Kelly McKowen

Kelly McKowen graduated from Brown University in 2010 with a B.A. in Literary Arts and International Relations. Having first traveled to Norway as a student at the International Summer School (ISS), he returned after graduating to undertake research at the University of Oslo as a Fulbright scholar. His project, an anthropological study exploring the impact of the welfare system on daily life in different areas of the capital, has offered him unique insight into the ways in which the relationship between globalization, social democracy, and Norwegian culture plays out on the ground. From interviews with politicians and civil servants to participant observation in welfare offices and youth programs, he has dedicated himself to understanding how people experience the state in their everyday lives. While working as the 2011-2012 SUST program assistant, he remains active as a researcher, currently studying youth programs in eastern Oslo. Kelly plans to begin graduate school to study anthropology in fall 2012.