Fulbright in Bergen

Fulbright Seminar and Ski Trip

“This blog (Fulbright in Bergen: fulbrightbergen.home.blog) is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of [its author, Olive Dwan] and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.”

Student Peace Prize, Decolonizing Higher Education

Student Peace Prize 2019

“Decolonizing Knowledge” Seminar, University of Bergen

Sami National Day Celebration

On 6 February, I was so privileged as to attend a celebration of Sami National Day! This day commemorates the establishment of the Sami parliament in the early 20th century.

At dinner, I tried reindeer for the first time. Dessert with cloudberries and cream was served, which was delicious.

Reindeer

Cloudberry dessert!

The artist Mikkel Gaup performed at the celebration.

The event concluded with a lecture on Sami rights.

Research update

I soon will begin interviews for my research, which I very much look forward to.

For those who may be interested, below is an updated version of my research summary and research questions.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) declares the rights that should be ensured for all children. Norway is one of few countries that has incorporated the Convention into national legislation. Article 12, which describes a form of children’s participation, the child’s “right to be heard,” indicates that children should have the right and autonomy to be heard, or to choose not to be, in matters concerning them. Yet, in practice, this right does not often play out in this manner. Some scholars advocate that Article 12 should include a greater emphasis on children’s autonomy rights and support than on the “right to be heard.” By reframing Article 12 (i.e. with a greater emphasis on autonomy), it may be more feasible to effectively implement Article 12 rights in different social contexts, including that of immigration. In the Norwegian asylum process, unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UAM) must provide credible evidence for asylum, primarily in the asylum interview testimony. Such testimony, which often requires UAM to articulate difficult or traumatic experiences, at times repeatedly, is central to the success of an asylum case. However, research demonstrates that harm can result from children having to (repeatedly) articulate trauma. Further, participation in the asylum process often manifests as the fulfillment of procedural requirements. Thus, although Article 12 rights imply that children should have the autonomy to decide whether or not to speak and participate, participation in the asylum context may not entail (or actually limit) such autonomy for UAM, and further, may be harmful to UAM. Research methodology includes semi-structured, qualitative interviews with professionals and textual analysis of policy and legal documents. This research asks the following questions:

How are United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Article 12 and participation rights implemented for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UAM) in the Norwegian asylum process?
1. Where and how do UAM participate in the asylum process?
2. To what extent do UAM have choices and experience autonomy in if and how they participate at different stages in this process?
Some scholars argue that Article 12 should be reframed, replacing the child’s “right to be heard” with an emphasis on the child’s autonomy rights and support. Is this discussion of reframing Article 12 with an emphasis on autonomy rights taking place in the asylum context?
How feasible is effective implementation of Article 12 rights and enhancement of autonomy rights for UAM, considering procedural and systemic realities of the asylum system?
To what extent and in what ways does Article 12 directly guide professionals (e.g. legal guardians, lawyers, interviewers) working with UAM in the asylum process? How do professionals facilitate the participation and autonomy of UAM in the asylum process?
How could reframing Article 12 to include a greater emphasis on autonomy (rather than simply the “right to be heard”) help to effectively implement Article 12 and autonomy rights in the asylum context?

Beautiful Bergen

A select number of photos from my collection so far. Bergen is so beautiful!

“Norwegian-American” Thanksgiving + Exploring Oslo

Purpose of this blog

My intention for this blog is to create a space to reflect on and share my experiences in the Fulbright program, living in Norway, and conducting my research.

Fulbright Orientation in Oslo

Norsk!

This fall semester, I have attended a Norwegian language course at the University of Bergen, which has been wonderful. I am slowly but surely beginning to learn the language! My classmates and I are all there to learn Norwegian, but all have such differing reasons for doing so and different work and professional backgrounds.

My research

I am conducting research in affiliation with the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, a research center of the University of Bergen. I have an absolutely wonderful supervisor at the centre and there are many incredibly knowledgeable and interesting students and researchers there as well. I feel so fortunate!

Below I write a little bit about my research.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a human rights convention setting forth the rights of all children. Each of its articles delineates a different facet of such rights. Countries can show different levels of commitment to the CRC (signing, ratifying, incorporating). Norway is one of few countries to have a heightened level of commitment to the CRC, illustrated through its incorporation of the Convention into national legislation. I am from the U.S., the only UN member nation that has not yet ratified the CRC. This contrast in commitment to the Convention led to my curiosity of how Norway’s incorporation of the CRC really works for children in different arenas of society. In my Fulbright research, I am investigating how Norway’s commitment to the CRC applies in the context of immigration, in how it impacts unaccompanied minors who seek asylum in Norway. Specifically, I am examining how the child’s right to be heard (CRC Article 12) and participation works for unaccompanied minors in the Norwegian asylum process. How do these minors participate (or not) throughout different stages in the asylum process, from the initial asylum application registration, to legal counsel, and to the asylum interview? Do these minors have the capacity and support necessary to effectively exercise autonomy in the asylum process? How do legal guardians and other professionals in the asylum process facilitate the minors’ participation and autonomy? The larger objective of this research is to investigate how transferable the children’s rights framework of the CRC is to the immigration context, and specifically for minors in the Norwegian asylum system.

My research will culminate in a research paper.

Velkommen til Bergen: The City of Mountains

Hei fra Bergen, Norge! I arrived in Bergen in August. The time has passed quickly since then, and I have already been here for a few months. I have had some content written for a little while now and wholly intended to post here much sooner. But, here I am! I will be posting here much more regularly now.

Since arriving in Bergen, I have been busy working on my research, taking a Norwegian class, and meeting wonderful people. Generally, there is lots and lots of rain in Bergen due to its coastal location. This is my first time living in a place with this weather; it is a wonderful experience and something that I am learning to adapt to. A rain jacket and rain boots are quite essential!

Bergen, known as the “city of seven mountains,” is a breathtakingly beautiful city. Surrounded by its famous “seven mountains,” the often rainy weather and mountainous terrain create a distinctive atmosphere.

A little bit about me

Olive Dwan 2
Hello, and welcome to my Fulbright blog! I greatly appreciate you taking the time to visit this page.

My name is Olive Dwan. I grew up in Michigan, U.S.A., and studied sociology/anthropology at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. I am fortunate enough to be living in Norway for the 2018-19 year through a Fulbright U.S. Student Program research grant.

If you are interested in learning about the Fulbright program, I invite you to use the following link to do so: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-us-student-program.

If you are interested in learning about the interesting research and work that U.S. Fulbright grantees to Norway will be doing, please use the following link: https://fulbright.no/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/US-brochure-2018-19-WEB-1.pdf.