Current research interests
We asked Brubaker about his current research interests and the focus for his stay this fall at University of Oslo.
– My current research interests center on contemporary forms of populism, especially but not only in Europe and North America. I am interested in developing a robust conceptualization of populism that can accommodate striking variations in the substantive content, social base, and organizational form of populist politics. Yet a conceptualization must withstand the often-voice criticism that “populism” is too vague and heterogeneous a term to do useful analytical work and is better understood simply as a journalistic cliché and a pejorative political epithet.
– My past work on migration, ethnicity and citizenship, and my current interest in populism, resonates with the research profile of the department. I’m looking forward to many fruitful discussions with researchers and PhD students.
An important contributor
Rogers Brubaker is Professor of Sociology and UCLA Foundation Chair at the University of California, Los Angeles. Brubaker has written widely on social theory, immigration, citizenship, nationalism, and ethnicity.
Katrine Fangen, Head of Department of Sociology and Human Geography, is very happy to have Brubaker at University of Oslo.
–He is one of the most prominent researchers in this field. Many of the researchers at the department do research on topics like migration, citizenship, nationalism, identity etc. and therefore when we had the opportunity to hire one of our favorite scholars in sociology, Brubaker was the first choice. He will meet individually with PhD students and contribute to our research seminars, in addition to holding open lectures. We are happy to give the chance to engage with Brubaker both for staff within the department and for the general public.