Sandra Fylkesnes

Norwegian version of this page Department of Education, ICT and Learning

Press photo

Norwegian version of this page Position

Associate Professor

Contact

+4769608467

sandra.fylkesnes@hiof.no

Study place

Halden

Office nr.

EU1-066

Brief Bio

I am an Associate Professor of Education at Østfold University of Allpied Sciences (HiØ), with a background as a primary school teacher and research training in educational sciences for teacher education. My research focuses on how educational theories are applied in practice, with a particular emphasis on critical perspectives in teacher education.

I hold a PhD in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education and a Master’s degree in Multicultural and International Education. I have experience teaching in Oslo schools as well as at the master’s and PhD levels at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet).

Previously, I have worked both at the Teacher Education programme at HiØ and at the Centre for Professional Studies at OsloMet, where I contributed to the development of merit-based teaching schemes and guidelines for academic appointments and promotions.

I am currently affiliated with the Practical Pedagogical Education (PPU) programme at HiØ, where I teach, supervise students, and serve as coordinator.

Research Interests

I research how educational theories can be applied in practice to develop teacher education and teaching. This includes document analysis, curriculum studies, education policy, and discourse-theoretical approaches. I am particularly interested in critical perspectives, such as critical pedagogy, multicultural teacher education, critical race theory, and anti-racism, as well as postcolonial and posthuman theories.

My research interests also encompass teacher educators, teaching development, academic writing, digital communication, relational competence, and student supervision.

Teaching

I teach a range of pedagogical subjects in the Practical Pedagogical Education (PPU) programme and have extensive experience teaching at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. In general, my teaching focuses on critical, pedagogical, and methodological approaches to both classroom practice and research. At the PhD level, I often teach step-by-step guidance on conducting a systematic literature review.

Brief on My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is grounded in fostering critical thinking as the core aim of higher education. Inspired by Michel Foucault, I view learning as the ability to question taken-for-granted assumptions and to reflect on the broader social consequences of our actions at the micro level (for example in the classroom). I strive to create spaces where students, colleagues, and other professionals can challenge established perspectives and develop their own informed positions. In all my teaching, I encourage reflection on society: Who do we want those we teach to become, and what kind of society do we wish to contribute to shaping?

Supervision

I have extensive experience supervising bachelor students in pedagogical subjects and practice-based projects at HiØ, students in Master in Special Education at HiØ, Practical Pedagogical Guidance at UiO, and in a Master in Multicultural and International Education at OsloMet. I also supervise a PhD student, Ellen Englund, in HiØ’s The Digital Society programme.

Education

2019: PhD in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education, from OsloMet: Whiteness in teacher education discourses: An analysis of the discursive usage and meaning making of the term cultural diversity

2011: M.Phil in Multicultural and International Education from OsloMet: "The Multicultural": constructions in the curriculum of Norwegian primary schoolteacher education

2009: General Teacher Education from OsloMet

Research Networks

Critical perspectives on Teacher Education (and Education) - CritTEd

Anti-racism and racialization in Teacher Education: a dissemination network concerning implications for higher education practices (ARTE)

Nera network 25 ~ Race, Whiteness and De/Colonisation in Education

Research Projects

I am part of Anti-Racism and Racialization in Teacher Education (ARTE), a dissemination network examining implications for higher education practices, supported by Nordplus Higher Education.

From 2021 to 2025, I participated in the Norwegian Research Council (NFR) project Critical Examination of Race and Racism in Teacher Education (CERiTE), where I led Work Package 1.

Societal Contribution & Outreach

I aim to equip future teachers with the knowledge and critical perspectives to recognise, challenge, and dismantle systemic injustice in education. Through research, teaching, and outreach, I contribute to more equitable and inclusive learning environments. This includes:

Leading workshops based on my book The Pedagogy of Whiteness: What You as a Teacher Must Know About Racism (in Norwegian).
Designing professional development sessions on anti-racist teaching, multicultural education, and critical pedagogical approaches.
Collaborating with partner schools, universities, and policy networks to embed inclusive practices in teacher education.
Support teachers and schools in staying up to date with research, integrating new knowledge, and promoting professional learning through collegial collaboration.

Find me on social media and research sites

Facebook Instagram Twitter ResearchGate Academia.edu Norwegian Research Information Repository

Research groups

Profession, qualification and society

Spernes, Kari Iren & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Activating prejudice awareness in teacher education to foster critical reflections: an analysis of a student-centred assignment. Cogent Education. 13(1). doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2025.2602280. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In this article, we argue that raising preservice teachers’ awareness of their own prejudices may serve as an initial step towards more critically informed and socially just pedagogical decisions in future classrooms. We explore how a student-centred assignment in teacher education can activate implicit prejudice against marginalised groups. Data was collected from 32 groups across three teacher education programmes. In the assignment, preservice teachers were asked to rank potential tenants for a basement apartment. Each tenant was described using ambiguous identity markers, often associated with housing discrimination. The aim was to trigger implicit prejudice and ultimately reduce it. Using critical theory for social justice and theories of prejudice, our analysis shows that none of the identity markers led to positive associations. However, some markers (substance abuse, mental health issues, Nazi affiliation, Roma identity, youth and families with small children) triggered negative prejudice. Preservice teachers moreover highlighted the limited information provided, feelings of trust, safety, and control and morality as factors influencing their ranking. We conclude that the preservice teachers, through the assignment, developed an awareness of their prejudice towards vulnerable groups in society.
Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Thomassen, Wenche Elisabeth & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Norwegian pre-service teachers’ orientations, knowledge and skills regarding multilingualism. In Warren, Anne Reath; Iversen, Jonas Yassin & Straszer, Boglárka (Ed.), Teacher education for working in linguistically diverse classrooms: Nordic perspectives. Language Science Press. ISSN 9783985541362. p. 127–149. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15280903. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In this chapter, we investigate 106 Norwegian pre-service teachers’ views and experience with multilingualism from different stages of their teacher education and from four different teacher education institutions. The data were collected as part of three recent doctoral studies (Fylkesnes 2019, Iversen 2020, Thomassen 2021) and consist primarily of focus group and individual interviews. Drawing on Lucas & Villegas’ (2011, 2013) framework for preparing linguistically responsive teachers, we focus our analytical attention on what orientations, knowledge and skills the pre-service teachers demonstrate. Our analysis indicates that pre-service teachers generally have the fundamental orientations necessary for linguistically responsive teaching, yet they seem to lack the necessary pedagogical knowledge and skills needed to enact these orientations in their teaching. Based on our findings, we argue that Norwegian teacher education needs to put greater emphasis on developing pre-service teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills if they are to enact linguistically responsive teaching.
Stenbock-Haakestad, Heidi & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Læreryrket er ikke for pingler! Refleksivitet som verktøy for utvikling av en mer bærekraftig lærerrolle. In Spernes, Kari Iren & Maugesten, Marianne (Ed.), Samarbeid for bærekraftig utvikling - Prosjekter i barnehage og skole. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215066615. p. 226–244. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Gils, Bieke & Synnes, Ronald Mayora (2025). Teacher educators matter: a call for countering the workings of Whiteness in so-called post-racial societies through a pedagogy of remembrance and accountability. Whiteness and Education. ISSN 2379-3406. p. 1–18. doi: 10.1080/23793406.2024.2448268. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This paper theorises the critical concept of Whiteness in relation to the so-called post-racial context of Norway and calls for teacher education programmes to adopt a pedagogy of remembrance and accountability to counter persistent forms of subtle racism. The national politically orchestrated Norwegian teacher education programmes educate about 7005 new teachers annually, who go on to teach the next generation of Norwegian citizens. While pedagogies that counter the workings of Whiteness are crucial in all social contexts, we argue that teacher educators must be understood as gatekeepers of knowledge and thus as central actors in the endeavour to counter racial injustice.
Thomas, Andrew John & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Measured Tones: The Place of People of Colour in Norwegian Reading Lists. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk. 11(1). doi: 10.23865/ntpk.v11.5863. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Plessis, Danelle du & Massao, Prisca Bruno (2024). What can critical perspectives on whiteness do for post-racial teacher education? A review of studies from the “nice” Norwegian context. Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and Studies. ISSN 0742-051X. 140, p. 1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2024.104487. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In “post-racial” societies, colour-blind racism tends to persist, enabling whiteness to proliferate as part of the governmentally mandated educational fabric. Reviewing studies from 2008 to 2020 in the Norwegian context that utilise critical perspectives on whiteness, this article reveals a growing body of research showing whiteness working through (1) avoidance of race, (2) simultaneous privileging of invisibility and marking of Otherness, (3) institutionalised discourse, (4) embodiments of racialised Othering and (5) researcher positionality. Drawing on these findings, we examine how critical perspectives on whiteness might benefit “post-racial” teacher education and propose potential future educational and research directions relevant to “post-racial” societies.
