Mathias Nygaard

Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Research areas

My educational background is in religious studies, philosophy, languages, and the social sciences. In my work I try to unite perspectives from these various ways of seeing the world. I work on both historical and contemporary material. I am interested in classical themes from cultural studies, for instance sacrifice, myths, ecstasy, death/nothingness, and heroes/anti-heroes.

At the Volda University College I teach history of religions, philosophy, and intercultural studies.

Education

2005-2010   PhD Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen.

2008-           Languages, Kobe University, Uppsala Universitet, Dalarna University, etc (Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Ugaritic, Akkadian, Greek, Latin, Georgian, German, etc). 

2006-2007   MA Archaeology, École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem.

2004-2005   MTh Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen.

Experience 

2023-                 Volda University College, Norway, Associate Professor.

2018-2023        The Newman Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, Associate Professor and Research Dean.        

2016-2017        Volda University College, Associate Professor (temporary).

2012-2014        Visiting Researcher (Comparative Philosophy), Kobe University, Japan.

2007-2008        Visiting Researcher (Ancient Religions of the Middle East), University of Tübingen, Germany.

In addition various temporary positions at OsloMet, Innland Norway University of Applied Sciences, etc (2010- ).

Experience as peer-reviewer, external examiner, translator, member of academic societies, university board member, etc. (2010- ).

Early representations of the human, masks from Nahal Hemar, 7000 bce.