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Katharina Sass

Position

Head of Department, Head of Department

Affiliation

Department of Sociology

E-mail: katharina.sass@uib.no
Phone number: +47 55589681
Visitor address: Sosiologisk institutt, Rosenbergsgaten 39
5015 Bergen; Room: 312
Postal address: P.O. Box 7802

NO-5020 Bergen

Norway

Katharina Sass

Position

Head of Department, Head of Department

Affiliation

Department of Sociology

Research

Research field

My research interests are within comparative-historical sociology and comparative political economy. I have done comparative-historical research on education politics and reforms, prostitution politics and on labor unions, with a focus on Scandinavia.

I currently lead a NFR-financed research project on "The Salmon Elite - its politics, self-understanding, networks and wealth" (start date April 2025). Despite the industry's significant economic role, there is little research on those who hold elite positions in the salmon industry. There are several reasons why the salmon farming industry is particularly interesting to study; it is characterized by particularly large private fortunes, a high degree of family ownership, the companies are locally based but have global reach, and the industry is subject to intense political debate, not least visible through the recent debate on resource rent tax. This project connects the academic fields of aquaculture, elites and power. It consists of three work packages, concerned with 1) tax policy, 2) the salmon elites self-understanding and legitimization of influence and 3) economic power, social networks, and family connections.

I am also involved in the NFR-funded research project "Admission Impossible? School Choice in European Cities" (start date October 2021). Within this project, I am responsible for project 2, which investigates different models of school choice in Norway, making use of a combination of survey data, qualitative interviews and focus groups with parents and students of different socio-economic backgrounds to gain an insight into their experiences and preferences regarding school choice.

My PhD-project consisted of a comparison of lower secondary education reforms in Norway and Germany during the 1960s and 1970s, with a focus on comprehensive school reforms. In my thesis ("Cleavages and Coalitions", 2018), I analyze debates and power struggles around the reforms, focusing on collective actors such as political parties and teachers' organizations, their power resources, ideology, coalitions and conflicts.

Outreach

Sosiopodden - Episode 8, Stein Rokkan: konfliktlinjer i dag og historisk | Podcast UiB

Skolene i Bergen blir mer segregerte: – Ryktet sier at det er mye knarkere på skolen

Kom ikke inn på nærskolen: — Det er urettferdig

Teaching

I have previously taught the BA module SOS100 (Invitation to Sociology), the MA module SOS322 (Work, Class and Education) and the BA module SOS108 (Education and Society).

Publications

Academic article