Olsson, Fredrik; Fylkesnes, Sandra & Yri, Jørgen Sørlie (2024). Decolonizing Higher Education in Norway: Critical Collaborative Autoethnographic Reflections on a University Pedagogy Course. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk. 10(3), p. 62–82. doi: 10.23865/ntpk.v10.5918. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Globally, there is a trend in academic development to centralize the importance of decolonizing curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education (HE). In Norway, despite internationalization, diversity and inclusion being highly regarded values in HE policy documents, efforts towards decolonial change and transformation of curriculum and pedagogical practice in HE seem to be largely ignored. Understanding university teacher education as a driver of institutional educational transformation, this article contributes to the effort of decolonizing HE in Norway. Utilizing critical collaborative autoethnographic methodology, we reflect on our own roles in our early attempts to decolonize a course on decolonization and pedagogical practice offered to teaching staff at a Norwegian university college. Taking our point of departure in decolonial theory and the concept of modernity/coloniality, we critically discuss and question the potency of our own roles—as two middle-aged white cis-men and one middle-aged cis-woman, all lecturers with expertise mainly in decolonial theories, decolonial learning and teaching practices, and critical whiteness and critical discourse analysis perspectives—in transforming the ways that Western epistemology prevail in our pedagogical practices. We also address the implications for university pedagogy courses with respect to future decolonizing efforts in HE in Norway.
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Lindahl, Anne Grete (2021). Grunnskolelæreres opplevelser med desentralisert kompetanse- utviklingsprosjekt (Dekomp): Implikasjoner for implementering av fremtidig utdanningspolicy. Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-2052. 105(5), p. 442–454. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-2987-2021-05-03. Full text in Research Archive
Thomas, Paul; Seehawer, Maren & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Arenas of Empowerment? Case Study of a ‘Multicultural’ High School in Oslo, Norway. In Habib, Sadia & Ward, Michael RM (Ed.), Youth, Place and Theories of Belonging (1st Ed.). Routledge. ISSN 9781138559622. p. 134–146. doi: 10.4324/9780203712412-11. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Mausethagen, Sølvi & Nilsen, Anne Birgitta (2018). The Double Meaning Making of the Term Cultural Diversity in Teacher Educator Discourses. Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education (NJCIE). 2, p. 16–38. doi: 10.7577/njcie.2284. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Cultural diversity is assumed to be a central component of Western education and even though it has been extensively investigated in international research on teacher education, little knowledge exists about its usage and meaning making in teacher educator discourses. This article provides insights into the usage and meaning making of the term cultural diversity based on semi-structured individual interviews with a total of twelve teacher educators from two Norwegian teacher education institutions. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of discourse theory and critical Whiteness studies, we find that the term cultural diversity is used in a double meaning making pattern: Cultural diversity is presented as desirable and positive by teacher educators, yet it is also aligned with the notion of otherness. We discuss some possible methodological tools with which teacher educators can detect meaning making patterns and thus counter the production and reproduction of socially unjust discursive patterns.
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). Whiteness in teacher education research discourses: A review of the use and meaning making of the term cultural diversity. Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and Studies. ISSN 0742-051X. 71, p. 24–33. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.005. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). Patterns of racialised discourses in Norwegian teacher education policy: Whiteness as a pedagogy of amnesia in the national curriculum. Journal of Education Policy. ISSN 0268-0939. doi: 10.1080/02680939.2018.1482503. Full text in Research Archive
Nilsen, Anne Birgitta; Fylkesnes, Sandra & Mausethagen, Sølvi (2017). The linguistics in othering: Teacher educators’ talk about cultural diversity. Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methodology (RERM). p. 40–50. doi: 10.7577/rerm.2556. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
‘Othering’ can be conceptually defined as the manner in which social group dichotomies are represented in language via binary oppositions of ‘us’ and ‘them’. The article aims to contribute to a methodological approach for differentiating the concept of othering in educational settings. We will introduce new ways of conceptualising othering based on findings from an empirical critical discourse analytical study of how teacher educators talk about the term ‘cultural diversity’. The study is based on transcriptions of interviews with Norwegian teacher educators. The findings illustrate that teacher educators talk about cultural diversity using seven different ways of othering. These ways of othering are important because teacher educators’ discourses influence preservice teachers, in turn, influencing their future teaching in schools. We argue that a critical linguistic awareness of the ways in which pupils are ‘othered’ is an important tool in counteracting social exclusion and promoting social justice and equity.

