Halvor Eifring

Halvor Eifring is a Professor of Chinese Studies at the Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. With expertise spanning Chinese language, literature, philosophy, and meditation studies, he has established himself as a leading scholar in interdisciplinary Chinese studies and comparative meditation traditions.

Dr. Eifring received his Master's degree in linguistics in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1993, both from the University of Oslo, where he has been a professor of Chinese since 1995. His academic journey includes research visits to prestigious institutions including Princeton University (1992), National Taiwan University (1995), Peking University (2000), Harvard University (2001), Center for Chinese Studies in Taiwan (2007, 2009), and Meiji University in Japan (2018).

Eifring's research interests span multiple interconnected domains. His primary focus includes Chinese language (both modern and pre-modern), Chinese literature (especially pre-modern fiction), and Chinese philosophy (particularly early Confucianism and Daoism). He has made significant contributions to the study of meditative traditions, examining how language, culture, and thought intersect in Chinese contexts. His current work explores 'mind wandering' across various contemplative traditions, while his longstanding research investigates psychological structures in the 18th-century Chinese novel 'Dream of Red Mansions.'

Analysis of Eifring's recent publications reveals a clear interdisciplinary trajectory, bridging Chinese studies with cognitive science, neuroscience, and comparative religious studies. His work increasingly focuses on the intersection of meditation practices, consciousness studies, and cultural contexts, with particular attention to how traditional Chinese philosophical concepts inform contemporary understandings of mind and cognition. The publications demonstrate a methodological approach that combines philological rigor with cross-cultural comparative analysis.

Eifring has held significant academic leadership positions, serving as director of the Department of East European and Oriental Studies (1997-1999) and research leader at the Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages (2005-2006). He teaches Chinese language, literature, and culture at both bachelor's and master's levels, occasionally extending to East Asian and general linguistics. Beyond academia, he serves as an editor for the cultural magazine 'Dyade' and is a meditation teacher at 'Acem,' reflecting his commitment to bridging scholarly research with practical application.

His current research projects include 'Two Thousand Years of Mind Wandering' and he is affiliated with the research group 'Literature, Cognition and Emotions' at the University of Oslo, demonstrating his ongoing engagement with interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human cognition through cultural and historical lenses.