The words and images that circulate in public discourse and the media are never without consequences. When they are about minorities and individuals with an immigrant background they can make all the difference between inclusion and exclusion, belonging and alienation, feeling or not “at home.”
This event takes, as a starting point, the perspective of the minorities in our society and addresses the questions: What does it take to craft inclusive stories about minorities in Norway? What difference do words and images in public discourse and the media make to one’s sense of belonging, well-being, and feeling “at home” in Norwegian society? How to confront racism and discrimination without falling into superficial notions of inclusion and diversity?
The event tackles these extremely timely, yet sensitive, issues by addressing the heart and the mind and including, beyond an expert panel discussion, also theatre and stand-up comedy.
With the support of the Equality and Diversity fund at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo.
Programme
17.00-17.05 Welcome & introduction
17.05-17.30 Viewing of “Innvandrersmitte/Immigrant infection: A performance on news, immigration, belonging” by Cristina Archetti and Banafsheh Ranji (with the collaboration of Mehda Zolfaqari)
17.30-17.45 (15 min) “Diversity 101: A Crash Course for Superiour Academics” by Mona Abdel-Fadil
17.45-18.30 Panel debate
18.30-19.00 Q&A and conversation with the audience
Cristina Archetti, a Swiss-born Italian who feels half-British, is Professor in Political Communication and Journalism at the University of Oslo. She has been researching and publishing on the role of media and communication in political processes for over 20 years. She is particularly interested in the “blackspots” of journalism, particularly in why and how the voices of minorities get muzzled, and in the political consequences of this silencing process. Cristina regularly uses creative approaches to bring her research to audiences beyond academia and to support understanding at a deeper, more genuine and human level than the purely “academic texts” would ever allow.
Banafsheh Ranji was born and raised in Iran, and has lived in three Scandinavian countries over the last 12 years. She is a postdoctoral researcher in sociology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. She has been teaching and researching media and communication studies as well as migration and racism studies. She is interested in challenging common sense and deconstructing issues through a critical sociological lens.
Mona Abdil-Fadil is British-born Egyptian-Norwegian writer, academic, public scholar, and
comedy performer. She is one of the curators of the exhibit “In/Visible: Everyday Racism in
Norway”, (2021-) at The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies. Increasingly,
Mona fuses academic research with artistic expression and comedy. Mona’s latest research
uses improvised comedy as a tool to help participants cope with racism. Highlighting the
inequalities and biases embedded in the academy, Mona published the satirical piece “A
Superiour Guide to Performing an Academic Self” in the Journal of the Association for the
Study of the Arts of the Present (ASAP, Johns Hopkins University Press) – which has been
adapted for performance. You will be getting a little taste of this satirical performance at
this event. For more info visit Monaabdel-fadil.com
Ka Man Mak, a British-born Hong Konger, is an investigative journalist and founder of The Oslo Desk, a digital publisher primarily focused on stories of the global diasporas and underrepresented communities. Her work celebrates their achievements and brings attention to issues they face, challenging media that often overlook them. Through in-depth investigations like "Behind Closed Doors," Ka Man sheds light on systemic issues such as intimate partner violence and family law within these communities. She also hosts multiple podcasts (TODcast, They Witness, She Witness) that amplify marginalized voices and push for systemic change. Passionate about women's rights, trauma-informed communication, and creating equitable media narratives.
Winnie Nyheim-Jomisko is a psychologist specialized in cross-cultural psychology, diversity competence, racism-related stress and trauma and intersectionality. In addition to her clinical practice, she works as a lecturer at the Centre for Intersectionality.
