Unni Wikan
Encyclopedia
Unni Wikan is a Norwegian
professor
of social anthropology
at the University of Oslo
and is the second wife of the well-known Norwegian social anthropologist Fredrik Barth
. She has also served as visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University
(1977, assistant professor), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
, Israel (1989) École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
, Paris (1996), London School of Economics
(1997) Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt (2000), and guest lecturer at Harvard University
in 1995, visiting scholar in 1987 and visiting professor in 1999-2000.
Wikan has also worked as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Food Programme
in Bhutan
from 1989 to 1994, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
in Palestine in 1999).
For almost ten years, Wikan has campaigned to change Norwegian policies towards immigrants, arguing that generous welfare and a policy of multicultural tolerance are creating a culture of welfare dependence, and destroying self-respect. A reviewer of her book "Generous Betrayal: Politics of Culture in the New Europe" claims that she used invalid methodology, not giving "a far more complex social reality" its due. "'Unsympathetic readers" might see it as a "racist polemic."
She has argued that far from being a racist, she has significant empathy for the lives of many of the Muslim men she has portrayed in her most recent books. In a well-known case in Norway (The Anooshe case
) she argued that the state had not taken into account the social expectations of immigrant men, and this had led to rootless men whose social expectations were not met or even acknowledged, arguing that violence is a product of immigrant conditions when host country laws conflict with the “unwritten social rules” of immigrant societies.
Wikan has performed field work in a number of countries, and her research has resulted in nine books being published. Her works have been translated into Japanese, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Russian and Turkish.
Wikan was awarded the 2004 Fritt Ord Award
"for her insightful, outspoken and challenging contribution to the debate on value conflicts in the multi-cultural society."
In 2001 debate about the culture of rape amongst Muslim immigrants in Norway, she said that Norwegian women are 'blind and naive' towards non-Western immigrants. "I will not blame the rapes on Norwegian women. but Norwegian women must understand that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it." "Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes." For example, by not inviting into their homes Muslim men with little knowledge of Norwegian culture.
She is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of social anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and is the second wife of the well-known Norwegian social anthropologist Fredrik Barth
Fredrik Barth
Thomas Fredrik Weybye Barth is a Norwegian social anthropologist who has published several ethnographic books with a clear formalistic view...
. She has also served as visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(1977, assistant professor), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
, Israel (1989) École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, Paris (1996), London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(1997) Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt (2000), and guest lecturer at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1995, visiting scholar in 1987 and visiting professor in 1999-2000.
Wikan has also worked as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
from 1989 to 1994, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its task is to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. NORAD both finances NGOs, and does its own research and projects. The current director general is...
in Palestine in 1999).
For almost ten years, Wikan has campaigned to change Norwegian policies towards immigrants, arguing that generous welfare and a policy of multicultural tolerance are creating a culture of welfare dependence, and destroying self-respect. A reviewer of her book "Generous Betrayal: Politics of Culture in the New Europe" claims that she used invalid methodology, not giving "a far more complex social reality" its due. "'Unsympathetic readers" might see it as a "racist polemic."
She has argued that far from being a racist, she has significant empathy for the lives of many of the Muslim men she has portrayed in her most recent books. In a well-known case in Norway (The Anooshe case
Anooshe Sediq Ghulam
Anooshe Sediq Ghulam, a 22-year-old Afghan refugee in Norway who was killed by her husband, Afghani Nasruddin Shamsi, in an "honor killing".Anooshe had been abused by her husband and, with the help of the Norwegian social services, had divorced him and left him while taking the couple's two...
) she argued that the state had not taken into account the social expectations of immigrant men, and this had led to rootless men whose social expectations were not met or even acknowledged, arguing that violence is a product of immigrant conditions when host country laws conflict with the “unwritten social rules” of immigrant societies.
Wikan has performed field work in a number of countries, and her research has resulted in nine books being published. Her works have been translated into Japanese, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Russian and Turkish.
Wikan was awarded the 2004 Fritt Ord Award
Fritt Ord Award
The organization Fritt Ord awards two prizes to support freedom of speech; the Fritt Ord Award and the Fritt Ord Honorary Award .-Fritt Ord Award:These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Award:*1976 : Johan Vogt*1977 : Henrik Groth...
"for her insightful, outspoken and challenging contribution to the debate on value conflicts in the multi-cultural society."
In 2001 debate about the culture of rape amongst Muslim immigrants in Norway, she said that Norwegian women are 'blind and naive' towards non-Western immigrants. "I will not blame the rapes on Norwegian women. but Norwegian women must understand that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it." "Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes." For example, by not inviting into their homes Muslim men with little knowledge of Norwegian culture.
She is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
Writings
- Life Among the Poor in Cairo (Tavistock 1980) ISBN 9780422769808
- Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Oman (Johns Hopkins Univsity Press, 1982; paperback, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1991) ISBN 9780226896830
- Managing Turbulent Hearts: A Balinese Formula for Living (University of Chicago Press, 1990) ISBN 9780226896809
- Tomorrow, God Willing: Self-Made Destinies in Cairo (University of Chicago Press, 1996) ISBN 9780226898353
- Generous Betrayal: Politics of Culture in the New Europe (University of Chicago Press, 2002) ISBN 9780226896854
- For ærens skyld - Fadime til ettertanke (In English, For the sake of honour: Reflections on Fadime, 2003)
- Mot en ny underklasse (In English, Towards a new Norwegian underclass)
- In Honor of FadimeFadime SahindalFadime Şahindal was a Kurdish immigrant who moved to Sweden from Turkey at the age of seven. She was murdered by her father, Rahmi, in January 2002 in an "honor killing".-Life:...
: Murder and Shame (University of Chicago Press, 2008) ISBN 9780226896861 Read an excerpt.