The Thor Heyerdahl International Day series on the topic of MIGRATION has been organized for the last three years in cooperation between The Vestfold Museums by The Thor Heyerdahl Institute, Augsburg University, USA and Vestfold and Telemark County Council.
This year’s International Day will conclude our series where we have emphasized three different components to migration.
They are:
- In 2021, we highlighted MIGRATION AND IDENTITY
- In 2022, we highlighted MIGRATION AND ETHNICITY
- This year, in 2023, we will focus on MIGRATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
Mass migration is caused by CLIMATE change. According to the UN Refugee Agency, the impacts of climate change already cause an average of more than 20 million people worldwide to leave their homes and move to other areas each year.
This kind of migration occurs when people leave their homes due to extreme weather events including floods, heat waves, droughts, and wildfires, as well as slower-moving climate challenges such as rising seas and intensifying water stress.
All three years, we have cooperated with Vest-Agder Museum’s EU-project, Identity on the Line, with partners from 7 European countries, a large-scale research project based on interviews with three generations of families. This project aimed to explore how they had coped with migration and how this had an impact on their development.
PROGRAMME NOVEMBER 10TH 2023
11.00 – 11.30:
Welcome by conferencier Bettine Hoff Hermanson, Director, Augsburg University, USA
Opening remarks by Mayor of Andora, Mr. Demichelis Mauro
Opening remarks by Norwegian Ambassador in Rome, Mr. Johan Christopher Vibe
Opening remarks by Director Mrs. Lene Walle, The Vestfold Museums
Opening remarks by Regional Politician Liselotte Aune Lee,
Vestfold and Telemark County Council
11.30 – 12.00:
So That All May Flourish: Higher Education and the Immigrant Experience, Dr. Paul C. Pribbenow, President of Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN, USA
12.00 – 12.20:
The Impact of Global Climatic Change on Rural Societies: Migration vs Transformation, Mauro Spotorno, Professor of Economic and Political Geography, University of Genoa, Italy
12.20 – 12.40:
Climate, Crisis and Population Movements, Luisa Faldini, Assistant Professor of Ethnology, University of Genoa, Italy
12.40 – 13.00:
The Human Impacts of Mass Migration: Lessons from Study Abroad, Patrick Mulvihill, Assistant Provost for Global Education and Experience, Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN, USA
13.00 – 13.25:
Personal Experiences of Migrants in Light of Climate Change and Sustainability, Dr. Kathrin Pabst, Researcher, Speaker and Project Leader / PhD in Professional Ethics, Vest Agder Museum IKS, Vest Agder, Norway, EU-project - Identity on the Line, Stories and research about Migration from seven countries, highlighting Croatia and what happened to the Italians in Istria.
14.15 – 14.35:
European Interregional Cooperation on Migration in a Long-Term Perspective, Claire Guillotin Street, Senior Administrative and Policy Officer, CPMR-Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions
14.35 – 14.55:
Green Infowars. Public Opinion, Propaganda and Climate Change, Alberto Giordano, Senior Assistant Professor of the University of Genoa, PhD in Political Philosophy, Senior Lecturer in Political Thought and Public Opinion
14.55 – 15.15:
The Thor Heyerdahl Scholarships 2023 Winner Presentation, 2nd Place: KLIMA-FLYKTNING, Jonas Teksum, Fredrik Vollebæk, Magnus Eik Silihagen, Sigurd Røen Rotnebo
15.15 – 15.35:
The Thor Heyerdahl Scholarships 2023 Winner Presentation, 1st Place: ClimateXodus, Olaf Stanislaw Filipiak, Ayub Jamal Hassan, Marius Balchen Thomassen, Casper Alexander Solvang, Abdulkadir Ahmed Saed
15.35 - 16.00:
Closing Reflections by previous hosts of The Thor Heyerdahl International Days: 2021 on Migration and Identity, Former Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Oslo, Mr. Jaroslav Knot, 2022 on Migration and Ethnicity, Former Ambassador of Turkey in Oslo, Mr. Fazlı Çorman, 2023 on Migration and Climate Change, Mayor of Andora, Mr. Demichelis Mauro