Elisabeth Oxfeldt

Elisabeth Oxfeldt is a Professor of Scandinavian Literature at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Humanities, Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages. Specializing in Danish and Norwegian literature from the 19th to 21st centuries, she examines cultural narratives through postcolonial and orientalist frameworks with particular focus on guilt discourse in Nordic contexts.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Scandinavian Literature from U.C. Berkeley (2002), M.A. in Scandinavian Literature (1996), and B.A. in French Literature (1988). This interdisciplinary foundation informs her transnational approach to Nordic literary studies.

Oxfeldt's research centers on Scandinavian narratives of guilt and privilege within globalization, exploring how Orientalism, postcolonialism, and (post)nationalism manifest in literature and visual media. Her work critically engages with Hans Christian Andersen adaptations, war literature, travelogues, and literary activism, revealing tensions between Nordic self-perception as egalitarian societies and historical complicity in colonial structures. She frequently analyzes word-image relationships and adaptation processes across media.

Publication trends show sustained engagement with postcolonial critique since her 2005 monograph Nordic Orientalism, evolving toward contemporary analyses of activist voices and guilt narratives. Recent edited volumes address literary rights struggles (2024) and ecological perspectives in Nordic literature (2023), demonstrating expanding interdisciplinary scope while maintaining core focus on representation and power dynamics.

Awards and honors:

• Member of Det Danske Akademi (The Danish Academy)

Advising and grants information was not specified in source materials, though her leadership of major research projects suggests significant supervisory and funding acquisition activities. Teaching responsibilities include courses on Nordic literature after 1800, Norwegian world literature, and literary activism.

Oxfeldt co-leads the DINO (Diversity in Nordic Literature) research group and previously participated in ECODISTURB. Her current projects include 'Scandinavian Narratives of Guilt and Privilege in an Age of Globalization' (ScanGuilt) and 'Norwegian Romantic Nationalisms' (NORN), examining historical and contemporary constructions of Scandinavian identity through literary lenses.