Ola Teige

Cand. philol. in History from the University of Oslo, 2001.

Ph.D. in History from the University of Oslo, 2008, with the dissertation: Eliten i Christianias sosiale og politiske nettverk 1680–1750.

Coastal Culture Conservator at Follo Museum, 2003–2004.

Research Fellow in History at the University of Oslo, 2004–2008.

Freelance Historian, 2008–2011.

Postdoctoral Fellow in History at the University of Oslo, 2011–2015 (funded by the Research Council of Norway).

Employed by Kragerø Municipality as author of Volume 1 in Kragerøs historie in 2013.

Head of the Office for Community Relations and R&D Coordinator, Høgskulen i Volda, 2015–2017.

Assiciate professor in Early Modern History at Volda University College, 2017–present.

Head of Department, Department of History at Volda University College, 2019–2022.

Acting Research Director at Volda University College, May 1, 2019–January 31, 2020.

Research

My main period of study is the Early Modern period, with a particular focus on social and political history, as well as topics such as corruption, networks, and elites. I am also interested in transnational history concerning Norwegians abroad and foreigners in Norway during the 16th and 17th centuries. Other interests include the prosecution of homosexual acts before 1842, extradition of criminals in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Great Northern War, and Norwegians’ participation in foreign wars.

Additionally, I have researched Norway and the First World War, especially intelligence and espionage in Scandinavia during the war and Norwegian war participants. Previously, I studied the Norwegian elite from 1660–1814 and its networks, as well as the merchant class, civil service, corruption, and official misconduct during the same period. I have also written about the towns of Kragerø and Christiania in this era.

From 2011–2015, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo with the project Corruption in i Norway1790–1835, funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Current Projects

Together with Eirik Brazier and Nik Brandal, I am part of the research project Nordmenn i fremmed krigstjeneste. We have written the books Den mislykkede spionen: Fortellingen om kunstneren, journalisten og landssvikeren Alfred Hagn (2010) and De ukjente krigerne: Nordmenn i første verdenskrig (2014), as well as several articles. We are currently working on Norwegian intelligence history during the First World War, which will result in a new book in 2026/27. 

In 2022, I was co-editor and contributor to the anthology Norsk loshistorie 1720–2020. Fra selvstendige næringsdrivende til statsansatte.

Together with Thomas Ewen Daltveit Slettebø (University of Bergen) and Øystein Idsø Viken (North University), I published the anthology Fredsårene: Norge i fred 1720–1807 in 2022.

Together with Chalak Kaveh and Harald E. Tafjord (both HVO), I was co-editor and contributor to the anthology Kontaktsoner og grenseområder. Interaksjon, konflikt og samarbeid i Norden, Midtøsten og Midtvesten ca. 1520–2020 in 2022.

I am also co-author of a history textbook for upper secondary school published by Cappelen Damm Undervisning: Alle tiders historie. A new edition was published in 2020.

Professional Roles and Activities

Former member of the Election Committee, Norwegian Historical Assiciation (HIFO)
Member of the Editorial Board, Norsk slekthistorisk tidsskrift

Chair, Norwegian National Academic Council for History
Board member, The Norwegian Research School in History.

Research Groups and Networks

Research Group for Cultural Encounters
Microhistory