Iselin Frydenlund

Professor

Study of Religion
Iselin.Frydenlund@mf.no
Office: 424B
Phone number: 22590619

I hold a PhD in religious studies from University of Oslo (2011) on Buddhism and violence during the Sri Lankan civil war, and my research interests include the role of religion in war and peace, suicide terrorism, interreligious dialogue, and freedom of religion or belief.

My research area is Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, specializing in questions concerning the relationship between Buddhism, nationalism, politics and violence. Currently, I am working on Buddhist political and legal activism in Myanmar and Sri Lanka and Buddhist-Muslim relations in South and Southeast Asia. I take a particular interest in fieldwork methodology in the study of religion in its social context.

For a number of years, I have been affiliated to the Peace Research Institute Oslo, PRIO, and Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, and I have cooperated with the Buddhist Federation of Norway and monastic organizations in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh, on religious minority rights in Buddhist majority states. I am also deeply engaged in an academic exchange program with Myanmar Institute of Theology.

Member of MF CASR

Selected publications

Frydenlund, I. & Mang, P. Z. & Wai, P. & Hayward, S. (2021). Religious Responses to the Military Coup in Myanmar, Review of Faith & International Affairs s. 77 - 88. Review of Faith & International Affairs. ISBN: 1557-0274
Frydenlund, I. (2021). Protecting Buddhist Women from Muslim Men: “Love Jihad” and the Rise of Islamophobia in Myanmar, Religions Religions. ISBN: 2077-1444
Jerryson, M. & Frydenlund, I. (2020). Buddhists, Muslims and the Construction of Difference, Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, s. 263 - 297. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 978-981-32-9883-5
Frydenlund, I. & Jerryson, M. (2020). An Introduction: Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, s. 1 - 21. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 978-981-32-9883-5
Hayward, S. & Frydenlund, I. (2019). Religion, Secularism, and the Pursuit of Peace in Myanmar, Review of Faith & International Affairs s. 1 - 11. Review of Faith & International Affairs. ISBN: 1557-0274
Frydenlund, I. (2019). Buddhist Islamophobia: Actors. Tropes. Contexts, Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion, s. 279 - 302. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN: 978-90-04-38150-6
Frydenlund, I. (2019). Protecting the Sasana through Law: Radical Buddhism and Religious Freedom in Transitional Myanmar, Secularism, Religion, and Democracy in Southeast Asia, s. 194 - 212. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199496693
Frydenlund, I. (2019). The rise of religious offence in transitional Myanmar, Outrage: The Rise of Religious Offence in Contemporary South Asia, s. 77 - 102. UCL Press. ISBN: 9781787355286
Frydenlund, I. (2019). A New Formatting: Myanmar’s 2015 "race and religion laws", Formatting Religion: Across Politics, Education, Media, and Law, s. 37 - 55. Routledge. ISBN: 9781138599987
Frydenlund, I. (2018). MaBaTha, World Religions and Spirituality Project World Religions and Spirituality Project.
Frydenlund, I. (2018). Buddhism and violence: an Oxymoron? Text and tradition in Buddhist Just-War Thinking, The Warrior and the Pacifist. Competing Motifs in Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, s. 13 - 35. Routledge. ISBN: 9781138585430
Frydenlund, I. (2018). Tamil Militancy in Sri Lanka and the Role of Religion, Oxford Research Encyclopedias - Religion, s. - . Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199340378
Frydenlund, I. (2017). Religious Liberty for Whom? The Buddhist Politics of Religious Freedom During Myanmar’s Transition to Democracy , Nordic Journal of Human Rights s. 55 - 73. Nordic Journal of Human Rights. ISBN: 1891-8131
Frydenlund, I. (2017). Buddhist Militarism Beyond Texts: The Importance of Ritual during the Sri Lankan Civil War, Journal of Religion and Violence s. 27 - 48. Journal of Religion and Violence. ISBN: 2159-6808
Frydenlund, I. (2017). ‘Operation Dhamma’: The Sri Lankan Armed Forces as an Instrument of Buddhist Nationalism, Military Chaplaincy in an Era of Religious Pluralism: Military–Religious Nexus in Asia, Europe, and USA, s. 81 - 103. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199470747
Frydenlund, I. (2017). The birth of Buddhist politics of religious freedom in Myanmar, Journal of Religious and Political Practice s. 107 - 121. Journal of Religious and Political Practice. ISBN: 2056-6093
Frydenlund, I. (2017). "Buddhism has Made Asia Mild" : The Modernist Construction of Buddhism as Pacifism, Buddhist Modernities: Re-inventing Tradition in the Globalizing Modern World, s. 204 - 221. Routledge. ISBN: 9781138687844
Frydenlund, I. (2016). Bodu Bala Sena: Army of Buddhist Power, World Religions and Spirituality Project World Religions and Spirituality Project.
Frydenlund, I. (2016). Buddhisme og politikk, Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven) Store Norske Leksikon (Nettutgaven).
Frydenlund, I. (2015). What now for Women and Minorities? http://blogs.prio.org/2015/12/myanmar-what-now-for-women-and-minorities/, Prio blog Prio blog.
Hayward, S. & Frydenlund, I. (2015). Theravada Buddhism's Muslim Problem, Tricycle Tricycle.
Frydenlund, I. (2004). Buddhaer og bazukaer: motstridende bilder av vold og buddhisme på Sri Lanka [Buddhas and Bazukas: Conflicting Images of Buddhism and Violence in Sri Lanka], Din. Tidsskrift for religion og kultur 1., DIN - Tidsskrift for religion og kultur DIN - Tidsskrift for religion og kultur. ISBN: 1501-9934
Frydenlund, I. & Leidig, E. (2022). Introduction: “Love Jihad”: Sexuality, Reproduction and the Construction of the Predatory Muslim Male, Religions s. - . Religions. ISBN: 2077-1444

