Åshild Kolås
Biographic Data
| ID | 91104 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Åshild Kolås |
| GIVEN NAMES | Åshild |
| FAMILY NAME | Kolås |
| SIGNATURE | KOLÅS Å |
| AFFILIATIONS | Peace Research Institute Oslo |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1114-1701 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 90 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1994 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Through the India–China Border
Prem Poddar and Lisa Lindkvist Zhang’s Through the India–China Border: Kalimpong in the Himalayas intervenes in one of the most charged and persistently under-examined spaces of Asia – the Indo–Chi...
Towards Issue-Based Party Politics in Ghana
Despite over three decades of democratic transitions in Africa, sustainable democracy underpinned by issue-based politics remains elusive in many African countries. This qualitative case study of Ghana provides insights into the growing emphasis on issues rather than personalities in Ghana’s electoral politics. The study examines the shift towards issue-based politics through the 2016, 2020, and 2024 general elections. Utilizing qualitative conte…
Keyboard Warriors and Peace-makers
In 2023, Manipur, Northeast India, witnessed “ethnic conflict” between the “majority” Meitei community and “tribal” Kukis. Some commentators framed it as religious, identifying Meiteis as Hindus and Kukis as Christians, while others linked it to “narco-terrorists” engaged in trafficking and poppy cultivation along the Indo-Myanmar border. This study uses digital anthropology and frame analysis to examine social media content on the conflict. Two …
Rohingya identity, nationhood and the census
Ethnicity is one of the factors that determine eligibility for citizenship in Myanmar. While the government of Myanmar denies the existence of a ‘Rohingya’ people and insists on calling them ‘Bengalis’, Rohingya organisations argue that the Rohingya are in fact an indigenous ethnic group with a long history in northern Rakhine. Exploring the dispute over ‘the Rohingya’ as an ethnic identity through the lens of critical demography, this article ex…
Women’s Empowerment in India
Norway's Aid to Ukraine
The Norwegian parliament has agreed to fund the Nansen Support Program for Ukraine, promising to deliver a total of NOK 75 billion (EUR 6.7 billion) in military and civilian aid to Ukraine over the period 2023–2027. In 2023, half of the aid was delivered in the form of military support, the other half constituted civilian support, including humanitarian relief and direct support to the Government of Ukraine. Over the next four years, the distribu…
This World and the “Other”
This article investigates the “othering” of Muslims in two Northeast Indian states: Assam and Tripura, in a region known for its ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, and long history of militancy and civil unrest. Northeast Indian politics thrives on disagreement between “Us” and “Them” and tensions over illegal migration, drawing on overlapping or intersecting frames of “othering.” This study asks why and how the political “othering” of Mu…
Digital Peacebuilding
Existing research on digital technologies in peacebuilding exhibits both tech-solutionist and tech-problematizing traits that tend to understate their embeddedness in society and politics. We argue that the study of digital peacebuilding should instead reflexively engage with the coproduction of the technical and the social in both academia and practice. This requires asking how assumptions about technology are related to assumptions about the co…
From towers to walls
The pledge to build a “great”, “beautiful” southern border wall was a cornerstone of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign. This paper analyzes Trump’s border wall project as an example of performative statecraft, suggesting that the wall works better rhetorically, than as a barrier against unauthorized cross-border movement. Identifying Trump’s performative statecraft as “entrepreneurial”, we argue that his border wall discourse …
Northeast Indian Enigmas
The standard frame of security studies is to view Northeast India as a site of multiple “ethnic conflicts.” In trying to unravel these conflicts, the focus has remained on the fault lines between the state and its alleged contenders, the region’s multiple nonstate actors. This special issue tries to look at the conflict scenario of Northeast India through a different set of lenses, in an effort to draw the focus away from the usual conflict histo…
Sovereignty Revisited
Framing the tribal
This article examines the framing of ‘ethnic conflict’ in Northeast India, focusing on militant groups and insurgency in the hill areas of Assam and a form of political violence known locally as ‘ethnic clashes’. The article argues that ‘ethnic clashes’ have become an institutionalized form of armed violence in the region, while ‘ethnic rivalry’ is a key diagnostic frame for conflict. As enactments and imaginaries of institutionalized violence, ‘…
How critical is the event? Multicultural Norway after 22 July 2011
It is commonly assumed that insecurity experienced by citizens in the wake of a terror attack gives rise to public demands for strong countermeasures, which political leaders must respond to. This article asks how Norwegian society was affected by the 22 July 2011 attacks against the government office complex in Oslo and Labour Party youth camp on Utøya. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, it analyses political impact, examining post-…
Truth and Indigenous Cosmopolitics in Shangrila
As this article shows, cadres involved in the ‘discovery’ of Shangrila in Yunnan were well aware of the fictional origins of the name. In arguments for changing the name of Zhongdian county to Xianggelila, scientific facts were coupled with literary truths about the Shangri-La of the 1930s novel Lost Horizon, grounded in material reality. In their efforts to make Shangrila meaningful locally, cadres associated Shangrila with the hidden land of Sh…
The “Syria traveller”
This article analyses discourses on Islamist radicalisation and threats of terrorism in Norway, with a focus on a new category of people known as “Syria travellers”, i.e. young Norwegians who go to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Our analysis of debates in the media, policy documents and parliamentary discussions revealed two main narratives regarding the authorities’ response to Syria travellers: the first emphasises legal sanctions, and t…
Reclaiming the Forest
The reindeer herders of Aoluguya, China, are a group of former hunters who today see themselves as “keepers of reindeer” as they engage in ethnic tourism and exchange experiences with their Ewenki neighbors in Russian Siberia. Though to some their future seems problematic, this book focuses on the present, challenging the pessimistic outlook, reviewing current issues, and describing the efforts of the Ewenki to reclaim their forest lifestyle and …
Reclaiming the Forest
Reclaiming the forest
Degradation Discourse and Green Governmentality in the Xilinguole Grasslands of Inner Mongolia
This article examines discourses about grassland degradation in China as expressed by herders, government officials and researchers, presenting findings from fieldwork in Xilinguole League, Inner Mongolia. Recognizing degradation discourse and grassland restoration policies as key sites of political contestation, this study does not try to arrive at the scientific facts about degradation, but rather seeks to illuminate the mechanisms by which gra…
Reclaiming the Forest
The Ewenki of Aoluguya, Inner Mongolia, used to be hunters and keep reindeer as pack animals. In 2003, they were relocated as ecological migrants, their guns were confiscated, and was banned. Reindeer herding in state-owned forests is the only remnant of their transhumant lifestyle, which is now based mainly on the production of reindeer horn for use in Chinese medicine. A government-run enterprise is in charge of cutting and marketing the reinde…
Book Notes
Naga militancy and violent politics in the shadow of ceasefire
Ceasefires are often seen as a simple measure to end violence and allow more substantive negotiations to begin. Contemporary conflict resolution models thus posit the ceasefire as a basic step in the peacebuilding trajectory. Offering an in-depth analysis of Naga militancy in Northeast India, this article argues that ceasefires should rather be understood as a part of the dynamics of conflict. Northeast India is a site of protracted conflict invo…
The perils of 'going local
Responding to recent critiques, foreign aid organisations are increasingly 'going local' in their operations in order to integrate local actors into their peace-building and aid projects. This is done under the belief that entering into partnerships directly with grassroots actors will increase local autonomy in joint ventures, thus empowering locals as agents of change both during and after the project period. But despite its normative and conce…
Gavi and Hepatitis B immunisation in India
In cooperation with Indian health authorities, the GAVI Alliance (GAVI) is introducing Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccination into the immunisation programmes of 11 'better-performing' Indian states. This article describes the concerns and interests of major stakeholders in the programme, including GAVI partners and the Indian government, and summarises Indian debates that have emerged in response to the project, especially on the issue of selective vs. …
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
This paper deploys a discursive approach to the ‘scripting’ of the November 2008 Mumbai ‘terror attacks’ and their aftermath, including ensuing debates about counter-terrorism in India. It explores the perspectives of a range of actors who participated in very different ways in the social construction of the attacks, including media consumers and producers, key participants in public debates, and even the masterminds of the attacks. Important ins…
Tourism and the Making of Place in Shangri-La
This article deals with the development of ethnic tourism in'Shangri-La'and the concomitant reconstruction of the area as a'Tibetan'place. It discusses how the area has been'sacralized'in the process of incorporating it into the'sacred realm'of Buddhist Tibet, how it has been'ethnicized'in connection with the establishment of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and, finally, how it is currently also being'exoticized'with the promotion of Diqing …
Tibetan Nationalism
Tibetan Buddhism, rather than secular nationalist ideology, provides vital idioms for the political discourse on Tibetan independence. This article deals with the interrelations between Tibetan politics and religion within Tibet and in exile Tibetan settlements in India. It is argued that within and outside Tibet, popular expressions of Tibetan identity rely on religious symbolism. In Tibet, religious idioms are reappearing in completely new cont…
Degradation Discourse and Green Governmentality in the Xilinguole Grasslands of Inner Mongolia
This article examines discourses about grassland degradation in China as expressed by herders, government officials and researchers, presenting findings from fieldwork in Xilinguole League, Inner Mongolia. Recognizing degradation discourse and grassland restoration policies as key sites of political contestation, this study does not try to arrive at the scientific facts about degradation, but rather seeks to illuminate the mechanisms by which gra…
Naga militancy and violent politics in the shadow of ceasefire
Ceasefires are often seen as a simple measure to end violence and allow more substantive negotiations to begin. Contemporary conflict resolution models thus posit the ceasefire as a basic step in the peacebuilding trajectory. Offering an in-depth analysis of Naga militancy in Northeast India, this article argues that ceasefires should rather be understood as a part of the dynamics of conflict. Northeast India is a site of protracted conflict invo…
Digital Peacebuilding
Existing research on digital technologies in peacebuilding exhibits both tech-solutionist and tech-problematizing traits that tend to understate their embeddedness in society and politics. We argue that the study of digital peacebuilding should instead reflexively engage with the coproduction of the technical and the social in both academia and practice. This requires asking how assumptions about technology are related to assumptions about the co…
How critical is the event? Multicultural Norway after 22 July 2011
It is commonly assumed that insecurity experienced by citizens in the wake of a terror attack gives rise to public demands for strong countermeasures, which political leaders must respond to. This article asks how Norwegian society was affected by the 22 July 2011 attacks against the government office complex in Oslo and Labour Party youth camp on Utøya. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, it analyses political impact, examining post-…
From towers to walls
The pledge to build a “great”, “beautiful” southern border wall was a cornerstone of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign. This paper analyzes Trump’s border wall project as an example of performative statecraft, suggesting that the wall works better rhetorically, than as a barrier against unauthorized cross-border movement. Identifying Trump’s performative statecraft as “entrepreneurial”, we argue that his border wall discourse …
The perils of 'going local
Responding to recent critiques, foreign aid organisations are increasingly 'going local' in their operations in order to integrate local actors into their peace-building and aid projects. This is done under the belief that entering into partnerships directly with grassroots actors will increase local autonomy in joint ventures, thus empowering locals as agents of change both during and after the project period. But despite its normative and conce…
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
This paper deploys a discursive approach to the ‘scripting’ of the November 2008 Mumbai ‘terror attacks’ and their aftermath, including ensuing debates about counter-terrorism in India. It explores the perspectives of a range of actors who participated in very different ways in the social construction of the attacks, including media consumers and producers, key participants in public debates, and even the masterminds of the attacks. Important ins…
Framing the tribal
This article examines the framing of ‘ethnic conflict’ in Northeast India, focusing on militant groups and insurgency in the hill areas of Assam and a form of political violence known locally as ‘ethnic clashes’. The article argues that ‘ethnic clashes’ have become an institutionalized form of armed violence in the region, while ‘ethnic rivalry’ is a key diagnostic frame for conflict. As enactments and imaginaries of institutionalized violence, ‘…
The “Syria traveller”
This article analyses discourses on Islamist radicalisation and threats of terrorism in Norway, with a focus on a new category of people known as “Syria travellers”, i.e. young Norwegians who go to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Our analysis of debates in the media, policy documents and parliamentary discussions revealed two main narratives regarding the authorities’ response to Syria travellers: the first emphasises legal sanctions, and t…
Modernising Tibet
Pilgrimage and the rebuilding of religious sites are immensely popular in contemporary Tibet. The state-controlled media commonly attribute such religious practices to undesirable attitudes of 'traditionalism', and claim that the 'traditional ideas' of farmers and herders and their 'poor sense of commodity' represent major obstacles to economic development. At the same time positive images of 'modernisation', represented by state-sponsored develo…
Rohingya identity, nationhood and the census
Ethnicity is one of the factors that determine eligibility for citizenship in Myanmar. While the government of Myanmar denies the existence of a ‘Rohingya’ people and insists on calling them ‘Bengalis’, Rohingya organisations argue that the Rohingya are in fact an indigenous ethnic group with a long history in northern Rakhine. Exploring the dispute over ‘the Rohingya’ as an ethnic identity through the lens of critical demography, this article ex…
Northeast Indian Enigmas
The standard frame of security studies is to view Northeast India as a site of multiple “ethnic conflicts.” In trying to unravel these conflicts, the focus has remained on the fault lines between the state and its alleged contenders, the region’s multiple nonstate actors. This special issue tries to look at the conflict scenario of Northeast India through a different set of lenses, in an effort to draw the focus away from the usual conflict histo…
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Tibetan Nationalism
