Knut Kjeldstadli is currently professor of modern history at the University of Oslo. His main focus rests on modern social and cultural history, methods and theory, history of migration and the history on collective movements. Kjeldstadli has published a number of books and articles, some of which are being used in education programs in other European universities. He was co-editor of the 12-volume edition of the History of Norway, is author of books on industrial history, labour history, urban history, Norwegian history, the history of immigration and historical theory and method, the last mentioned also translated into Danish, Swedish and Serbo-Croatian.

He has been the coordinator of the project “Norwegian immigration history”, including seven researchers and 30 MA students, resulting in three volumes. He has been guest lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin, University of Rome – La Sapienza, University of Aarhus, University of Copenhagen, University of Reykjavik, University of Groningen and guest researcher at Universität Osnabrück.

Extract of speakers' speech at Riga Seminar 2006: