- Political and violent conflicts in Myanmar and Thailand
- Civil society movements and societal transformation in peacebuilding and democratization
- Religious and spiritual practices in politics and nation building
- Popular culture and art in resistance movements
- The politics of humanitarian aid and development schemes in violent conflicts
- The Rohingya crisis and community strategies in forced displacement settings
Marte Nilsen
Senior Researcher
Interests and experience
Marte Nilsen is a Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). She is a Historian of Religions and holds a PhD from Lund University (Sweden). Her research focus is on political and violent conflicts in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Myanmar and Thailand, and on the Rohingya crisis.
In her current work, Nilsen investigates how opposition groups in Thailand and Myanmar use popular culture and art to challenge the legitimacy of the authoritarian state. The role of local cultures and religious and spiritual knowledge is of particular interest. In other projects, Nilsen conducts research on identity politics among Rohingya refugees and on the refugees' own humanitarian and political strategies.
Education
2022: Thai Language, level 3 (1 year), SOAS, University of London.
2012: Dr.philos., History of Religions, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University.
2012: Burmese language course (1 week intensive), SOAS University of London.
2006 Chinese language (KIN 1110-1120, 1 year), University of Oslo.
2005: Cand.philol., History of Religions, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.
2002: Cand.mag., History of Religions, Sociology, History, University of Oslo.
Positions of trust
2023 – present: Co-Director, PRIO Centre on Culture and Violent Conflict.
2020 – present: Coordiator, PRIO's FIWON Network.
2017 – present: Coordiator, PRIO's Religion research group.
2017 – 2021: Coordinator, Research School on Peace and Conflict.
2006 – 2008: President, Attac Norway.
2005-2006: University board member, University of Oslo.
Language skills
Fluent: Norwegian, English.
Intermediate: Thai, German.
Basic: Burmese, Chinese (Mandarin).
Dissemnination
Podcasts
"Myanmar med Marte Nilsen" 198 land med Einar Tørnquist
"Aung San Suu Kyi og Myanmar" Historier som endret verden
"Coup in Myanmar seven months later” PRIO’s Peace in a Pod 54
"Myanmar et halvt år etter militærkuppet” Verden og vi NCA
“Kuppet i Myanmar” Utviklingspoddensialet
“Myanmar after the Coup” The Nordic Asia Podcast NIAS
“Coup in Myanmar: Protest, Art Technology” PRIO’s Peace in a Pod 25
"Art, Conflict and Land rights in Myanmar” PRIO’s Peace in a Pod 18
Television and radio appearances (sample)
Myanmar Politics: Dagsnytt 18, NRK2, 01.08.2023
Myanmar Politics: Nyhetsmorgen, NRK P2, 01.08.2023
Thai Politics: Supernytt, NRK Super, 24.05.2023
Thai Politics: Dagsnytt 18, NRK2, 15.05.2023
Myanmar Politics: Studio 2, NRK P2, 20.09.2022
Myanmar Politics: Studio 2, NRK P2, 01.02.2022
Myanmar Politics: Dagsnytt 18, NRK2, 28.09.2021
Myanmar Politics: Studio 2, NRK P2, 01.02.2021
Thai Politics: Dagens, NRK P1, 15.10.2020
Thai Politics: Nyhetslunsj, NRK 06.05.2019
Thai Politics: TV2 Nyhetskanalen, 06.05.2019
Thai Politics: NRK Alltid Nyheter, 25.03.2019
Thai Politics: Urix på lørdag, NRK P2, 23.03.2019
Thai Politics: Studio 2, NRK P2, 06.03.2019
Myanmar Politics: Urix, NRK 2, 20.09.2017
Thai Politics: Ytring, NRK P2, 14.05.2017
Thai Politics: Norgesglasset, NRK P1, 13.10.2016
Thai Politics: Urix, NRK2, 12.10.2016
Thai Politics: Her og Nå, NRK P1, 12.08 2016
Thai Politics: Nyhetskanalen, 10pm. TV2 11.08.2016
Thai Politics: Nyhetsmorgen, NRK P2, 08.08.2016
Myanmar Politics: Urix, NRK2 15.02.2016
Thai Politics: Dagsrevyen, NRK1, 18.08.2015
Myanmar Politics: Urix NRK2, 15.03.2016
Myanmar Politics: Nyhetsettermiddag NRK P2, 11.05.2015
Thai Politics: Norgesglasset NRK P1, 23.05.2014
Thai Politics: Dagsnytt 18 NRK2, 22.05.2014
