Kjetil K. Fosshagen

Kjetil K. Fosshagen (b. 1968) is Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. A social anthropologist with a PhD from the University of Bergen, his research spans ethno-nationalism, state formation in Cyprus, Islam and secularism in Turkey, and Islamic rituals, sacrifice and welfare.

Education

• PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Bergen

Research Interests

His work focuses on the intersections of ethno-nationalism and state formation, particularly in Cyprus, where he has examined how communities construct identity and sovereignty. In Turkey, he has investigated Islam and secularism, analyzing how religious practices and state policies negotiate public life. Additionally, he studies Islamic rituals, sacrifice, and welfare, exploring how religious acts shape and are shaped by socio-economic conditions.

Editorial Contributions

In 2014, Fosshagen edited issue 14 of Critical Interventions: Arab Spring – Uprisings, Powers, Interventions (Berghahn Books), contributing to scholarly discourse on political upheavals in the Arab world.

Administrative Roles

• Subject manager for History of Cyprus and Contemporary history of Cyprus
• Head of Department, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Publications

With 41 scholarly articles to his name, his output covers a broad spectrum of anthropological inquiry, consistently returning to themes of identity, ritual, and state power in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey.