Sigrun Marie Moss

• Adjei, Stephen Baffour & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2026). Academic Boldness: A Critical Resource for Decolonizing Knowledge | Human Arenas | Springer Nature Link. Human Arenas. ISSN 2522-5790. p. 1–24. doi: 10.1007/s42087-026-00630-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recently, Majority World scholars have decried the exclusion of indigenous knowledge systems and lived experiences from the global knowledge economy. There have been persistent calls, particularly in psychology, to decolonize the field by centering knowledge frameworks and indigenous perspectives from Majority World contexts. One barrier to decolonizing efforts in post-colonial settings is the challenge associated with epistemic agency: the systematic denial of Majority World scholars’ capacity to draw from their own indigenous resources to conceptualize and theorize from their given epistemic locations. Scholars have suggested that Minority World researchers practice epistemic humility by realizing that their way of knowing is merely a way of knowing, and by actively recognizing and engaging with other ways of knowing. Such practices are crucial to avoid enfolding Majority World scholars into dominant Western ontological and epistemological frameworks, which contributes to reproducing and perpetuating dominant Western knowledge frameworks in former colonies. In this article, we ask the question: how can we foster the habit of speaking up for other ways of knowing to achieve decolonization of knowledge? To address this, we introduce the concept of academic boldness to this debate—the willingness and confidence to be innovative and articulate one’s unique knowledges, theories and concepts even if this may lead to pushback, questioning or being ignored—as one such critical resource required to contest and resist received Western knowledge systems. We trace the origin of the exclusion of Majority World knowledges, the hegemony of Western epistemologies, the gatekeeping powers of Minority World scholars, and the presumed authority of universalist knowledge claims to the history of colonization. We draw from our own experiences of working with African and Western researchers to show how challenges related to academic boldness could unintentionally recolonize Majority World scholars by enfolding them into Western default knowledge structures.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie; Sorgenfrei, Lara-Sabina Maria & Abdalla, Salma Mohamed Abdalmunim (2025). Media presentations of women’s collective resilience and resistance in the Sudan revolution, The Power of Collective Resilience Against Political Violence and Repression. Routledge. ISSN 9781032708492. p. 71–85. Full text in Research Archive
• Ebrahimi, Omid Vakili; Sandbakken, Ella Marie; Moss, Sigrun Marie; Johnson, Sverre Urnes; Hoffart, Asle & Bauermeister, Sarah [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2025). Modifiable risk factors of vaccine hesitancy: insights from a mixed methods multiple population study combining machine learning and thematic analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Medicine. 23(1). doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-03953-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Vaccine hesitancy, the delay in acceptance or reluctance to vaccinate, ranks among the top threats to global health. Identifying modifiable factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy is crucial for developing targeted interventions to increase vaccination uptake. Methods This mixed-methods multiple population study utilized gradient boosting machines and thematic analysis to identify modifiable predictors of vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Predictors of vaccine hesitancy were investigated in 2926 Norwegian adults (Mage = 37.91, 79.69% female), before the predictive utility of these variables was investigated in an independent sample of 734 adults in the UK (Mage = 40.34, 57.08% female). Two independent teams of authors conducted the machine learning and thematic analyses, blind to each other’s analytic procedures and results. Results The machine learning model performed well in discerning vaccine hesitant (n = 248, 8.48% and n = 109, 14.85%, Norway and UK, respectively) from vaccine uptaking individuals (n = 2678, 91.52% and n = 625, 85.15%), achieving an AUC of 0.94 (AUPRC: 0.72; balanced accuracy: 86%; sensitivity = 0.81; specificity = 0.98) in the Norwegian sample, and an AUC of 0.98 (AUPRC: 0.89; balanced accuracy: 89%; sensitivity = 0.83; specificity = 0.97) in the out-of-sample replication in the UK. The mixed methods investigation identified five categories of modifiable risk tied to vaccine hesitancy, including illusion of invulnerability, doubts about vaccine efficacy, mistrust in official entities, minimization of the societal impact of COVID-19, and health-related fears tied to vaccination. The portrayal of rare incidents across alternative media platforms as fear amplifiers, and the mainstream media’s stigmatizing presentation of unvaccinated individuals, were provided as additional motives underlying vaccine reluctance and polarization. The thematic analysis further revealed information overload, fear of needles, previous negative vaccination experiences, fear of not getting healthcare follow-up after vaccination if needed, and vaccine aversion due to underlying (psychiatric) illness (e.g., eating disorders) as motives underlying vaccine hesitance. Conclusions The identified influential predictors were consistent across two European samples, highlighting their generalizability across European populations. These predictors offer insights about modifiable factors that could be adapted by public health campaigns in mitigating misconceptions and fears related to vaccination toward increasing vaccine uptake. Moreover, the results highlight the media’s responsibility, as mediators of the public perception of vaccines, to minimize polarization and provide accurate portrayals of rare vaccine-related incidents, reducing the risk aggravating fear and reactance to vaccination.