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Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Hvithetens pedagogikk. Hva du som lærer må vite om rasisme. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215066974. 142 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Nyere norsk utdanningsforskning viser at det eksisterer en subtil, men gjennomgripende form for rasisme som ofte går ubemerket hen i skolehverdagen - hvithetens rasisme. Denne formen for rasisme kan være litt vanskelig å få øye på, og forskningen viser at

View all works in NVA

Fylkesnes, Sandra & Lindahl, Anne Grete (2026). Mot en felles praksis. Hvordan skaper vi trygghet, inkludering og læring – sammen? (for SFO). Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Mot en felles praksis. Hvordan skaper vi trygghet, inkludering og læring – sammen? Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Hva gjør egentlig en forsker? doi: https:/www.hiof.no/om/aktuelt/aktuelle-saker/2026/hio-forskere-legger-ut-pa-turne.html. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). The Pedagogy of Whiteness: What Educators Need to Know About Whiteness. doi: https:/www.uia.no/english/research/research-groups/humanities-and-education/claimed-pasts-critical-knowledge-and-heritage-pro.html. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Boklansering av Hvithetens Pedagogikk. Hva du som lærer må vite om rasisme. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Diskursanalyse som metode. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Lindahl, Anne Grete (2026). Kollektiv kompetanseutvikling - sammen mot en styrket profesjonell praksis. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Muthanna, Abdulghani & Olsson, Fredrik (2026). Decolonisation of pedagogical practice: Experiences from a pedagogical development module. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
We present this topic within the ARTE group that connects scholars from different contexts.
Stenbock-Haakestad, Heidi; Motzfeldt, Gitte Cecilie & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Tverrfagsdidaktikk ved Praktisk-pedagogisk utdanning på Høgskolen i Østfold. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Lærere står overfor økte forventninger om å kunne undervise helhetlig, tverrfaglig og samfunnsrelevant, samtidig som de skal kunne ivareta elevenes motivasjon, trivsel og dybdelæring. For å imøtegå disse kravene har vi ved Praktisk pedagogisk utdanning (PPU) ved Høgskolen i Østfold (HiØ) utviklet det vi kaller Tverrfagsdidaktikk. Dette er gjort med hensikt om å gi kommende lærere verktøy til å planlegge og gjennomføre praksisnære og tverrfaglige undervisningsopplegg knyttet til livsnære tema. Tverrfagsdidaktikk ved HiØ har som mål å ruste lærerstudentene til å kunne bidra til en inkluderende, fleksibel og tverrfaglig skole, og å utvikle et samarbeid mellom pedagoger og fagdidaktikere for å forstå de mangefasetterte koblingene vi gjør mellom generell pedagogikk, fagspesifikk didaktikk og læreplanens ulike nivåer. Sammen med studentene har vi utviklet tverrdidaktiske undervisningsopplegg, hvor hensikten er å ivareta fagenes egenart – både i PPU-utdanningen og i skolen. I denne presentasjonen viser vi – gjennom konkrete eksempler på tverrfagsdidaktiske undervisningsopplegg og evalueringer på disse fra studenter – hvordan tverrfagsdidaktikk både kan engasjere PPU-studenter i egen læringsprosess, men også skape diskusjon, inspirasjon og nytenkning blant studenter. Vi viser hvordan tverrfagsdidaktikken kan bidra til en mer autentisk, utforskende og tverrfaglig undervisning og læring. Med utgangspunkt i følgende problemstilling; hvordan kan Tverrfagsdidaktikk i PPU- utdanningen bidra til en mer tverrfaglig, autentisk og utforskende skole? diskuterer vi det spenner som ligger mellom, på den ene siden, læreplanen som på ulike måter åpner for nye undervisningstilnærminger og metoder, og på den andre siden, skolens rammer som i stor grad styrer undervisnings- og læreprosesser.
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2026). Hvithetens pedaogogikk. Hva du som yrkeslærer må vite om rasisme. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Decolonization of one’s pedagogical practice. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Akademia snakker om mangfold, men tør ikke ta i rasisme. [Journal]. Internet. Full text in Research Archive
Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Thomassen, Wenche Elisabeth & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Norwegian pre-service teachers’ orientation, knowledge and skills regarding multilingualism. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2025). Critical Perspectives on Digitalisation and Education. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Decolonialisation of higher education. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 2: "Ethnicity and Race. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 4: "White Fragility. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Introduction to and questions for a discussion session for the new NERA network 25: Critical race, racism and Whiteness. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Mine erfaringer med, og tips til, å gjennomføre en «literature review». Steg-for-steg. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 3: "White Privilege. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Guest Visit Discussing My Work at Graduate School of Education, University of California Berkeley. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 2: "Etnisitet og rase. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 1: "Introduction. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 7: "Kulturelt mangfold og det flerkulturelle i norsk utdanning. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 4: "Hvit skjørhet. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 5: "Forglemmelsespedagogikk i Norge. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 6: "Den norske utdanningspolitiske kjeden. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 3: "Hvite privileger. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Undervisningsfilm 1: "Introduksjon. Kritisk Hvithet". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 6: "The Norwegian Educational Policy Chain. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 7: "Cultural Diversity and the Multicultural in Norway. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Biswas, Tanu (2023). Educational Video 5: "Pedagogy of Amnesia in Norway. Critical Whiteness". Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). The workings of Whiteness: Evasions of race and racism in studies on formal education in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). My Research - from Master, through PhD, to the CERiTE-project. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Whiteness, Cultural Diversity, Racism and Teacher Education in Norway . Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). Critical Whiteness and Critical Race Theory in Teacher Education Some preliminary findings from the CERiTE-project’s SoTE-review. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2023). The Need for Critical Pedagogy in Teacher Education: How an Assignment Can Make Student Teachers Aware of Their Potential Prejudice. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2022). Samtale med Fred Carlo Andrersen og Sandra Fylkesnes. [Internet]. Høgskolen Kristiania. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2022). 'Pausepraten: live' (S1E6) - Hvordan tenke kritisk-refleksivt om egen undervisningspraksis? (video og podcast). [TV]. https://www.hiof.no/for-ansatte/arbeidsstotte/lss/kommende-a. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2022). Eilerts pop-up om mangfold i akademia (podcast). [Internet]. https://www.uia.no/om-uia/podkast/eilertpodden. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Plessis, Danelle Du; Massao, Prisca Bruno & Andersen, Camilla Eline (2022). A review of empirical studies on race, racism and whiteness in the teaching and learning context of Norway – from early childhood- to higher education. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Massao, Prisca & Andersen, Camilla Eline (2022). What do we know about how race, racism and whiteness are part of (or not) teacher education curriculums in Norway? Pushing the field further in precarious times. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2022). WP1: Preliminary findings from the review. Full text in Research Archive
Thomassen, Wenche Elisabeth & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2022). Norwegian pre-service teachers’ orientations, knowledge and skills regarding multilingualism. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). My Experiences with Reviews for the Extended Abstract. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Introduksjon og begrepsavklaringer. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Mangfold og medielederskap. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Intervju Thomas, Sandra, Sharam om flerkulturell pedagogikk. [Undervisningsfilm]. [Internet]. Høgskolen Kristiania. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Vi mangler et språk for å snakke om rasisme. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
En fersk doktorgrad viser at vi vet hva begrepene «brun», «svart», «hvit» og «norsk betyr», men ikke om og når vi kan bruke dem.
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Johansen, Bjørn Andreas (2021). Discrepancies between intensions and implementation: a decentralized political initiative in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Thomassen, Wenche Elisabeth & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Norwegian preservice teachers’ views on and experience with multilingualism in teacher education. Full text in Research Archive
Gils, Bieke; Fylkesnes, Sandra & Stine, Holm Kvisselgaard (2021). Lessons learned from the structural discrimination seminar in Bø. doi: https:/khrono.no/lessons-learned-from-the-structural-discrimination-seminar-in-bo/643076. Full text in Research Archive
Olandersson, Cecilie & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). School leaders as policy actors: A Norwegian decentralization context. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Innvandring & integrering. Ubestemt. Episode 3. [Internet]. Youtube.com. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