Latest scientific publications

Frydenlund, I. & Mang, P. Z. & Wai, P. & Hayward, S. (2021). Religious Responses to the Military Coup in Myanmar, Review of Faith & International Affairs s. 77 - 88. Review of Faith & International Affairs. ISBN: 1557-0274
Frydenlund, I. (2021). Protecting Buddhist Women from Muslim Men: “Love Jihad” and the Rise of Islamophobia in Myanmar, Religions Religions. ISBN: 2077-1444
Jerryson, M. & Frydenlund, I. (2020). Buddhists, Muslims and the Construction of Difference, Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, s. 263 - 297. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 978-981-32-9883-5
Frydenlund, I. & Jerryson, M. (2020). An Introduction: Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World, s. 1 - 21. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 978-981-32-9883-5
Hayward, S. & Frydenlund, I. (2019). Religion, Secularism, and the Pursuit of Peace in Myanmar, Review of Faith & International Affairs s. 1 - 11. Review of Faith & International Affairs. ISBN: 1557-0274
Frydenlund, I. (2019). Buddhist Islamophobia: Actors. Tropes. Contexts, Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion, s. 279 - 302. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN: 978-90-04-38150-6
Frydenlund, I. (2019). Protecting the Sasana through Law: Radical Buddhism and Religious Freedom in Transitional Myanmar, Secularism, Religion, and Democracy in Southeast Asia, s. 194 - 212. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199496693
Frydenlund, I. (2019). The rise of religious offence in transitional Myanmar, Outrage: The Rise of Religious Offence in Contemporary South Asia, s. 77 - 102. UCL Press. ISBN: 9781787355286
Frydenlund, I. (2019). A New Formatting: Myanmar’s 2015 "race and religion laws", Formatting Religion: Across Politics, Education, Media, and Law, s. 37 - 55. Routledge. ISBN: 9781138599987
Frydenlund, I. (2018). MaBaTha, World Religions and Spirituality Project World Religions and Spirituality Project.

Research project(s)

INTERSECT - Intersecting Flows of Islamophobia

Education and practice

2011 - PhD, University of Oslo, History of Religion
1996 - 1997 Post-graduate Studies, London School of Economics

Voluntary position

2017 - Academic advisor, NORPART Myanmar project at MF
2016 - Member, Scientific Board, MF
2012 - Norwegian representative to the Domain Committee of Individuals, Societies, Cultures and Health (ISCH) in COST (EU)
2005 - Steering Board Member, Asianettverket (Network for Asia studies in Norway).
2010 - Member of external board, co-operation between PRIO and Indian Defense Studies and Analysis (IDSA).
2008 - Institute board member, IKOS, University of Oslo
1996 - Elected National Leader of The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America (Latin-Amerikagruppene i Norge (LAG)
2017 - Co-organizer (together with Dr. Jens Borgland) of the Nordic Network for Buddhist Studies
2017 - Editorial board, Journal of Religion and Violence
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