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2025). Ubuntu and Sámi Worldviews of Nature and Responsibility Avenues for Ecosystemic Theorizing in Psychology? International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation. ISSN 2157-3883. 14(2), p. 70–78. doi: 10.1027/2157-3891/a000123. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Langford, Malcolm (2024). Branding Peace: Norway's Campaign for a UN Security Council Seat. In Browning, Christopher S.; Lehti, Marko & Strang, Johan (Ed.), Nordic Peace in Question. A Region of and for Peace. Routledge. ISSN 9781003319115. p. 200–214. doi: 10.4324/9781003319115-13. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In seeking to present itself as a peace nation, Norway must address often the awkward questions of its military activism and NATO membership. This tension was especially apparent in Norway’s campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council 2020–2021. Using nation branding as an analytical framework, we ask how Norway, when vying for this seat, built and sustained this peace narrative and managed the competing narrative of its militarism. We also ask how Norway’s two competitors, Ireland and Canada, presented themselves on these two axes of peace and military activism. To explore these questions, we analyse campaign-related speeches and texts from Norwegian officials, together with the official campaign material from all three countries. Given that the image of all three states was generally similar, each country sought to find unique ways to brand themselves as well as countering the few specific advantages of the others. For Norway, the country’s military activism was downplayed and gender equality and international development cooperation were foregrounded, even if the links with security and peace were at times strained. Such a narrative would legitimate sufficiently the idea of Norway as a peace nation, a reliable partner that all states could trust.

• Adefris, Dereje; Gatbel, Kuany & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2023). Locational citizenship, exclusion and inclusion. The case of street children in Ethiopia. European Journal of Social Psychology. ISSN 0046-2772. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.3020. Full text in Research Archive
• Solheim, Marte Cecilie Wilhelmsen & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2023). Diversity on the blackboard : The nexus between teaching, diversity, and awareness. In Asheim, Bjørn Terje; Laudal, Thomas & Mykletun, Reidar J. (Ed.), Practicing responsibility in business schools : Implications for teaching, research, and innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781035313167. p. 145–163. doi: 10.4337/9781035313174.00018. Full text in Research Archive
• Blackburn, Angélique M; Vestergren, Sara; Tran, Thao P.; Stöckli, Sabrina; Griffin, Siobhán M. & Ntontis, Evangelos [Show all 50 contributors for this article] (2023). Author Correction: COVIDiSTRESS diverse dataset on psychological and behavioural outcomes one year into the COVID-19 pandemic (Scientific Data, (2022), 9, 1, (331), 10.1038/s41597-022-01383-6). Scientific Data. 10(1). doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01896-0. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Sandbakken, Ella Marie (2023). Pushing too far? Negotiations of non-compliance and resistance to the COVID-19 cabin ban in Norway. European Journal of Social Psychology. ISSN 0046-2772. 53(6), p. 1098–1013. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2954. Full text in Research Archive
• Skjelsbæk, Inger; Larsen, Eirinn; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Tryggestad, Torunn Lise (2023). "Dempet statsfeminist? Nasjonale tradisjoner og globale utviklingstrekk i Søreides periode som utenriksminister". Internasjonal Politikk. ISSN 0020-577X. 81(1), p. 26–37. doi: 10.23865/intpol.v81.4142. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Utnevnelsen av Ine Eriksen Søreide i 2017 var et historisk første: Norges første kvinnelige utenriksminister. For merkevaren Norge var dette viktig: Det viste likestilling i praksis, ikke bare som gode intensjoner. I norsk utenrikspolitikk har fredsengasjementet derimot hatt forrang. Det kom også fram under sikkerhets-rådskampanjen i 2018 ledet av Søreide, som ellers i hennes periode som norsk utenriksminister. Faktisk kom høyrepolitikeren i liten grad til å avvike fra en vel-kjent linje i utenrikspolitikken ved å fremstå som en forsiktig statsfeminist. I tråd med denne linjen er Norge likestillingslandet når det tjener landets omdømme og internasjonale betydning, ellers er Norge fredsnasjonen først og fremst.

