Belong’s End Seminar
The seminar “New Perspectives on Children’s Belonging” took place on June 6th, 2026 (08:30–10:00) at Litteraturhuset in Oslo. This event marked the conclusion of the four-year research project “Belong,” formally titled “Practices and Policies of Belonging Among Minority and Majority Children from Low-Income Families.” The project was funded by the Research Council of Norway.
The seminar also celebrated the launch of a new Norwegian-language anthology, published the same day by Cappelen Damm. The book, whose English-translated title would be “Children’s Belonging Among Human Beings and Things,” is intended for master’s students, researchers, and professionals working with children and youth.
Approximately 40 participants attended the seminar in person at Litteraturhuset and people also followed the event online.
The program began with a keynote by Professor Vanessa May (University of Manchester, UK), who spoke on the materiality of social life and its connection to belonging. This was followed by a presentation from Professor Allison Pugh (Johns Hopkins University, USA), who explored the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in children’s experiences of belonging. The work of both scholars has been central to the Belong project and is extensively cited in the new anthology—34 times for May and 57 times for Pugh.
The seminar concluded with an introduction to the anthology by Anita Borch (SIFO/OsloMet), project leader of Belong. This was followed by a “researcher relay,” where contributing authors presented the chapters they had written or co-written.
The anthology contains 11 chapters, loosely organized into three overlapping sections:
- The role of materiality in belonging
- Belonging across various social arenas
- Professional experiences and reflections on children’s belonging
Watch the seminar here: