Alexandre Dessingué

Alexandre Dessingué is a Professor at the University of Stavanger (UiS), Norway, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Education, Department of Cultural Studies and Languages. He holds a PhD in Art (Dr. Art) from the University of Bergen (2005) and has academic training from institutions in France, Spain, Uruguay, and Norway. His work bridges history, culture, and education, with a strong focus on memory and critical thinking in pedagogical contexts.

• PhD, University of Bergen, 2005
• Studies at Université de Lille Charles de Gaulle (France), Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), Universidad de la República (Uruguay), and University of Bergen (Norway)

Dessingué's research centers on cultural memory studies, history education, critical literacy, and historical consciousness. He investigates how history and the past are represented, remembered, and used in society, with particular interest in collective memory, identity construction, and critical thinking in educational settings. His work often addresses how trauma, such as the 2011 Norway attacks, is processed and taught. He emphasizes dialogic and multimodal approaches to history education and has led international projects on critical awareness in education.

His recent publications (2024–2025) reveal a strong trend in dialogic history education, critical thinking in Norwegian schools, and the memory culture surrounding the July 22 attacks. These works appear in journals like Journal of Curriculum Studies and Memory Studies, as well as in edited volumes from Routledge and Palgrave Macmillan. The articles collectively highlight his interdisciplinary approach, combining pedagogy, memory theory, and cultural analysis.

Dessingué has led or coordinated multiple significant research projects, including EU/ERASMUS+ funded initiatives on critical literacy (2017–2022), a NORDFORSK project on WWI memory (2015–2017), and a Norwegian Research Council project on educational development (2022–2025). He is currently involved in a Velux Foundation-funded project on postwar memory in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. He has also co-edited a forthcoming volume on terrorism in memory culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025).

He has advised and collaborated with researchers such as David-Alexandre Wagner, Paula Hamilton, Ketil Knutsen, and Marie Smith-Solbakken. His work is frequently published in Nordidactica, Memory Studies, and international handbooks. He is also active in public dissemination, contributing to media outlets like Stavanger Aftenblad and www.aftenbladet.no, particularly on topics of memory, education, and democracy.