• Larsen, Eirinn; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Skjelsbæk, Inger (2021). Introduction. In Larsen, Eirinn; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Skjelsbæk, Inger (Ed.), Gender Equality and Nation Branding in the Nordic Region. Routledge. ISSN 9780367861353. p. 1–12. doi: 10.4324/9781003017134. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This book explores how gender equality, a central part of the Nordic imaginary, is used in the political communication of Nordic states. The analyses presented move beyond conventional images and discourses of Nordic gender- and women-friendliness by critically investigating how and to what extent gender equality serves nation-branding in the Nordic region. Nation-branding is an unescapable part of globalisation, which is a market-oriented process dominated by the West and predicated on the creation of winners and losers. Hence, efforts to strengthen the national brand or reputation of specific Nordic countries with the aid of gender equality as a political and symbolic value inevitably help to reinforce already established global hierarchies where the Nordics play the role of moral superpower. This book comprises scholars from various fields of specialisation, and provides evidence and understanding for the growing interaction between gender-equality policies and nation-branding in all five Nordic countries. It does so by exploring a variety of policy fields and issues including women’s rights, foreign policy, rape and legislation, female quotas and business policies, in addition to the index industry. The rise of the global indexes has reproduced forceful images of the Nordic countries as frontrunners of gender equality, which indeed help the Nordic countries to further position themselves as ‘best at being good’. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Nordic gender equality in political science, sociology, law, criminology, political psychology and history, as well as those interested in nation branding, Nordic studies and exceptionalism.

• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). “Now We Are All in the Same Boat. At the Same Time, We Are Not.” Meaning-Making and Coping Under COVID-19 Lockdown in Norway. Human Arenas. ISSN 2522-5790. doi: 10.1007/s42087-021-00208-z. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie; Hauge, Mona-Iren; Blix, Ines & Heir, Trond (2021). “I Could Have Been Dead”: Counterfactual Thinking and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Individuals Directly Exposed to the 2011 Oslo Bombing. Traumatology. ISSN 1534-7656. doi: 10.1037/trm0000356. Full text in Research Archive
• Elgizouli, Ubai Kemal; Hussain, Ayman & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). “Chanting at 1 pm Revolution Time”: Collective Action as Communal Coping in the Sudan Revolution. Transitioning to peace. Promoting global social justice and non-violence. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783030776879. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-77688-6_9. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Sandbakken, Ella Marie (2021). “Everybody Needs to Do Their Part, So We Can Get This Under Control.” Reactions to the Norwegian Government Meta‐Narratives on COVID‐19 Measures. Political Psychology. ISSN 0162-895X. doi: 10.1111/pops.12727. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Solheim, Marte Cecilie Wilhelmsen (2021). Shifting Diversity Discourses and New Feeling Rules? The Case of Brexit. Human Arenas. ISSN 2522-5790. doi: 10.1007/s42087-020-00177-9. Full text in Research Archive
• Adolfsson, Johanna Sofia & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Making Meaning of Empowerment and Development in Rural Malawi—International Individualism Meets Local Communalism. The Journal of Social and Political Psychology. 9(2), p. 623–636. doi: 10.5964/jspp.7549. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Empowerment is a prominent concept in psychology, and for decades, it has been a key term in global development policy, theory, and practice. However, in line with similar turns toward individualism in psychology, the prevalent understanding of the concept centers on individual capacity to change circumstances, with less focus on empowerment as a context-dependent or communal approach. In this article, adopting decolonial feminist psychology as a lens, we analyze how rural Malawians make meaning of the overarching empowerment and development approach of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in their villages, and how they perceive the approaches as fitting with local contexts. When development implementers largely ignore Malawi’s communal lifestyle, individualized empowerment initiatives can lead to individual and communal disempowerment and distress. Given psychology’s large influence on other arenas, and psychology’s implication with the individualized gender-development-empowerment nexus, we argue that it is imperative to explore the effects and experiences of this empowerment approach in different contexts. A more context-appropriate understanding of empowerment—as with most other psychological concepts—is needed.

