Mathias Nygaard

"Etenim omnes artes, quae ad humanitatem pertinent, habent quoddam commune vinculum, et quasi cognatione quadam inter se continentur."

"Indeed, all the sciences which pertain to the human have a certain common bond, and are, as it were, united by a kind of kinship among themselves."

Cicero, Pro Archia, 1.2.

At Volda University College, I teach religious studies, philosophy, and social theory.

I have carried out projects in cultural history, intellectual history, anthropology, and philology. In my research, I have been particularly interested in human self‑representation and self‑understanding. I am currently working on several projects concerning rituals, materiality, and embodied practices. I am especially exploring mimetic processes, that is, how imitation and emotions shape community, identity, and also conflict. In addition, my broader interests include topics such as sacrifice, myths, ecstasy, death, and technology

I invite potential coandidates to get in touch to discuss possible projects within the framework of Volda University College's two Phd programs (Education, Language and Culture, and Health and Social Sciences.

Work Experience

2024- Professor, Volda University College, Norway.

2023 Associate Professor, Volda University College, Norway.

2018-2023 Associate Professor and Research Dean, The Newman Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.

2016-2017 Associate Professor (temporary), Volda University College.

2012-2014 Visiting Researcher (Comparative Philosophy), Kobe University, Japan.

2007-2008 Visiting Researcher (Ancient Religions of the Middle East), University of Tübingen, Germany.

Various temporary positions at OsloMet, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, etc. (2010-2018).

Experience as peer-reviewer, external examiner, translator, member of academic societies, board member, etc. (2010-)

Education

2022-2026 BA in Psychology and sociology, Linnæus University and Uppsala University.

2005-2010 PhD in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen.

2008- Languages, Kobe University, Uppsala University, Dalarna University (Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Ugaritic, Akkadian, Greek, Latin, Georgian, German, French etc.).

2006-2007 MA in Archaeology, École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem.

2004-2005 MTh in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen.

Early representations of the human, masks from Nahal Hemar, 7000 bce.