Tom Bratrud

Tom Bratrud is Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen, affiliated with the Department of Social Anthropology in the Faculty of Social Sciences. His research spans long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Vanuatu and contemporary studies on digitalization in rural Norway, focusing on social life, political dynamics, religion, values, and environmental issues.

• PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, 2018
• Former positions: University of Oslo, University of South-Eastern Norway, Visiting Fellow at University of Sydney

His research interests include religious revivalism, moral reform, land politics, digital sociality, and rural-urban relations. He investigates how fear and hope interact as driving forces in social change, particularly in contexts of insecurity. His work in Vanuatu examines Pentecostal movements, sorcery, kinship, and land disputes, while his Norwegian research explores digital identity, migration, and outdoor culture through digital media.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in digital anthropology and the transformation of social life in both Melanesian and Nordic contexts. His work combines deep ethnographic insight with theoretical innovation, particularly in understanding moral and emotional dynamics in social movements and everyday digital practices.

• Scientific Awards: None listed in the provided text.

Bratrud teaches core anthropology courses such as SANT100: Invitation to Social Anthropology, SANT103: Materiality: Environment, Place and Economy, and SANT102: Social Life in a Global Perspective. He has supervised various research projects funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Falkenberg Foundation, including 'Digital Everyday Lives in Rural Norway' and 'Local Communities and Part-Time Residents in Rural Norway'. He is also convening the European Association for Social Anthropologists’ Future Anthropologies Network with Kari Dahlgren. His methodological contributions include rethinking ethnographic fieldwork in digitalized environments, as seen in his collaborative work on 'New Forms of Home Blindness'.

He is actively involved in major research initiatives on digital sociality and land use, with fieldwork in both Norway and the South Pacific. His interdisciplinary approach bridges anthropology, environmental studies, and digital culture, making significant contributions to the understanding of contemporary social transformations in diverse cultural settings.