Join us in celebration of outstanding research in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The 2025 Holberg Week takes place 3–6 June in Bergen and Oslo.
The programme for the 2025 Holberg Week is published here. Detailed information will be added as it becomes available. More details on each event are available on the respective event pages. All the below times are local/CEST.
The annual Holberg Week takes place in the beginning of June as a celebration of the Holberg Prize Laureate, the Nils Klim Prize Laureate, and the Holberg School Programme finalists.
In addition to the open events, we have several events that are by invitation only. Please see the overview below.
PROGRAMME
Programme day 1 — Tuesday 3 June
The Holberg Symposium: ‘The Power of the Humanities’
Date: Tuesday, 3 June
Time: 09:00–12:00
Venue: The University Aula in Bergen
Academic symposium held in honour of the 2025 Holberg Laureate, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. The Laureate introduces the topic, followed by presentations by invited guests, a panel discussion and in the end an open Q&A session.
Speakers:
- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, 2025 Holberg Laureate, and University Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University.
- Rosalind C. Morris, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University.
- Oluwaseun Akinfenwa, Principal System Analyst/Programmer, Kwara State University.
- Lakshmi Subramanian, Professor of History, The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.
The event will be moderated by Bjørn Enge Bertelsen, Professor of Anthropology, University of Bergen, and Academic Director of the Holberg Prize.
The Nils Klim Symposium: ‘Nordic Rights Development from the Margins? Reassessing Legal Inclusion and Exclusion.’
Date: Tuesday, 3 June
Time: 13:00–15:00
Venue: The University Aula in Bergen
This event is held in honour of the 2025 Nils Klim Laureate Daniela Alaattinoğlu. The Laureate’s lecture is followed by presentations by invited guests, a panel discussion and a Q&A session.
Speakers:
- Daniela Alaattinoğlu, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Turku; recipient of the 2025 Nils Klim Prize.
- Reetta Toivanen, Professor of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki.
- Vibeke Blaker Strand, Professor of Law, University of Oslo.
- Maya Unnithan, Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology, University of Sussex.
- Fourth speaker: TBA.
The event will be moderated by Jørn Jacobsen, Professor of Law, University of Bergen.
An Evening with the Holberg Prize
Date: Tuesday, 3 June
Time: 18:00–19:15
Venue: House of Literature in Bergen
This event will feature the 2025 Holberg Laureate Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and the Nils Klim Laureate Daniela Alaattinoğlu in conversation about their background, their research and their experiences from academia. The conversation will be moderated by Kari Jegerstedt, Associate Professor of Gender Studies in the Humanities and Head of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Research, University of Bergen.
Programme day 2 — Wednesday 4 June
The Holberg Masterclass: ‘The Practice of Learning’
Date: Wednesday, 4 June
Time: 10:00–12:00
Venue: The University Aula in Bergen
The Holberg Prize offers scholarships for five PhD candidates in the Nordic countries to participate in a masterclass with the Holberg Laureate, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Each participant will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation related to the theme chosen by the Laureate. After the presentations there will be a panel discussion.
The Holberg Lecture: ‘Imperatives to Re-imagine the Future’
Date: Wednesday, 4 June
Time: 14:00–15:00
Venue: The University Aula in Bergen
Lecture by the 2025 Holberg Laureate, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. This is the Laureate’s academic statement during the Holberg Week.
Programme day 3 — Thursday 5 June
Award Ceremony for the Holberg School Programme
Date: Thursday, 5 June
Time: 10:00–11:00
Venue: Bergen Cathedral School
20 upper secondary schools and around 1000 students from all over Norway participate in the Holberg School Programme each year. During the ceremony the first, second and third Student Prize are announced, as well as the Teacher’s Prize. The Award Ceremony is open to anyone who is interested. Please note that most of the event will be conducted in Norwegian.
Award Ceremony for the Holberg Prize and Nils Klim Prize
Date: Thursday 5 June
Time: 14:00–15:00
Venue: The University Aula in Bergen
The Official Award Ceremony for the Holberg Prize and the Nils Klim Prize. The ceremony will be followed by a short reception. This event is open to all but requires registration, and it will be livestreamed.
H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon will confer the Holberg Prize upon Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland will confer the Nils Klim Prize upon Daniela Alaattinoğlu.
Programme day 4 — Friday 6 June
The Holberg Laureate LIVE: ‘Learning From Below’
Date: Fredag 6 june
Time: 18:00–19:15
Venue: The House of Literature in Oslo
The day after receiving the Holberg Prize in Bergen, Holberg Laureate Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak will join Associate Professor Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay for a conversation at the House of Literature in Oslo.
CLOSED PROGRAMME
In addition to the main Holberg Week programme, there are a number of closed events for invited guests only. Please register via the link in your personal invitation (email sent from Holbergprisen / The Holberg Prize).
Please note that the invitation to the Government Banquet is sent separately.
If you have not received a personal invitation or suspect you are missing some options in the registration form, please contact the Holberg Prize Secretariat at info@holbergprisen.no.
Dinner at the House of Literature
Date: Tuesday, 3 June
Time: 19:30
Venue: The House of Literature in Bergen
Rector at the University of Bergen hosts a dinner for the Holberg Prize at the House of Literature, room Fossestova. The Holberg School Programme participants will enjoy an informal dinner at restaurant Colonialen in the House of Literature. By invitation only.
Seminar for the Holberg School Programme
Date: Wednesday, 4 June
Time: 09:00–14:00
Venue: Tårnsalen, Bergen University Museum – Natural History.
This is a closed seminar where the Holberg School Programme finalists and the Teacher Prize recipient discuss their respective research projects. The students’ teachers and research advisers also participate. The Nils Klim Laureate traditionally also visit the students. By invitation only.
Celebratory Dinner for the Holberg School Programme
Date: Wednesday, 4 June
Time: 18:00
Venue: Grand selskapslokaler, Bergen
The Municipality of Bergen invites you to a reception ahead of the celebratory dinner for the Holberg School Programme. The student prize recipients will present their research projects, and there will be a musical performance.
The entire program will take place at Grand Selskapslokaler, Ole Bulls plass. By invitation only.
The Holberg Prize Banquet
Date: Thursday, 5 June
Time: 18:15–22:30
Venue: Haakon’s Hall, Bergen
Banquet in honour of the Holberg Laureate and Nils Klim Laureate, hosted by the Norwegian Government. Please note that there will be sent a separate invitation to this event. By invitation only.