Morgan Oftedal
About
Pronouns: she or they
My field of interest is primarily the period 1860–1945, which I consider vital in shaping later history as well as the present. I am especially interested in radical and authoritarian tendencies in this period, and their interplay with colonial structures. My academic field is primarily Sami history, as it is located at the intersection of these interests.
I approach my work from a structural perspective, understanding structures to be social patterns formed in the interplay between historical agents. These patterns in turn shape the agents' actions. I am particularly interested in settler colonial theory, as I hold it can highlight important aspects of Sami history if applied in a nuanced way.
My project is about the Lapp bailiffs who served under the Trøndelag counties in the period 1894–1940. This institution is under-researched in Norwegian history, despite its important role in the administration of Sami reindeer husbandry in a tumultuous time. Earlier research has emphasized the Lapp bailiff's varying role depending on who held the office. My approach is to see how the different holders practiced the office, to then decide if it truly was as personally variable as previously assumed.
My Master's thesis interpreted Sør-Varanger's history before the Second World War from a settler colonial perspective. I explored the border agreement between Norway and Russia in 1826, the municipality's demographic history and its resource conflicts, A/S Sydvaranger's planned hydropower projects and the Secret Border Committee of 1919.
Publications
2022
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Oftedal, Morgan.
(2022)
“Now the Town Grows at an American Speed”: Settler Colonialism in Sør-Varanger up to the Second World War.
Universitetet i Bergen
Universitetet i Bergen
Masters thesis
Report
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Oftedal, Morgan.
(2022)
“Now the Town Grows at an American Speed”: Settler Colonialism in Sør-Varanger up to the Second World War.
Universitetet i Bergen
Universitetet i Bergen
Masters thesis
Outreach
2022
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InterviewGjerstad, Nils; Oftedal, Morgan. (2022) Čállá akademihkalaš čállosa nuortalaččaid birra . Ávvir Ávvir [Newspaper] 2022-08-10