• Solheim, Marte Cecilie Wilhelmsen & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Inter-organizational learning within an organization? Mainstreaming gender policies in the Swedish ministry of foreign affairs. Learning Organization. ISSN 0969-6474. 28(2). doi: 10.1108/TLO-05-2020-0103. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Applying the brand or not? Challenges of Nordicity and gender equality in Scandinavian diplomacy. In Larsen, Eirinn; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Skjelsbæk, Inger (Ed.), Gender Equality and Nation Branding in the Nordic Region. Routledge. ISSN 9780367861353. doi: 10.4324/9781003017134-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This book explores how gender equality, a central part of the Nordic imaginary, is used in the political communication of Nordic states. The analyses presented move beyond conventional images and discourses of Nordic gender- and women-friendliness by critically investigating how and to what extent gender equality serves nation-branding in the Nordic region. Nation-branding is an unescapable part of globalisation, which is a market-oriented process dominated by the West and predicated on the creation of winners and losers. Hence, efforts to strengthen the national brand or reputation of specific Nordic countries with the aid of gender equality as a political and symbolic value inevitably help to reinforce already established global hierarchies where the Nordics play the role of moral superpower. This book comprises scholars from various fields of specialisation, and provides evidence and understanding for the growing interaction between gender-equality policies and nation-branding in all five Nordic countries. It does so by exploring a variety of policy fields and issues including women’s rights, foreign policy, rape and legislation, female quotas and business policies, in addition to the index industry. The rise of the global indexes has reproduced forceful images of the Nordic countries as frontrunners of gender equality, which indeed help the Nordic countries to further position themselves as ‘best at being good’. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Nordic gender equality in political science, sociology, law, criminology, political psychology and history, as well as those interested in nation branding, Nordic studies and exceptionalism.

• Adolfsson, Johanna Sofia & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). “Even the NGOs Never Talk About Ufiti [Witchcraft]”: a Decolonial and Feminist Cultural Psychological Analysis of Individualized Development Clashing with Communal Ways of Being. Human Arenas. ISSN 2522-5790. doi: 10.1007/s42087-021-00230-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Conducting a multi-sited psychology study on how Malawian participants perceive Western-oriented non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) gendered development approaches, it became apparent that perceptions of ufiti (the Malawian term for what loosely translates as witchcraft in English)—and its gendered inclination—was highly relevant. As in many parts of the world, people in Malawi may relate themselves and their social world in connection to spiritual and supernatural dimensions, manifested in practices and discourses often closely linked to communal norms and values. Many international NGOs in Malawi run individualized development initiatives, often particularly focusing on women and girls’ personal empowerment. When local communal ways of experiencing and knowing are not taken account for in the NGOs’ interventions, this indiviualized approach can spur interpersonal resentment, and in worst-case ufiti assaults. This article explores the link between individualized development incentives and perceptions of ufiti. Using decolonial and feminist cultural psychology as a lens, we ask how the individualized focus of the NGOs plays out in Malawi, and what negative and unintended consequences individualized interventions can lead to. Our results indicate the need for contextually grounded and informed development approaches, to avoid that effort to empower individual women and girls lead to their disempowerment, social disruption, and ufiti accusations and assaults. The article speaks to the need for decolonial and feminist cultural psychological approaches that consider subjective intentional worlds.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Langford, Malcolm (2021). «Gammelt nytt» om militæraktivisme og fredsaktivisme i nye klær. Internasjonal Politikk. ISSN 0020-577X. doi: 10.23865/intpol.v79.3147. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Hajj, Hajj Mohammed (2020). Keepers of Local Know-How in Conflict: Conversations Between Research Assistant and Researcher, Researching Peace, Conflict, and Power in the Field.. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783030441135. p. 29–48. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Langford, Malcolm (2020). Militæraktivisme brandet som fredsaktivisme? Norges kampanje for en plass i FNs sikkerhetsråd. Internasjonal Politikk. ISSN 0020-577X. 78(3), p. 397–410. doi: 10.23865/INTPOL.V78.2557. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvordan håndterer Norge sin militæraktivisme og sitt NATO-medlemskap når landet vil presentere seg selv som en fredsnasjon? Problemstillingen ble aktuell i det norske utenriksdepartementets nylige kampanje for å få Norge valgt inn i FNs sikkerhetsråd, hvor ideen om Norge som fredsnasjon stod sentralt. I denne artikkelen bruker vi nasjonsbranding som et analytisk rammeverk for å forstå hvordan Norge bygget opp sin kampanje som fredsnasjon og håndterte det konkurrerende narrativet om sin rolle i krig. Som et sekundærfokus ser vi også på hvordan Norges to konkurrenter, Irland og Canada, fremstilte seg på disse to dimensjonene – som er av særinteresse da Irland ikke er NATO-medlem. For å utforske disse spørsmålene analyserer vi taler og tekster fra det norske diplomatiet og regjeringen vedrørende kampanjen, samt ser på kampanjematerialet til de tre landene. Gitt at de tre landenes profil er påfallende lik, fant vi at alle måtte forsøke å finne en måte å brande seg på som uttrykket ens særtrekk og høynet ens relevans i sammenligning med de to andre landene. I analysen av Norge ser vi at militæraktivisme stadig ble hvisket ut i løpet av den norske kampanjen og at andre tematikker ble brukt i brandingen – som for eksempel likestilling og bidrag til internasjonal utvikling. Dette skulle dermed skulle legitimere ideen om fredsnasjonen Norge, et land som alle andre kan stole på.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). The Ethics of Researching and Writing About Collective Victimhood in Postconflict Societies. In Vollhardt, Johanna Ray (Eds.), The Social Psychology of Collective Victimhood. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780190875206. p. 421–440. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2019). Leadership strategies of mobilisation and demobilisation in Sudan. The Journal of Social and Political Psychology. 7(2), p. 997–1020. doi: 10.5964/jspp.v7i2.869. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A Sudanese Revolution overthrew the sitting regime in 2019, and a transitional government is in place. This article explores Sudanese respondents’ take on how the former regime managed to stay in power for so long. The National Congress Party in Sudan held on to power for three decades against all odds after taking over in a coup in 1989. Widely unpopular, the regime relied on repression and coercive tactics to stay in power. Based on interview data from three locations in Sudan 2011 and 2012, respondents’ accounts of the NCP leadership strategies for staying in power are explored in this article. The interview data speaks to two highly intertwined processes. First, to the mobilisation of support from those the government needed in key positions around the country, in the elite, and the security forces. Second, the data speaks to the demobilisation of people in general. Respondents point at five strategies deployed by the NCP to stay in power: Creating a secure repressive base; divide and rule strategies; controlling the media; creating a confusing and closed system and, lastly, not pushing people too far. For each tactic, it seems the regime attempted to demobilise people at large, but also tried to mobilise those it needed. These five strategies are in this study seen in light of leadership, identities and collective action, and the analysis emphasises agency through the concepts of group efficacy and illiberal statebuilding. The study contributes to developing a psychology of demobilisation as it explores the attempted hindering of collective action. Exploring these issues in a non-Western conflict case like Sudan is a particularly important addition to understanding leadership demobilisation in conflict settings. Seeing this in light of the more recent processes of people’s power in Sudan makes it even more relevant.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie; Ulug, Ozden Melis & Acar, Yasemin Gulsum (2019). Doing research in conflict contexts: Practical and ethical challenges for researchers when conducting fieldwork. Peace and Conflict: The Journal of Peace Psychology. ISSN 1078-1919. 25(1), p. 86–99. doi: 10.1037/pac0000334. Full text in Research Archive
• Røren, Marie; Jessen, Reidar Schei; Divon, Shai André & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2019). Intercultural attention in trauma treatment: Western trauma treatment negotiated and modified in Sudan. International Journal of Intercultural Relations. ISSN 0147-1767. 70(May), p. 67–77. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2019.03.002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Western therapeutic methods have increasingly been implemented in non-Western contexts as treatment for traumatic stress reactions. There is a growing awareness of the need for such implementations to incorporate cultural specificity, and discussions are needed on the suitability of Western psychological approaches and theories in different parts of the world. The objective of this paper is to explore the intercultural applicability of trauma treatment through a case study in Sudan. We look at how Western methods are applied and potentially modified in Sudan to fit social-cultural realities – and how specific contexts affects treatments. Such data from a non-Western context is invaluable to the discussion of transcultural aspects of mental health care. This paper presents interview data, where counsellors in a trauma centre in Sudan were asked how they are implementing Western methods, and how these treatments are negotiated and potentially modified to fit the context. The interviewed counsellors emphasise the contextual factors influencing the treatment and the need to modify therapeutic methods to the specific cultural setting. Three themes are discussed: stigma towards mental health and sexual assaults; the negotiation of treatment alongside traditional healers; and the modification of treatments to the cultural context. The findings suggest that although Western methods can be useful in non-Western settings, these need to be carefully modified to the context as well as to each individual client. The study offers valuable insights into such modifications.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). Identity Hierarchy Within the Sudanese Superordinate Identity: Political Leadership Promoting and Demoting Subordinate Groups. Political Psychology. ISSN 0162-895X. 38(6), p. 925–942. doi: 10.1111/pops.12378. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). Identitetsentreprenørene. Speilvendt. ISSN 1893-4560. 2. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). From political to national identity in Zanizbar. Narratives on changes in social practices. In Bagga-Gupta, Sangheeta; Hansen, Aase Lyngvær & Feilberg, Julie (Ed.), Identity Revisited and Reimagined. Empirical and Theoretical Contributions on Embodied Communication Across Time and Space. Springer. ISSN 9783319580562. p. 169–186. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-58056-2_8. Full text in Research Archive
