Kristian Berg Harpviken (born 27 December 1961) is a Norwegian sociologist and researcher, and since 2009 director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Harpviken is foremost known for his competence on Afghanistan, where he has travelled extensively and conducted multiple field works since he first engaged with the country in 1989.

Education and work experience

Harpviken has both practical and academic education. He is a trained horticulturalist and has worked as a farmer for several years. He has his

cand.mag. Candidatus magisterii (male), or candidata magisterii (female), abbreviated as cand.mag., is an academic degree currently awarded in Denmark. The degree is officially translated into English as Master of Arts and currently requires 5 years of studi ...

, 4 years undergraduate degree (1989) and

cand.polit. Candidate (Latin ''candidatus'' or ''candidata'') is the name of various academic degrees, chiefly in Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Scandinavia, it is a higher professional-level degree usually corresponding to 5– ...

, 2 years post-graduate degree (1995) from

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, both in Sociology. He has been a guest researcher at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

(1998) and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

(2008). His cand. polit. thesis (equivalent to an M. Phil.) was entitled ''Political Mobilization Among the Hazara of Afghanistan, 1978–1992''. In 2006 he defended his doctoral dissertation in sociology, entitled ''Networks in Transition: Wartime Migration in Afghanistan''. Besides the main concentration on sociology, he has studied business and development studies. Between studies, Harpviken has served as agricultural coordinator and director for the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, Pakistan (1990–92). He also served 4 months conscientious objector duty for the same organization in 1989. Harpviken fulfilled 12 months compulsory military service in 1981, and trained as a conscript sergeant with specialization in

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

. Since 1993, Harpviken has been affiliated with

PRIO The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO; no, Institutt for fredsforskning) is a private research institution in peace and conflict studies, based in Oslo, Norway, with around 100 employees. It was founded in 1959 by a group of Norwegian researche ...

, first as a student associate, from 1995 as researcher, then moving on to positions as senior researcher, deputy director, and now director. He has participated and led multiple long-term projects on anti-personnel landmines,

internally displaced An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

and

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

peacebuilding Peacebuilding is an activity that aims to resolve injustice in nonviolent ways and to transform the cultural and structural conditions that generate deadly or destructive conflict. It revolves around developing constructive personal, group, and pol ...

, as well as regional security. In 2004–05 he was the programme leader of PRIO's research programme ''Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding'' (CRPB). Additionally, he has provided consultancy services to several international NGOs and multilateral organizations.

Research interests

Harpviken's specialties and research interests include the dynamics of civil war (

mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

conflict resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...

, post-war reconstruction and

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

and transnational communities, and methodology in difficult contexts. Geographically, his research is primarily focused on

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and the region, but he also has fieldwork experience from

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

; in large part related to the

landmine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

situation and the landmine campaign. He has taught several courses on methodology in crisis situations both for practitioners and graduate university students.

Dissemination and outreach

Harpviken frequently comments in national media on the situation in Afghanistan, and he is also concerned with Norway's peace policy and other aspects of foreign policy. As director of PRIO, h
speculated
and commented each year on the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

in media outlets from all over the world. In 2009, he was awarded the Norwegian Sociological Association's (Eastern branch) Dissemination Award.

Bibliography (selected)

* Kristian Berg Harpviken & Sarah Lischer, 2013. "Refugee Militancy in Exile and Upon Return in Afghanistan and Rwanda", in Jeff Checkel (ed.): ''Transnational Dynamics of Civil War'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2012. "The Transnationalization of the Taliban", '' International Area Studies Review'', 15(3): 203–229. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2012. "Warlordism: Three Biographies from Southeastern Afghanistan", in Astri Suhrke & Mats Berdal (eds.): ''The Peace in Between: Post-war Violence and Peacebuilding'', London: Routledge. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2011. "A Peace Nation in the War on Terror: The Norwegian Engagement in Afghanistan", in Nik Hynek & Peter Marton (eds.): ''Statebuilding in Afghanistan: Multinational Contributions to Reconstruction'', London: Routledge. * Kaja Borchgrevink & Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2010. "Afghanistan: Civil Society Between Modernity and Tradition", in Thania Pfaffenholz (ed.): ''Civil Society and Peacebuilding'', Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, pp. 235–257. * Kristian Berg Harpviken (ed.) 2010. ''Comparative Social Research'', Volume 27 – Troubled Regions and Failing States: The Clustering and Contagion og Armed Conflicts. Bingley, UK: Emerald. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2010. "Caught in the Middle? Regional Perspectives on Afghanistan", ''Comparative Social Research'', Vol. 27: 277–305. Bingley, UK: Emerald. * Astri Suhrke, Torunn Wimpelmann Chaudhary, Aziz Hakimi, Kristian Berg Harpviken, Akbar Sarwari & Arne Strand, 2009. ''Conciliatory Approaches to the Insurgency in Afghanistan: An Overview'', CMI Report 2009:1. Bergen: Chr. Michelsen Institute. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2009. ''Social Networks and Migration in Wartime Afghanistan''. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. * Kristian Berg Harpviken & Hanne Eggen Røislien, 2008. "Faithful Brokers? Potentials and Pitfalls of Religion in Peacemaking", ''Conflict Resolution Quarterly'', 25(3): 351–373. * Kristian Berg Harpviken (ed.), 2004. ''The Future of Humanitarian Mine Action''. Basingstoke: Macmillan. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 2003. "Afghanistan: From Buffer State to Battleground – to Bridge Between Regions?", in James Hentz og Morten Bøås (ed.): ''New and Critical Security and Regionalism: Beyond the Nation State'', Aldershot: Ashgate, pp. 152–176. * Astri Suhrke, Kristian Berg Harpviken & Arne Strand, 2003. "After Bonn: Conflictual Peacebuilding", ''Third World Quarterly'', 23(4):875–891. * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 1997. "Transcending Traditionalism: The Emergence of Non-State Military Formations in Afghanistan", ''Journal of Peace Research'' * Kristian Berg Harpviken, 1996. ''Political Mobilisation Among the Hazara of Afghanistan: 1978–1992'', Rapportserien ved Sosiologi, Nr 9:1996, Oslo: Institutt for Sosiologi, Universitetet i Oslo.

External links

Staff page at PRIO

Staff page
at

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

Publisher

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

's Harpviken biography
Harpviken's publications
in the Norwegian publication system Cristin {{DEFAULTSORT:Harpviken, Kristian Berg 1961 births Living people Norwegian sociologists University of Oslo alumni Peace and conflict scholars Norwegian expatriates in Pakistan