VFK) og Aslak Sverdrup (Innovasjon Norge) med påfølgande panelsamtale.
  • Vestlandske vegval – korleis lagar vi eit robust og berekraftig samfunn? Innlegg frå forskarar ved UiB/CET, paneldebatt og spørsmål frå salen
  • Lunsj
  • Framtidas turisme i Hardangerregionen. Innleiing om Berekraftig reiseliv ved Anna Maria Urbaniak-Brekke og Carlo Aall (Vestforsk) og deretter korte innlegg frå lokale aktørar og påfølgande panelsamtale med Peter Haugan (HI) Vegard Bjørnevik (ordførar Kvinnherad) og Timo Knock (ordførar Eidfjord).

Mer informasjon på Folgefonnsenterets nettsider.