Thai Politics: Nyhetsmorgen P2, 03.02.2014
Myanmar Politics: Urix NRK2, 14.11.2012
Thai Politics: Aktuelt NRK2, 19.05.2010
Thai Politics: Dagsnytt 18 NRK2, 18.05.2010
Thai Politics: Dagsnytt 18 NRK2, 19.05.2010
Projects
All projects
Jan 2022 –
Use of Ancient Belief System for Legitimacy and Struggle for Democracy during the Authoritarian Regime in Myanmar (1990-2010)
Use of Ancient Belief System for Legitimacy and Struggle for Democracy during the Authoritarian Regime in Myanmar (1990-2010)
Apr 2021 – Mar 2025
Pop Culture, Art, and Indigenous Ideas of Legitimacy in Struggles over Democratization and Peace (POPAGANDA)
Pop Culture, Art, and Indigenous Ideas of Legitimacy in Struggles over Democratization and Peace (POPAGANDA)
Apr 2021 – Mar 2025
Stateless in the Bengali borderlands : New technologies and challenges for identity and identification
Stateless in the Bengali borderlands : New technologies and challenges for identity and identification
Jan 2020 – Jul 2024
Inspirational Creative Practice: The Work of Artists after War and Violent Conflict (INSPIRE)
Inspirational Creative Practice: The Work of Artists after War and Violent Conflict (INSPIRE)
Jan 2012 –
Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies
Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies
PRIO Fieldwork Network (FIWON)
May 2021 – Mar 2022
A Review of the Norwegian Sahel Strategy
A Review of the Norwegian Sahel Strategy
Sep 2020 – Dec 2021
Building peace along the Belt and Road? Chinese security assistance to Myanmar and The Philippines
Building peace along the Belt and Road? Chinese security assistance to Myanmar and The Philippines
Sep 2020 – Jun 2021
The Quest for Peace in Kawthoolei: The Strategies, Outcomes, and Sustainability of Peacebuilding in Southeast Myanmar, 2012-2020
The Quest for Peace in Kawthoolei: The Strategies, Outcomes, and Sustainability of Peacebuilding in Southeast Myanmar, 2012-2020
Jan 2019 – Dec 2022
EducAid: Improving Education for Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar Living in Bangladesh
EducAid: Improving Education for Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar Living in Bangladesh
Latest publications
All publications
Marte Nilsen (2023)
Buddhist Violence and Religious Authority: A Tribute to the Work of Michael Jerryson
Buddhist Violence and Religious Authority: A Tribute to the Work of Michael Jerryson
Book review in Journal of Buddhist Ethics
Marte Nilsen (2023)
Skal UDI ha vetorett over norsk utviklingspolitikk
Skal UDI ha vetorett over norsk utviklingspolitikk
Popular article in Aftenposten
Marte Nilsen et al. (2023)
Community-Led Education among Rohingya Refugees and the Politics of Refugee Education in Bangladesh
Community-Led Education among Rohingya Refugees and the Politics of Refugee Education in Bangladesh
Journal article in Journal of Refugee Studies
Andra MongMao & Marte Nilsen (2023)
Myanmar’s Interrupted Transition: The Democratic Instinct Survives
Myanmar’s Interrupted Transition: The Democratic Instinct Survives
PRIO Policy Brief
Amara Thiha & Marte Nilsen (2023)
Monks and Militias in Myanmar
Monks and Militias in Myanmar
Popular article in East Asia Forum
Marte Nilsen (2022)
Narrating democracy in Myanmar: The struggle between activists, democratic leaders and aid workers by Tamas Wells
Narrating democracy in Myanmar: The struggle between activists, democratic leaders and aid workers by Tamas Wells
Book review in Asian Journal of Social Science
Haakon Gjerløw et al. (2022)
Returning to School or Dropping Out after the COVID-19 Closure? Survey Evidence from Rohingya Refugees and Host Communities in Bangladesh
Returning to School or Dropping Out after the COVID-19 Closure? Survey Evidence from Rohingya Refugees and Host Communities in Bangladesh
PRIO Policy Brief
Hassan Aden et al. (2022)
What Can We Learn from Refugee-Led Education in Kenya?
What Can We Learn from Refugee-Led Education in Kenya?