I den tredje episoden av "Ubestemt" utforsker Arham, Marit og Hersi de vanskelige og betente spørsmålene rundt innvandring og integrering. Er innvandring bra eller dårlig for landet? Hvordan blir man best mulig integrert? Og er det håp for neste generasjon? I løpet av fire timer skal de tre forsøke å koble sin kampsaker opp mot politikken ved hjelp av research, intervjuer og refleksjon. Blir de noe klokere på hvem de skal stemme på ved å bruke masse tid på å gjøre et dypdykk ned i sine hjertesaker, og hjelper det noe å få muligheten til å snakke direkte med politikerne? Det får du svar på i løpet av fire episoder av vår "Ubestemt"-serie frem mot valgdagen mandag 13. september. Følg våre flotte programledere: https://www.instagram.com/hersi11/ https://www.instagram.com/casparaoffi... https://www.instagram.com/arhambaba/ Serien er produsert av @brusjanfilm Denne videoen er laget med støtte fra Valgdirektoratet. Takk til: Aisha Suleman Sandra Fylkesnes Unge Beirut Astri Syse Abid Raja Audun Lysbakken Kamzy Guanaratnam Lan Marie Berg Seher Aydar Himanshu Gulati Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (A) denne videoen er tillatt for alle
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2021). Eilerts pop-up: Vil universitetet egentlig ha mangfold? [diskusjonspanel]. [Radio]. Universitetet i Agder - Vrimlehallen. Full text in Research Archive
Massao, Prisca Bruno; Andersen, Camilla Eline; Fylkesnes, Sandra; Vibeto, Håvard Andreas; Klausen, Siri Wieberg & Haug, Inger Mokkelbost [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2021). Det er på høy tid å forske på rase og rasisme i lærerutdanningene, Søberg. Nettavisen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
https://www.nettavisen.no/norsk-debatt/det-er-pa-hoy-tid-a-forske-pa-rase-og-rasisme-i-larerutdanningene-soberg/o/5-95-286058
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). My Experiences with Literature Review as Part of the Thesis. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). E æ ikkje rasist! Lillesands-posten. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). «Jeg er ikke rasist!». Utrop - Norges første flerkulturelle avis. Full text in Research Archive
Schei, Amanda & Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). Forsker mener Helgheim tar feil: Strukturell rasisme finnes. [Journal]. Khrono. https://khrono.no/forsker-mener-helgheim-tar-feil-st. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). Kritisk hvithetskunnskap for barnehagelærerutdanningen. Full text in Research Archive
Svendsen, Stine H. Bang; Eriksen, Kristin Gregers; Dankertsen, Astri; Harlap, Yael; Giertsen, Merethe & Stubberud, Elisabeth [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). Brekkes ignorante lesning. Morgenbladet. ISSN 0805-3847. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). Mine erfaringer med literature review. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). Flerkulturelle perspektiver på spesialpedagogikken. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2020). Kritisk hvithetskunnskap for lærerutdanningen. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Synnes, Ronald Mayora (2019). Hvithetens tause makt. Morgenbladet. ISSN 0805-3847. 36. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Nei, du er ikke rasist, men du må vite hvordan hvithet virker. Afrika.no. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Er du god på undervisning? Husk å søke om merittering innen 1. mai! [Internet]. ansatt.oslomet.no/siste-nytt/-/nyhet/soknadsfrist.... Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Ikke rasist sier du? Hun vil at du skal spørre deg selv én gang til. [Journal]. Aftenposten (papirutgave) . Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Hvithet i lærerutdanningsdiskurser. [Internet]. www.oslomet.no/om/nyheter/hvithet-lererutdanningsdiskurser. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Pedagogikk i et flerkulturelt perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Flerkulturelle perspektiver i spesialpedagogikken. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Experiences with Literature Review as Part of the Thesis. Full text in Research Archive
Hamidi, Hasti; ashraf, umar; Sibeko, Guro; Auestad, Lene; Espseth, Luca Dalen & Fjeld, Axel [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). Ingen smittekilde, ingen sensur. Maddam. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Synnes, Ronald Mayora (2019). Er jeg rasist bare fordi jeg er hvit? [Journal]. Minerva (nettutgaven). Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra & Synnes, Ronald Mayora (2019). Hvithetens tause makt. Utrop. Norges første flerkulturelle avis.. 37. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). For å se rasismen, må vi vite hvordan hvithet virker. Afrika.no. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Dette er søkergruppen til meritteringsordningen. [Internet]. OsloMet tilsattsider. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). Critical Whiteness Studies and Physical Education Teacher Education Research (PETER). Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). Literature review - my personal experiences. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). "Cultural Diversity" in Teacher Education: Understanding the Workings of Whiteness in Institutional Discourses. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2018). Rasisme og diskriminering. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2017). The Workings of Whiteness in Teacher Education. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Mausethagen, Sølvi & Nilsen, Anne Birgitta (2017). Teacher Educators’ Construction of Cultural Diversity: Whiteness as othering through acts of Discursive Exclusions. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2016). Teacher Education Researchers’ Usage of 'Cultural Diversity': A Discursive Politics of Whiteness. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra; Nilsen, Anne Birgitta & Mausethagen, Sølvi (2016). Teacher Educators’ Constructions of 'Cultural Diversity': Whiteness as Othering through acts of Discursive Exclusions. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2016). Patterns of Racist/Racialized Discourses in Teacher Education Policy: Whiteness in Norwegian National Curriculum. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2016). Muntlig eller skriftlig veiledning: hva er best, best for hva og best for hvem? Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2016). A Discussion of Bree Picover’s Keynote: Practice What You Teach. Social Justice Education in the Classroom and the Streets. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2015). Teacher Educators' Constructions of 'Cultural Diversity'. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2014). Rasisme og antirasistisk undervisning. Full text in Research Archive