• Phelps, Joshua; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Larsen, Nils Morten (2017). Sosial interaksjon. In Phelps, Joshua; Larsen, Nils Morten & Singh, Manjeet (Ed.), Kommunikasjon og konflikthåndtering i operativt politiarbeid: Sosialpsykologiske perspektiver. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215027913. p. 71–110. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). Representations of social identities in Rwanda. In McKeown, Shelly; Haji, Reeshma & Ferguson, Neil (Ed.), Understanding Peace and Conflict Through Social Identity Theory. Springer. ISSN 9783319298672. p. 199–213. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-29869-6_13. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). "Country first, politics later" reasons for dual recategorization in zanzibari narratives. Peace and Conflict: The Journal of Peace Psychology. ISSN 1078-1919. 22(4), p. 318–328. doi: 10.1037/pac0000223. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Research has demonstrated that recategorization—emphasizing a common ingroup over subordinate groups—can influence perceptions of ingroup boundaries, and reduce intergroup bias and intergroup conflict. Few studies look at recategorization processes in real-life non-Western conflict contexts. Whether recategorization is a realistic approach in real-life conflict has been debated. This study offers an empirical analysis of a recategorization process implemented in Zanzibar, looking at the political and social processes that took place in recent years between the 2 main political groups: incumbent Chama Cha Mapinduzi and opposition Civic United Front. The main objective of this study is to understand Zanzibaris’ own explanations of what enabled (or hindered) the dual recategorization. Through qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews (N = 68) with respondents from the general population and political elites, 3 main themes were identified explaining why changes in categorization came about: the emphasis of a common outgroup (mainland Tanzania), the role of the leadership of both groups in reconstructing group members’ identities, and the shared cultural, social, and national identity in Zanzibar. The interaction between these themes is crucial. The role of leadership—largely overlooked in recategorization research—is specifically discussed. This study emphasizes the acute contextuality of recategorization, and highlights both the positive potential and the vulnerability of the framework in a non-Western conflict setting.

• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Vollhardt, Johanna Ray (2016). “You Can't Give a Syringe with Unity”: Rwandan Responses to the Government's Single Recategorization Policies. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (ASAP). ISSN 1529-7489. 16(1), p. 325–359. doi: 10.1111/asap.12097. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2014). Beyond Conflict and Spoilt Identities: How Rwandan Leaders Justify a Single Recategorization Model for Post-Conflict Reconciliation. The Journal of Social and Political Psychology. 2(1). doi: 10.5964/jspp.v2i1.291. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Tronvoll, Kjetil (2014). “We are all Zanzibari!” Identity formation and political reconciliation in Zanzibar. Journal of Eastern African Studies. ISSN 1753-1055. 9(1), p. 91–109. doi: 10.1080/17531055.2014.985357. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Zanzibari social relations were long characterised by disruption and antagonism around election time, between followers of the incumbent Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and opposition party Civic United Front (CUF). In November 2009, with a top-level political meeting between the leaders of CUF and CCM, this started to change. Based on field interviews and observations, this article argues that Zanzibari politics – over the period from July 2009 to November 2010 – moved from a hostile and polarised political environment, via a limbo period, to a widely supported reconciliation process, and that over these three phases, intergroup relations changed. Using social identity theory, we argue that the shared Zanzibari identity increased in salience, and intergroup animosity decreased, a process likened to the social psychological dual recategorisation. Second, reasons for this change in intergroup relations are discussed, comparing this recent process to former failed peace processes, stressing shared goals, intergroup communalities, leadership dialogue and cooperation, and focus on the superordinate identity. The material demonstrates that elite-led political discourse can increase or decrease political tension and thus initiate social identity transformation. We argue that this process further created room for the peaceful 2010 elections and the establishment of the current Zanzibar Government of National Unity.

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• Larsen, Eirinn; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Skjelsbæk, Inger (2021). Gender Equality and Nation Branding in the Nordic Region. Routledge. ISBN 9780367861353. 233 p. doi: 10.4324/9781003017134. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This book explores how gender equality, a central part of the Nordic imaginary, is used in the political communication of Nordic states. The analyses presented move beyond conventional images and discourses of Nordic gender- and women-friendliness by critically investigating how and to what extent gender equality serves nation-branding in the Nordic region. Nation-branding is an unescapable part of globalisation, which is a market-oriented process dominated by the West and predicated on the creation of winners and losers. Hence, efforts to strengthen the national brand or reputation of specific Nordic countries with the aid of gender equality as a political and symbolic value inevitably help to reinforce already established global hierarchies where the Nordics play the role of moral superpower. This book comprises scholars from various fields of specialisation, and provides evidence and understanding for the growing interaction between gender-equality policies and nation-branding in all five Nordic countries. It does so by exploring a variety of policy fields and issues including women’s rights, foreign policy, rape and legislation, female quotas and business policies, in addition to the index industry. The rise of the global indexes has reproduced forceful images of the Nordic countries as frontrunners of gender equality, which indeed help the Nordic countries to further position themselves as ‘best at being good’. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Nordic gender equality in political science, sociology, law, criminology, political psychology and history, as well as those interested in nation branding, Nordic studies and exceptionalism.

• Skjelsbæk, Inger; Larsen, Eirinn & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Gender Equality and Nation Branding in the Nordic Region. Routledge. ISBN 9780367861353. 232 p. doi: 10.4324/9781003017134. Full text in Research Archive
• Acar, Yasemin Gulsum; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Uluğ, Özden Melis (2020). Researching Peace, Conflict, and Power in the Field. Springer Nature. ISBN 9783030441135. 379 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie; Acar, Yasemin Gulsum & Ulug, Melis (2020). Researching peace, conflict and power in the field. Methodological challenges and opportunities. Springer Nature. ISBN 9783030441128. 383 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2026). Embedded in crisis: Reflections on our dual insider-outsider positionalities as researchers investigating COVID-19 pandemic narratives in Ecuador and Norway. doi: https:/www.equip2026.inviteo.fr/en/program/6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When researching ongoing global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers may be embedded in the phenomena they are investigating. This was the case for us during our longitudinal qualitative research project during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the project, we conducted 68 qualitative research interviews with participants in diverse life situations in Ecuador and Norway, investigating their experiences and meaning-making regarding their governments’ crisis mitigation measures. This positioned us as both insiders and outsiders considering the phenomena we were investigating. Researchers can be seen as always being in outsider positions with their participants, since they have the power to analyse participants’ accounts. However, in the context of the COVID19 pandemic, we were also in various insider positions, experiencing the pandemic and related crisis mitigation measures alongside our participants. In this presentation, we reflect on literature regarding researcher positionality and insider-outsider dynamics in qualitative research, tying this to our insights from experiencing these dynamics during our research on a global pandemic that also affected us. We argue for a context-oriented view of reflexivity where positionalities are acknowledged as dynamic, rather than “check boxes”, and where researchers’ embeddedness in the research is actively acknowledged and reflected on throughout the research process.

• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Moss, Sigrun Marie; Omland, Guro Brokke; Bochynska, Agata; Houge, Anette Bringedal & Tateo, Luca [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). ReDemOS​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The Unintended Undemocratic Consequences of Open Science practices: Rethinking the Democratisation of Knowledge Production. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Open Science movement aims to democratise knowledge production, making data, research processes and results more open and transparent. However, it may also risk being undemocratic in its approaches to knowledge production. With its current guidelines, Open Science is tailored to methods used in specific disciplines, e.g. the Natural Sciences or hypothesis-testing social science. Though the aims of Open Science are transparency, equity and inclusion, the recommended methodological practices are often difficult to apply to other types of research approaches, e.g. qualitative methods. Open Science may, therefore, unintentionally exclude certain forms of knowledge production, especially within the social sciences. Consequentially, some types of research addressing important societal issues may face hindrances, as Open Science gains ground in research, funding, hiring and publishing. There may be cases where knowledge production paradoxically becomes narrower and less transparent due to Open Science. ReDemOs seeks to address these unintended consequences. By critically investigating how the aim of democratization in Open Science influences knowledge production, ReDemOs aims to suggest alternative conceptualisations and practices within Open Science.

• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2025). How regulatory norms meet epistemological and ethical challenges in sharing qualitative interview data. Full text in Research Archive
• Hauge, Åshild Lappegard & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2025). One size does not fit all - The Unintended Consequences of Open Science Practices for Qualitative Research. Full text in Research Archive
• Omland, Guro Brokke; Hauge, Åshild Lappegard; Moss, Sigrun Marie & Andenæs, Agnes (2024). What becomes of qualitative psychology when “open and reproducible science” becomes an institutionalized regulatory norm? An analysis of Open science policy documents. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2023). Narratives on Social Norms and the (in)appropriate Behaviours During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2023). How do people speak of others’ non-compliance? The case of the COVID-19 cabin ban in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Sandbakken, Ella Marie (2023). Tracing Narratives Across Longitudinal Materials: Issues of Selection and Presentation. Full text in Research Archive
• Özden, Melis Uluğ; Zoodsma, Marieke; Sandbakken, Ella Marie; Figueiredo, Ana; Rocha, Carolina & Sagherian-Dickey, Thia [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). How can social psychologists become more participatory in their research? A reflection on working ‘with’ communities and participants rather than ‘on’ them. Social Psychological Review. ISSN 2396-9601. doi: 10.53841/bpsspr.2023.25.1.9. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Sandbakken, Ella Marie (2021). Dugnaden er over. Hvordan var korona-kommunikasjonen for ett år siden? Full text in Research Archive
• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Sporene etter pandemien. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Hajj, Hajj Mohammed (2021). Keepers of local know-how in conflict. Conversations between research assistant and researcher. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Sandbakken, Ella Marie (2021). The Norwegian Cabin Ban: The Dictator’s Dilemma in COVID-19 Communication. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandbakken, Ella Marie & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2021). Trust related to compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Eivind, Fjeldstad & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). Det er Høybråten som er fantasiløs. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). An introduction to Swedish feminist foreign policy. nordics.info. ISSN 2597-016X. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). WhatsApp as data collection tool. Collective action research in the Sudanese revolution. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Langford, Malcolm (2020). Linedans i FN? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). Trump-alltid en vinner. Full text in Research Archive
• Langford, Malcolm & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2020). Fronter utenriksministeren merkevarekampanje eller endret utenrikspolitikk? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2019). 'We are willing to be hardcore on this, because this is who we are. Nordic diplomats' narratives on gender equality and place identity. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Fjeldstad, Eivind (2019). Ingen utvikling uten jobbskaping - hvorfor vi trenger mer "næringsfremvikling" i Afrika. Civita.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2018). I møtet med Trump, Erna: Husk Hitler! Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Burigo, Johana (2018). Derfor sier kvinnene #IkkeHam. Full text in Research Archive
• Skjelsbæk, Inger; Sveaass, Nora; Evang, Karl; Dybdahl, Ragnhild & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). Verden med Trump - et politisk psykologisk blikk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva skjer når USAs mektigste mann spiller på frykt og følelse av avmakt?Hvordan blir det når mennesker utestenges og marginaliseres og det skapes avstand mellom «oss» og «dem»? Innlederne tar for seg politisk ledelse og strategier fra et psykologisk perspektiv og ser på menneskerettighetsbrudd og internasjonale forpliktelser i en verden med Trump.

• Andenæs, Agnes; Benum, Kirsten; Carlquist, Erik; Halvorsen, Margrethe S.; Hauge, Mona-Iren & Madsen, Ole Jacob [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2017). Sneversynt om psykologisk kunnskap. Morgenbladet. ISSN 0805-3847. 198(5), p. 28–29. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). Researching the non-existent. Identity research in contexts where identity is not a word. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). ‘Politisk ledelse og identitetsentreprenørskap.’. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). Hvordan kan psykologien bidra i samfunnet? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2017). A closer look at social identities in Sudan and South Sudan. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). Kanskje ikke så ulogisk å stemme på Trump? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). Trump som president. Hva nå for USAs kvinner? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). From government of national unity to single-party rule: Political leadership and elections in Zanzibar. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2016). Solidarity in national identity definitions in Sudan. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie & Tronvoll, Kjetil (2015). Identity, politics, and reconciliation in Zanzibar. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2015). Tanzania i forandring. Bistandsaktuelt. ISSN 1501-0201. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2015). Ledere manipulerer sosiale identiteter – hvorfor henger ikke sosialpsykologien med? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2015). Annullert demokrati på Zanzibar. Vårt land. ISSN 0805-5424. Full text in Research Archive
• Said, Salma; Benjaminsen, G. & Moss, Sigrun Marie (2013). Unionen sett fra Zanzibar: På tide å sy om dressjakka? Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2013). Sosial rekategorisering som politisk strategi i fredsbygging. Erfaringer fra Rwanda og Zanzibar. Impuls : Tidsskrift for psykologi. ISSN 0801-2911. p. 24–42. Full text in Research Archive
• Moss, Sigrun Marie (2014). Sosialpsykologiske perspektiver på kommunesammenslåingsprosesser: Rekategorisering og truede sosiale identiteter. Kompetansesenter for distriktutvikling. Full text in Research Archive

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