Ragnhild Bjørnsen

Photo by: James Welburn

In residence: October - November 2025

Ragnhild Bjørnsen is a researcher in childhood studies at Inland Norway University. Her work centres around children living in hypermobility, whether it is themselves or significant others who move. Through a lens of Psychological Anthropology, she unravels interrelationships of childhood, life-course, and the powerful institutions that influence children and youth's everyday lives. Her case studies include the Norwegian Foreign Service and Longyearbyen, a socially transient Arctic settlement under Norwegian authority. These studies also reveal how children's rights become constrained by geo-political interests. Ragnhild applies narrative methodology, combining autobiography with participant observation and surrealist collage workshops with children and youth.

During her residency at Artica Svalbard, Ragnhild will continue her ongoing research with adolescents in Longyearbyen. Based on the youth's own experiences and reflections, the study explores in what ways the high turnover (25%) in their community affects their social relationships and sense of belonging. While at Artica, Ragnhild will organise a "citizens science workshop". Here, adolescents and adults will discuss the findings in her research, and reflect on future pathways for youth's well-being in Longyearbyen. During her stay, Ragnhild will also conduct interviews with professionals working with children and adolescents in Longyearbyen. These interviews will be the foundation for a legal analysis, discussing the legal framework and policies which influence children's rights on Svalbard.