Fylkesnes, Sandra (2019). Whiteness in teacher education discourses: An analysis of the discursive usage and meaning making of the term cultural diversity. OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. ISSN 9788283641554. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In this PhD thesis, I study the workings of Whiteness in teacher education discourses through the usage and meaning making of one term: cultural diversity. As such, I draw attention to the importance of a minimal and assumingly unimportant aspect of Our habitual social communication. A basic presumption herein is that the imperial and colonial legacy of race and racism remains a historical pedagogy of amnesia that manifests through subtle discursive patterns in Our everyday dysconscious racist usage and meaning making of terms. To study the usage and meaning making of terms is important because conceptualisations of terms constituted in knowledge-producing institutions work through educational curricula and practice, and teachers’ dispositions are fundamentally about meaning making related to feelings that affect pedagogical behaviour in ways that ultimately effect social and racial justice. The workings of Whiteness are interrogated through the usage and meaning making of cultural diversity produced in educational discourses via three discursive knowledgepromoting domains of teacher education: (1) international research articles, (2) policy and curriculum documents, and (3) teacher educator interview transcripts. The thesis includes four articles: one critical interpretative literature review, one policy and curriculum document analysis, and two discourse analyses of individual teacher educator interviews. In the first article, I review the use and meaning making of cultural diversity across 67 international research studies on teacher education published in the period of 2004–2014. In this analysis, I find that cultural diversity is generally not defined but is related to a set of other undefined terms. Moreover, cultural diversity (and its related set of terms) is used extensively as part of binary oppositional discourses that, on the one hand, represent cultural diversity through notions of detriment – of racialisation and Othering, difference and inferiority – and, on the other hand, represent student teacher(s) and student(s) through notions of privilege and assumptions of superiority. Based on these findings, I discuss how the undefined nature of cultural diversity and its usage, as part of binary oppositional discourses, reveal how cultural diversity is assumed to be about a racialised Other (contrary to student teacher(s) and student(s)) in teacher education research discourses. I argue that this discursive production is one way in which Whiteness works through researchers’ discursive practices of division and exclusion, produced by their initial dysconscious choices and investments in terms. I also argue that this extensive practice of Othering is “evidence” of the way in which Whiteness is persistently promoted through a discursive ideology of White supremacy produced in articles that generally claim to promote social justice. In the second article, I analyse the usage and meaning making of cultural diversity in six Norwegian policy and curriculum documents considered to be part of the 2010 teacher education reform. In this analysis, I find (similar to the findings of the review article) that cultural diversity is neither explicitly elaborated on nor defined according to its ubiquity of usage but is related to and used interchangeably with a set of other undefined terms that all connote notions of Otherness. However, in this article, the main focus is on the finding related to how Whiteness – in the way it works through the usage and meaning making of cultural diversity – is manifested in three discursive patterns of representation. Importantly, these patterns highlight (1) three hierarchically arranged pupil group categories, (2) descriptions that place these pupil group categories as either superior Norwegian or as inferior non- Norwegian, and (3) the role of student teachers as political actors of assimilation. In this article, I point to how these discursive patterns of representation – despite being covered by a polished surface representing the Norwegian self-image as one of peace, solidarity, and egalitarianism, part of the Nordic Model and Nordic Exceptionalism – work together in subtly racist ways, thus promoting ideas of assimilation as racial stratification that, in turn, supports an overall ideology of White Norwegian supremacy. In the third article, we (my supervisors and I) analyse the usage and meaning making of cultural diversity in transcripts of individual interviews with 12 teacher educators. Treating the transcripts as empirical data, we find that cultural diversity is used through a double meaning making pattern that, on the one hand, gives meaning to cultural diversity as explicitly positive, important, and desirable for teacher education. Yet, on the other hand, the term is assumed to be about the Other, who is subtly represented as negative and challenging, cognitively less developed (than an assumed Us), and knowledgeless. Based on these findings, we suggest that when cultural diversity is explicitly represented as something positive, important, and desirable in Norwegian teacher education, this pattern of meaning making, precisely because it rests on subtler assumptions and meaning of cultural diversity as a racialised Other, can be interpreted to mirror the “ideal” Whiteness way in which cultural diversity ought to be represented. Importantly, despite teacher educators seeming to express their wish to approach cultural diversity in positive and inclusive ways, their dysconscious usage and meaning making of the term nonetheless produce discursive patterns of Othering and exclusion that reflect the opposite. Related to these findings, we question whether student teachers’ subtle learnings about cultural diversity, obtained through their teacher education programmes, may influence their future teaching. In the fourth article, we (my supervisors and I) draw on the same sets of data as in previous Article 3 and analyse these using a socio-cognitive linguistic theoretical framework. In this article, we analyse how teacher educators use cultural diversity and reflect on what their discursive practices might tell us about their conceptual understanding of it. Based on the analysis of the transcribed interview data, we find that teacher educators talk about cultural diversity as something relating to pupils and parents who are considered different from themselves culturally, socially, linguistically, cognitively, “migrationally”, visibly, and religiously. Thus, we theorise that teacher educators talk about cultural diversity through seven discourse practices of Othering (DPOs). We point to how teacher educators, when they talk about cultural diversity in this way, create two binary oppositional groups. Herein, the teacher educators are placed in an Us-group, represented implicitly and described as “ordinary”, and those whom they view as fitting into the cultural diversity category are placed in the Other-group, represented explicitly and described as “unordinary”. We argue that teacher educators need more than an appreciation of diversity to counteract discrimination and inequality created through the usage and meaning making of terms such as cultural diversity. In this thesis’ extended abstract discussion chapter, I discuss and compare the four articles’ main findings in relation to the wider Norwegian and international context. Here, I outline two main points of this thesis: (1) how the usage of assumingly “innocent” terms might work to support already wider social patterns of White supremacy and (2) how Whiteness actually works in a “glocal” manner. That is, I argue that the core workings of Whiteness are quite similar irrespective of national context – at least within so-called Western countries: It discursively constructs a discursive object of racialised Otherness, whilst simultaneously maintaining a polished surface mirroring ideas of Us (Whites) as supreme. Importantly, this surface covers the realities of Our “dirty and violent” past and, hence, “blinds” Us to unjust patterns of the present. Drawing on discourse theoretical methodologies and critical Whiteness political perspectives, the findings of this PhD-thesis contribute to empirically documenting how the historical pedagogy of amnesia – the legacy of imperialism and colonialism – currently works through the dysconscious usage and meaning making of assumingly “innocent” terms, such as cultural diversity. The findings reveal how this, in turn, produces “hidden” racialised discursive patterns that constitute discursive objects of Otherness, which simultaneously, implicitly, and subtly construct ideas of Us as subjects and, as such, centre the workings of Whiteness as a discursive ideology of White supremacy. Methodologically, the thesis contributes a discursive methodology for performing a discursive micro-analysis of the workings of Whiteness to the field of teacher education, both nationally and internationally. Specifically, it also contributes to a “protocol”, a step-by-step description of the analytical strategies that can be applied by research peers in future analyses of empirical textual data. The thesis contributes a thorough theorisation of the concept of Whiteness as a discursive ideology of White supremacy to the field of teacher education research by combining poststructural perspectives on discourse with critical perspectives on Whiteness. In the Norwegian context in particular, it contributes to the research by introducing Whiteness as a theoretical and analytical tool that allows researcher 8and other political knowledge-promoting actors) of teacher education for “seeing” how the legacy of imperialism and colonialism – of race and racism – currently works through subtle discursive practices of Othering and exclusion.

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Published Oct. 17, 2018 8:56 AM - Last modified Apr. 7, 2026 9:08 AM