Background
Nils A. Butenschøn is Professor of political science and international relations, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, where he served as Director for many years between 1998 and 2014. Before that, he was Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Department of Political Science, University of Oslo. His main research interests are geographically located to the Middle East and North Africa, thematically to three fields of study: Democracy and power sharing in deeply divided societies; state formation and ethnicity; and citizenship as social contract. He was visiting professor at Centre for Middle East and Islamic Studies, Durham University (1993-94), awarded University of Oslo’s Prize for teaching environment (2007) and the Idunn Prize (awarded by Universitetsforlaget, 2004). His latest books include: The Middle East in Trasition: The Centrality of Citizenship (ed. with R. Meijer), Edw. Elgar 2018; Brennpunkt Midtøsten: Byene som prisme (Spotlight Middle East: The Cities as Prism (ed. With Rania Maktabi), (Universitetsforlaget 2018); The Crisis of Citizenship in the Arab World (ed. with R. Meijer), Brill 2017; Power-Sharing in Conflict-Ridden Societies (with Ø. Stiansen and K. Vollan), Routledge 2015; Midtøsten: Imperiefall, statsutvikling, kriger (The Middle East: Fall of Empire, State Formation, Wars, (Universitetsforlaget 2008)); Drømmen om Israel. Historiske og ideologiske forutsetninger for staten Israel (The Dream of Israel. Historical and Ideological Preconditions) 2nd ed., Universotetsforlaget 2006.