NORWEL Symposium 2026: Social work in times of conflicts and war – how do geopolitics impact social problems, practice and research? 

Welcome to the third NORWEL symposium, 22. – 23. October 2026 at UiT in Tromsø! 

Geopolitics determine our life on many levels – from transnational relations, down to our individual existence. Currently, we witness an unprecedented erosion of international relations, where international law, long standing alliances and trust erode from one day to the next. 

What does this mean for the profession of social work, which serves people suffering from the consequences of personal and structural crises, and which aims at building interpersonal trust and positive relations? And what are the consequences of destabilized and destabilizing geopolitics for social work research? 

These are the questions we ask on day one of the third NORWEL-symposium. The Department of Child Welfare and Social Work at UiT The Arctic University of Norway is proud to be the host for this event which is open to everyone interested in research and researcher education in social work. 

Day 1 of the symposium explores the conditions for social work and social work research in the rapidly changing, and increasingly unpredictable and dangerous world of today. The list of keynote speakers will be updated continuously. Confirmed speakers so far are 

Katrin Glatz Brubakk 

Katrin is a psychologist, university lecturer at NTNU, social activist and fieldworker for the non-profit organization Doctors Without Borders. She has extensive experience from supporting children and families in war zones, including countries such as Kongo, Greece and Palestine. She has written two books, one about her experiences from Moria (co authored with Guro K. Merakerås) and the other about Gaza. She was awarded the Save the Children’s Rights Prize in 2024 for her work.  

Svenn-Erik Mamelund  

Svenn-Erik is a professor in social geography at OsloMet. During his career he has spent several longer periods in the USA and built a large network with researchers. He will talk about his recent experiences, among others with the US Department of Homeland Security and his decision to postpone future academic exchange in the USA. 

More keynote speakers will be announced continuously. 

Day 2 is again dedicated to thematic workshops, with presentations of the ongoing research projects of our students. 

Registration 

NORWEL members and others who want to present their work in a workshop are encouraged to submit title and an abstract of no more than 200 words. 

Deadline  

… for submitting an abstract for presentations at the workshop: 23. September 2026 

… for registration to the symposium: 30. September 2026 

For registration, please use this link: https://nettskjema.no/a/594659  

Welcome to Tromsø in October!