PRIO Policy Brief
Marte Nilsen (2022)
Rohingya-krisen fem år etter massakren
Rohingya-krisen fem år etter massakren
Popular article in Bistandsaktuelt
Marte Nilsen (2022)
Rohingya, fem år etter
Rohingya, fem år etter
Popular article in Klassekampen
Latest news
All news
Monday, 26 Jun 2023
Beathe Øgård Successfully defends Master's Thesis
Beathe Øgård Successfully defends Master's Thesis
Beathe Øgård has succesfully defended her thesis "The Spring Revolution in Myanmar - Resisting a Closed Autocracy.
Thursday, 10 Feb 2022
New Book Chapter: “We Are Alive, but Have No Life”: Rohingya Refugees, Deprived of the Prospects for a Future
New Book Chapter: “We Are Alive, but Have No Life”: Rohingya Refugees, Deprived of the Prospects for a Future
The new book chapter "We Are Alive, but Have No Life": Rohingya Refugees, Deprived of the Prospects for a Future written by Senior Researcher Marte Nilsen, explores some of the everyday strategies of survival that stateless, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh make use of to navigate under the precarious conditions of being denied rights and recognition.
Tuesday, 29 Jun 2021
INSPIRE Seminar Series Autumn 2021
INSPIRE Seminar Series Autumn 2021
Please be invited and save the dates for the INSPIRE seminar series autumn 2021! The seminars will take place monthly, on Wednesdays from 12:00-13:00 CET, online, with invited researchers and artists.
Friday, 25 Jun 2021
Klo Kwe Moo Kham Successfully Defends Master's Thesis
Klo Kwe Moo Kham Successfully Defends Master's Thesis
Klo Kwe Moo Kham has successfully defended his thesis "The Quest for Peace in Kawthoolei: The Strategies, Outcomes, and Sustainability of Peacebuilding in Southeast Myanmar, 2012-2020".
Friday, 25 Jun 2021
New Online Exhibition from the TRANSFORM Project
New Online Exhibition from the TRANSFORM Project
In societies at war or facing severe repression, what motivates individuals to take action for social justice when doing so involves great risk and uncertainty? How do such small but often heroic everyday acts of common people inspire larger transformations? And what is the impact of storytelling about everyday acts that challenge inequalities and injustices in places like Myanmar, Somaliland and Syria?The TRANSFORM research team has grappled with these questions for four years, and you will ...
Monday, 14 Jun 2021
Artistic Encounters in War and Violent Conflict: New Platform for the INSPIRE Project Launched
Artistic Encounters in War and Violent Conflict: New Platform for the INSPIRE Project Launched
On June 3rd 2021, the INSPIRE research platform was launched with a live performance by Faytinga and a presentation of artwork by Diala Brisly.
Monday, 3 May 2021
Call for Applications: Three New PhD Positions at PRIO
Call for Applications: Three New PhD Positions at PRIO
PRIO invites applications for three Doctoral Researcher positions.
Wednesday, 13 Jan 2021
POPAGANDA – Funding in Place for Project
POPAGANDA – Funding in Place for Project
How do political opposition groups in Myanmar and Thailand use popular culture and art to generate legitimacy for their political causes and propagate their messages?
Friday, 18 Dec 2020
NORHED II funding for global network on Peace and Conflict and Human Rights research
NORHED II funding for global network on Peace and Conflict and Human Rights research
Norad has awarded funding through its NORHED II scheme for a six-year project to strengthen higher education institutions' ability to produce high-quality research and teaching.
Thursday, 17 Dec 2020
Stateless in the Bengali borderlands — Funding in Place for New Project
Stateless in the Bengali borderlands — Funding in Place for New Project
The project will investigate the current crisis of statelessness affecting millions of people in the Bengali borderlands, including the Rohingya population of Myanmar and Bengali Muslims in the Northeast Indian state of Assam.