Tibetan Buddhism, rather than secular nationalist ideology, provides vital idioms for the political discourse on Tibetan independence. This article deals with the interrelations between Tibetan politics and religion within Tibet and in exile Tibetan settlements in India. It is argued that within and outside Tibet, popular expressions of Tibetan identity rely on religious symbolism. In Tibet, religious idioms are reappearing in completely new cont…
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Book Notes
Modernising Tibet
Pilgrimage and the rebuilding of religious sites are immensely popular in contemporary Tibet. The state-controlled media commonly attribute such religious practices to undesirable attitudes of 'traditionalism', and claim that the 'traditional ideas' of farmers and herders and their 'poor sense of commodity' represent major obstacles to economic development. At the same time positive images of 'modernisation', represented by state-sponsored develo…
Book Notes
Tourism and the Making of Place in Shangri-La
This article deals with the development of ethnic tourism in'Shangri-La'and the concomitant reconstruction of the area as a'Tibetan'place. It discusses how the area has been'sacralized'in the process of incorporating it into the'sacred realm'of Buddhist Tibet, how it has been'ethnicized'in connection with the establishment of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and, finally, how it is currently also being'exoticized'with the promotion of Diqing …
Tourism and Tibetan Culture in Transition
"This book explores the relationship between tourism, culture and ethnic identity in Shangrila, a Tibetan region in southwest China, to show how local 'Tibetan culture' is reconstructed as a marketable commodity for tourists. It analyses the socioeconomic effects of Shangrila tourism, investigating who benefits economically, while also considering its political implications and the ways in which tourism might be linked to the reassertion of ethni…
Gavi and Hepatitis B immunisation in India
In cooperation with Indian health authorities, the GAVI Alliance (GAVI) is introducing Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccination into the immunisation programmes of 11 'better-performing' Indian states. This article describes the concerns and interests of major stakeholders in the programme, including GAVI partners and the Indian government, and summarises Indian debates that have emerged in response to the project, especially on the issue of selective vs. …
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
This paper deploys a discursive approach to the ‘scripting’ of the November 2008 Mumbai ‘terror attacks’ and their aftermath, including ensuing debates about counter-terrorism in India. It explores the perspectives of a range of actors who participated in very different ways in the social construction of the attacks, including media consumers and producers, key participants in public debates, and even the masterminds of the attacks. Important ins…
Reclaiming the Forest
The Ewenki of Aoluguya, Inner Mongolia, used to be hunters and keep reindeer as pack animals. In 2003, they were relocated as ecological migrants, their guns were confiscated, and was banned. Reindeer herding in state-owned forests is the only remnant of their transhumant lifestyle, which is now based mainly on the production of reindeer horn for use in Chinese medicine. A government-run enterprise is in charge of cutting and marketing the reinde…
Book Notes
Naga militancy and violent politics in the shadow of ceasefire
Ceasefires are often seen as a simple measure to end violence and allow more substantive negotiations to begin. Contemporary conflict resolution models thus posit the ceasefire as a basic step in the peacebuilding trajectory. Offering an in-depth analysis of Naga militancy in Northeast India, this article argues that ceasefires should rather be understood as a part of the dynamics of conflict. Northeast India is a site of protracted conflict invo…
The perils of 'going local
Responding to recent critiques, foreign aid organisations are increasingly 'going local' in their operations in order to integrate local actors into their peace-building and aid projects. This is done under the belief that entering into partnerships directly with grassroots actors will increase local autonomy in joint ventures, thus empowering locals as agents of change both during and after the project period. But despite its normative and conce…
Degradation Discourse and Green Governmentality in the Xilinguole Grasslands of Inner Mongolia
This article examines discourses about grassland degradation in China as expressed by herders, government officials and researchers, presenting findings from fieldwork in Xilinguole League, Inner Mongolia. Recognizing degradation discourse and grassland restoration policies as key sites of political contestation, this study does not try to arrive at the scientific facts about degradation, but rather seeks to illuminate the mechanisms by which gra…
Reclaiming the Forest
The reindeer herders of Aoluguya, China, are a group of former hunters who today see themselves as “keepers of reindeer” as they engage in ethnic tourism and exchange experiences with their Ewenki neighbors in Russian Siberia. Though to some their future seems problematic, this book focuses on the present, challenging the pessimistic outlook, reviewing current issues, and describing the efforts of the Ewenki to reclaim their forest lifestyle and …
Reclaiming the Forest
Sociology (19 works) · Political science (18 works) · Law (16 works) · Computer Science (14 works) · Politics (14 works) · Engineering (13 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Political economy (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Aesthetics (7 works)