On 1 July, 2023, Professor Jørgen Magnus Sejersted took on the position as Chair of the Holberg Prize Board, succeeding Professor Kjersti Fløttum. Sejersted is Professor of Scandinavian Literature at the University of Bergen and a leading expert in his field. His primary research interests are Norwegian literature from the 18th and 19th century, primarily Ludvig Holberg and Henrik Wergeland.

What was your primary motivation for accepting the position as Chair of the Holberg Prize Board?

This is an interesting position. The Holberg Prize serves as an important recognition of a group of academic fields with high cultural and societal value. It is well managed and has established strong traditions. The Prize does not only celebrate groundbreaking international research; its purpose is also to promote and encourage young researchers (the Nils Klim Prize); to collaborate with schools (the Holberg School Programme) and to stimulate discussion of pressing issues of our time (the Holberg Debate). This is a broad range of activities, and I look forward to contributing.

What are your expectations as Chair, and do you have any particular goals or ambitions for the Holberg Prize?

Of course, the Board is not involved in the academic committees’ evaluation of the candidates. The most important thing for me is that the good collaboration with the Holberg Prize Secretariat and with the Ministry of Education and Research continues, within a well-defined framework. I do not see changes in the Holberg Prize activities as a goal in itself; rather, I would aim to sustain the work that is currently being done and the way in which it is anchored to the University of Bergen, while continuing the effort to promote the Prize in both a national and an international context.

Already on the agenda is the work to make the Prize more well known globally and to secure quality nominations from all over the world. Personally, I look forward to contributing with pieces of information on Ludvig Holberg when relevant—many lines can be drawn from today’s academic debate to the issues that Holberg was concerned with in the early 18th century.

The key aim of the Holberg Prize is to recognise groundbreaking research in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology, and to contribute to raising the status of these fields, in Norway and abroad. Is there anything that you see as particularly important or challenging in that regard?

These academic fields have a rather strong position in Norwegian society. However, they are often lagging behind in terms of research politics. Generally, I feel that research politicians do not sufficiently focus on the disciplines that are foundational to culture and society. This seems to me a paradox, as many tendencies in society indicate that cultural and democratic competence is  extremely important in our time. Here, there is a continuous line from international top research and all the way down to each classroom. This is a crucial connection that is manifested in the activities of the Holberg Prize.

Then, there are other challenges, such as the national or cultural anchoring of these fields, which makes international ranking demanding. Yet, here I believe the Holberg Prize may have a particularly function in strengthening international points of reference, underscoring common problems that pertain to everyone, and creating debate across academic lines. Historically, the academic fields covered by the Prize share a common origin, and even though we now have specific and strong academic traditions, awareness of the perspectives that connect us may be very useful.

The Nils Klim Prize for young researchers in Nordic countries and the Holberg School Programme for students in Norway’s upper secondary schools are essential activities that the Holberg Prize Board administers. What do you consider particularly consequential in the efforts towards promoting interest and opportunities in these academic fields among the young? And how may the Holberg Prize contribute to making the societal relevance of scientific work more visible to a broader audience?

What I like most about the Holberg Prize is that it combines top research with a focus on social debate, young researchers and, not least, the school system. The Holberg School Programme offers a unique opportunity to support committed teachers who wish to stimulate their students’ curiosity and drive for knowledge by letting them immerse themselves in their subjects with questions that they can relate to in their everyday experiences. Teaching young people to look at the culture that surrounds them in an analytical, critical and knowledge-based way is crucial. 

As for showing the social relevance of research in these fields, we may be able to do more in terms of communication , but I think that the four main Holberg Prize activities already play an important part in this effort and that a lot of debate has already been generated.