ATTR: Authoritative Texts and Their Receptions (completed in 2023)

Authoritative Texts and Their Receptions (ATTR) was a national PhD school focusing on the interpretation of texts that are considered to have particular significance, value, or authority. Running for eight years, from 2016 through 2023, the ATTR was funded by the Research Council of Norway under its program for National PhD Schools. It was guided by a board with representatives from the universities of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø, and MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. Head of the board for most of the eight years was Gabriel Levy, NTNU.

Organization of the ATTR

The scientific director and the slim administrative organization of the ATTR was located at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo. Scientific Directors over the eight years were:

• Professor Anders Runesson, Faculty of Theology, UiO (2016)
• Professor Hugo Lundhaug, Faculty of Theology, UiO (2017 – 2020)
• Professor Terje Stordalen, Faculty of Theology, UiO (2020 – 2023)

The ATTR was pointedly multi-disciplinary, with a focus on method, epistemology, and themes in contemporary discourse on textual interpretation. Board members over the years came from institutions of law studies, religious studies, biblical studies, and historical studies. PhD membership was even wider, including for instance literary studies, cultural studies, architecture, and musical studies.

The core activity of ATTR

The core activity of ATTR were research seminars with two tiers: On the one hand cutting edge international and national speakers focusing on a theme or area relevant in contemporary intellectual discussion. On the other hand, PhD seminar groups focusing on the work of PhD participants and their mutual responses and conversation. Programs for all ATTR seminars can be further down on this webpage.

COVID pandemic

The COVID pandemic was a veritable challenge for enterprises like the ATTR. The ATTR strategy was to cooperate closely with IT and AV staff at the Faculty of Theology. Continuously seeking membership feedback, the ATTR developed formats for online and hybrid seminars and – importantly – defined minimal technical standards and skills for conducting virtual seminars in ways that felt inclusive, engaging, and not too exhaustive. The key factor was to merge technical, administrative, and academic leadership into one integrated task force. Traces of this development can be spotted in the seminar programs.

Contact information

• Professor Terje Stordalen

2016

• June 6 – 10, 2016. ATTR Inaugural Summer School at the University of Oslo. Theme: “Authoritative texts.”. (pdf)
• Octtober 10 – 14, 2016. ATTR Fall Term Seminar at The Norwegian Institute at Athens. Theme: The “Reception of Authoritative Texts.”. (pdf)

2017

• March 13 –17, 2017. ATTR Spring Seminar in Paris. Theme: “Art, Architecture and Authority.”. (pdf)
• June 12 –16, 2017. ATTR Summer School at the Norwegian School of Theology, Oslo. Theme: “Authoritative Texts: Media and Materiality.”. (pdf)
• October 16 – 20, 2017. ATTR Fall Seminar at the University of Bergen. Theme: “Canon and Interpretation.”. (pdf)

2018

• March 12 – 16, 2018. ATTR Spring seminar at The Norwegian Institute in Rome. Theme: “Power and Authority.”. (pdf)
• June 4 – 8, 2018. ATTR Summer School at The University of Oslo. Theme: "Authorship and Intention.". (pdf)
• October 22 – 26, 2018. ATTR Fall seminar at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU, Trondheim. Theme: "Cognitive Perspectives.". (pdf)

2019

• March 18 – 21, 2019. ATTR Spring seminar at the Norwegian Institute at Athens. Theme: "Rhetorical Practices and Analysis.". – This seminar was cancelled (pdf).
• June 3 – 7, 2019. ATTR Summer School at The Arctic University of Norway, UiT. Theme: "Orality, Textuality, and Tradition.". (pdf)
• October 28 – 31, 2019. ATTR Fall Seminar at The University of Oslo. Theme: "Digital Humanities and Textual Scholarship.". (pdf)

2020

• March 30 – April 2, 2020. ATTR Spring Seminar at the Norwegian Institute at Athens. Theme: "Fiction and Authority.". (pdf) This seminar was cancelled due to Covid19
• October 19 – 22, 2020. Hybrid ATTR Fall Seminar at Scandic Sjølyst, Oslo. Theme: “Translation.”. (pdf)

2021

• March 15 – 18, 2021. Hybrid ATTR spring seminar. Theme: “Fiction and Authority.”. (pdf)
• September 20 – 24, 2021. ATTR Autumn School at the Law Faculty Bergen. Theme” Compilation, Canonization and Authority.”. (pdf)

2022

• March 14 – 17, 2022. Hybrid ATTR Spring Seminar at Meet: Ullevaal Stadium Conference Center, Oslo. Theme: “Reception: Practices and Strategies for Interpreting Texts.”. (pdf)
• June 7 – 10, 2022. ATTR Summer School at The University of Oslo. Theme: “Collections, Archives and Libraries.”. (pdf)
• October 3 – 7, 2022. ATTR Autumn School at University of Agder, Kristiansand. Theme: “Authenticity.”. (pdf)

2023

• March 13 – 17, 2023. ATTR Spring School at  The Norwegian Institute at Athens. Theme: “Digital Humanities 2.0.”. (pdf)
• 12–16 June 2023. ATTR Summer School at The Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. Theme: “The Ocean: The Use and Regulations of World Oceans – a Cross-Disciplinary Conversation."..(pdf)
• 9–12 October 2023. ATTR Closing Seminar at The University of Oslo. Theme: “Performance and Reception of Professedly Authoritative Texts.”. (pdf)