Latest events
All events
Monday, 22 Apr 2024 10:45–13:00 UTC+02
Myanmar Roundtable: Artistic Practices after the Coup
Myanmar Roundtable: Artistic Practices after the Coup
22–23 Apr 2024
INSPIRE Conference
INSPIRE Conference
Wednesday, 3 Apr 2024 08:30–09:45 UTC+02
Myanmar at a Tipping Point? International Strategies and Responses
Myanmar at a Tipping Point? International Strategies and Responses
Monday, 12 Feb 2024 13:00–14:30 UTC+01
Exhibition: "The Lost Tapes of A Peoples’ Tribunal, 1982"
Exhibition: "The Lost Tapes of A Peoples’ Tribunal, 1982"
Monday, 22 May 2023 13:00–14:30 UTC+02
Justifying Military Power in Myanmar and Thailand
Justifying Military Power in Myanmar and Thailand
Wednesday, 14 Dec 2022 13:00–15:00 UTC+01
Education for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Community Initiatives, Humanitarian Aid and the Impact of COVID-19
Education for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Community Initiatives, Humanitarian Aid and the Impact of COVID-19
Thursday, 15 Sep 2022 14:00–15:30 UTC+02
Inspiring Myanmar: Chuu Wai - An Artist with Baggage - INSPIRE Seminar Series
Inspiring Myanmar: Chuu Wai - An Artist with Baggage - INSPIRE Seminar Series
Friday, 20 May 2022 09:00–11:30 UTC+02
Refugee Education Reimagined: A Pedagogy of Hope
Refugee Education Reimagined: A Pedagogy of Hope
Wednesday, 16 Mar 2022 12:00–13:00 UTC+01
INSPIRE Seminar Series: reCLAIM - Digital Curatorial Practices as Ethnographic Intervention
INSPIRE Seminar Series: reCLAIM - Digital Curatorial Practices as Ethnographic Intervention
Wednesday, 1 Dec 2021 12:00–13:00 UTC+01
INSPIRE Seminar Series: Protest Aesthetics in Motion
INSPIRE Seminar Series: Protest Aesthetics in Motion
Latest blog posts
All blog posts
Thursday, 31 Aug 2023
Six Years as Refugees and Still No Refuge
Six Years as Refugees and Still No Refuge
Wednesday, 12 Jul 2023
Who Should Define the Norwegian Development Policies?
Who Should Define the Norwegian Development Policies?
Wednesday, 15 Mar 2023
Monks and Militias in Myanmar
Monks and Militias in Myanmar
Thursday, 25 Aug 2022
Rohingya Refugees Still Desperate, Five Years after a Genocide
Rohingya Refugees Still Desperate, Five Years after a Genocide
Monday, 16 Nov 2020
Myanmar: weak leadership is prompting grassroots activists to make a difference
Myanmar: weak leadership is prompting grassroots activists to make a difference
Thursday, 30 Jul 2020
The Politics of Humanitarian Aid to Myanmar
The Politics of Humanitarian Aid to Myanmar
Friday, 15 Nov 2019
Accountable to Whom? Reflecting on the ethics of doing migration research
Accountable to Whom? Reflecting on the ethics of doing migration research
Monday, 17 Oct 2016
No One can Fill King Bhumibol’s Shoes
No One can Fill King Bhumibol’s Shoes
Wednesday, 7 Sep 2016
Are We Nearing an End to Buddhist Extremism in Myanmar?
Are We Nearing an End to Buddhist Extremism in Myanmar?
Wednesday, 13 Apr 2016
Myanmar's Ethnic Minorities Marginalized More
Myanmar's Ethnic Minorities Marginalized More
In the media
September 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nielsen did two interviews on political developments in Myanmar. One was on Norway’s NRK radio, Nyhetsmorgen (listen at 1 hour 18 mins), and the other was on NRK’s main evening news programme, Dagsnytt 18.
September 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nilsen was interviewed about the closure of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies in Copenhagen, by the Norwegian industry publication, Khrono.
July 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nilsen wrote an opinion piece on Norwegian development policy, which was published in the Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten.
May 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nilsen appeared on the Norwegian state broadcaster nightly news show, Dagsnytt 18, discussing the results of Thailand’s general election (watch at 23 mins).
March 2023
PRIO Researchers Marte Nilsen and Amara Thiha co-authored an opinion piece on monks and militias in Myanmar, that was published on the East Asia Forum.
February 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nilsen was interviewed on the two-year marking of the coup in Myanmar, by Norway’s TV2.
January 2023
PRIO Researcher Marte Nilsen was quoted in an article on the military general ruling Myanmar, by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
PRIO started listing media appearances on profiles in 2023. Earlier media appearances may not be listed.
Research groups
Regions and Powers
How the global power balance affects regional conflict dynamics
How the global power balance affects regional conflict dynamics
Humanitarianism
How the humanitarian system changes with new tools, donors, and perceptions of local dynamics
How the humanitarian system changes with new tools, donors, and perceptions of local dynamics
Migration
How migration and transnational ties interact with societal change during peace and conflict.
How migration and transnational ties interact with societal change during peace and conflict.
