Field of work
Line Alice Ytrehus is a Professor of Intercultural Studies at the Department of Education, Religion and Social Studies (IPRS) at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL). Her research focuses on migration, Indigenous rights, ethical challenges in multicultural contexts, and the lived experiences and agency of vulnerable groups. She has extensive experience from international fieldwork, institutional leadership, and long-term engagement in human rights work.
Ytrehus holds a PhD from the Centre for European Cultural Studies at the University of Bergen and a master’s degree in folkloristics (now cultural studies) from the same institution. Before joining HVL, she worked for nearly 18 years in intercultural studies at NLA University College, where she also played a key role in building research ethics structures and the local organization of Norwegian Association of Researchers.
Research Interests
Ytrehus’s scholarly work spans several interconnected areas:
Intercultural perspectives on migration, vulnerability, and inclusion
Her PhD research examined the integration processes of intellectual refugees in Norway, and several subsequent publications have further developed this work. She has taught extensively on refugees’ experiences, challenges, and rights, and has also written about ethnic minorities in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Ethics, foundational concepts, and knowledge production in multicultural contexts
She has critically examined central concepts in intercultural research, such as culture, cultural relativism, gender, integration, representation, modernity, and development, and explored how implicit assumptions shape analyses of “the Other.” Her work emphasizes human dignity, agency, and the need for reflexivity in qualitative research, especially when working with vulnerable groups.
Indigenous peoples, development cooperation, and sustainability
Through long-term collaboration and educational field trips to Bolivia, Ytrehus has studied decision‑making processes, value orientations, participation, and recipient responsibility in development projects funded by Scandinavian public agencies. Her research includes Indigenous rights, communitarianism, equality, and the relationship between cultural and biological diversity.
Current Research Projects
- Experiences and interpretations of conversion therapy among LGBTQ+ individuals in Norway
- Communitarianism and Indigenous movements in Bolivia
- Racism
- Education for sustainability in teacher education
Human Rights Engagement
Ytrehus has a long-standing and multifaceted engagement in human rights education, research, and civil society collaboration. Her work includes:
- Member of the Rafto Prize Committee (2015–2022); Chair (2020–2022)
- Board member of Friends of the Rafto Foundation; Deputy Chair from 2025 (2024–present)
- Extensive experience with human rights perspectives in teaching, fieldwork, and international cooperation
Professional Roles and Committee Work
- Chair, Association for Teacher Education, Norwegian Association of Researchers (FFL) (2024– present)
- Member of the executive committee, Nordic Teacher Education Conference (2024–present)
- Board Member, Nyenga Foundation (2025–present)
- Chair, Research Ethics Committee and Integrity Committee, NLA University College (2018–2021)
- Editorial board member, Tidlig. Journal for Teacher Education and Schooling (start year–present)
Teaching and Methodological Expertise
Ytrehus teaches and supervises within:
- Intercultural studies
- Human rights
- Cultural theory
- Qualitative methods
- Research ethics
Her methodological expertise includes qualitative and ethnographic approaches, interpretive analysis, and ethical reflection in research involving vulnerable participants and intercultural settings.
Selected Publications
Fredrik Langeland, Line Alice Ytrehus og Birgitte Rigtrup-. Lindemann (2023): Erfaringer med konverteringsterapi blant skeive. En kvalitativ og kvantitativ undersøkelse. Nordlandsforskning/BUFDIR. https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3109938
Ytrehus, Line Alice 2019 Making Sense of Communitarianism. The Bolivian Experience. Third World Quarterly Vol. 40, 2019 - Issue 6, 1089-1106. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1573635
Ytrehus, Line A. (2013): Identity, intersectionality and capabilities. Indigenous identity mobilisation and the conceptualisations of gender equity in Bolivian Andes. In Ethnologia Scandinavica vol. 43; 7-29 https://publicera.kb.se/ethsc/issue/view/2521
Ytrehus, Line A. (2007): ”The Generalised Other: Cultural Relativism and Ethics in Research on Ethnic Minorities”. I Bente G. Alver, Tove Fjell & Ørjar Øyen (eds.): Research Ethics in Studies of Culture and Social Life. FF Communications. Helsinki, Academia Scientiarum Fennica https://hdl.handle.net/11250/5016155