About
Virginie Amilien is a researcher in cultural studies. After passing her PhD in Scandinavian Culture on Norwegian folktales at the University of Sorbonne-Paris IV, France, in 1994, with a scholarship from University of Oslo, Institute for Cultural Studies. She has worked as a researcher at the National Institute for Consumption Research, Norway, since 1999, on issues related to food, consumption and culture, with special emphasis on Norwegian food culture, national identity, food system in tourism, food practices, food consumption, culture of consumption, the Norwegian Halloween, food and migration and especially local and terroir food products. Together with Erling Krogh she edited "The cultivated food," the first Norwegian anthology about food culture (2007) and she has been heavily involved in the international scientific journal "Anthropology of Food" (https://aof.revues.org/) from 2000.
Research groups
Research projects
Completed research projects
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Food2Gather: Exploring foodscapes as public places for integration
FOOD2GATHER investigates the roles food play in creating public spaces, shaping opportunities for communication and relations between places and the peoples that inhabit it.
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IMAGINE – Contested Futures of Sustainability
When you think about the future, what do you imagine? Flying cars, tubed food, or high-tech clothing might be among the images that come to mind. IMAGINE sets out to study these images of the future as imaginaries. Imaginaries are the many ways in which we humans think about the future and ways in which they can become possible. Our project looks specifically at how we imagine sustainable futures.
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Strength2Food: Food quality for sustainability and health
Strength2Food assesses the impacts, exchanges knowledge, and informs policy making on sustainable food chains.
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Reich, Clara Julia
;
Amilien, Virginie
; Mahawong, Lopat; Abdillahi, Zumeya Rashid; Abdillahi, Fathiya Douale; Lønnerød, Maiken
(2025).
Leftovers. From Waste to Taste.
Dolphijn, Rick; Polson, Nicholas (Ed.).
Food, Migration and Belonging: A Glossary for Doing Fieldwork in Contemporary Europe. p. 257-260.
Springer Nature.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68445-6_21
Teigen, Helene Maria Fiane
;
Amilien, Virginie
; Tolgensbakk, Ida
(2025).
Digital Public Spaces: A Different Approach to Food?.
Dolphijn, Rick; Polson, Nicholas (Ed.).
Food, Migration and Belonging: A Glossary for Doing Fieldwork in Contemporary Europe. p. 153-164.
Springer Nature.
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/4560447
Ching-Hua, Yeh; Hartmann, Monika; Gorton, Matthew; Tocco, Barbara;
Amilien, Virginie
;
Steinnes, Kamilla Knutsen
(2021).
Looking behind the choice of organic: A cross-country analysis applying Integrated Choice and Latent Variable Models.
Appetite.
Vol. 167.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105591
Amilien, Virginie
;
Bergflødt, Sigurd
;
Hegnes, Atle Wehn
(2021).
“Hommage ou rébellion?” – Le rôle du modèle culinaire français dans la culture de l’alimentation norvégienne.
Laurioux, Bruno; Stengel, Kilien (Ed.).
p. 199-230.
Presses universitaires François-Rabelais (PUFR).
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3452953
Donati, Michele; Wilkinson, Adam; Veneziani, Mario; Antonioli, Federico; Arfini, Filippo; Bodini, A;
Amilien, Virginie
; Csillag, Peter; Ferrer-Perez, Hugo; Gkatsikos, Alexandros; Gauvrit, Lisa; Gil, Chema; Hoang, Viet;
Steinnes, Kamilla Knutsen
; Lilavanichakul, Apichaya; Mattas, Konstadinos; Napasintuwong, Orachos; Nguyen, An; Nguyen, Mai; Papadopoulos, I; Ristic, Bojan; Stojanovic, Z; Maksan, Marina Tomic; Török, Áron; Tsakiridou, Efthimia; Bellassen, Valentin
(2020).
Economic Spill-Over of Food Quality Schemes on Their Territory.
Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization.
https://doi.org/10.1515/jafio-2019-0046
Steinnes, Kamilla Knutsen
;
Amilien, Virginie
;
Vittersø, Gunnar
(2019).
Organic salmon in Norway.
Arfini, Filippo; Bellassen, Valentin (Ed.).
Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes. Multi-Performance, Structure, and Governance of PDO, PGI, and Organic Agri-Food Systems. p. 529-548.
Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27508-2_27
Hegnes, Atle Wehn
;
Amilien, Virginie
(2019).
Geographical indications – a double-edged tool for food democracy : The cases of the Norwegian geographical indication evolution and the protection of stockfish from Lofoten as cultural adaptation work.
Bonanno, Alessandro; Sekine, Kae; Feuer, Hart N. (Ed.).
Geographical Indication and Global Agri-Food : Development and Democratization. p. 100-117.
Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429470905-7
Amilien, Virginie
;
Vittersø, Gunnar
;
Tangeland, Torvald
(2019).
PGI Lofoten Stockfish in Norway.
Arfini, Filippo; Bellassen, Valentin (Ed.).
Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes. Multi-Performance, Structure, and Governance of PDO, PGI, and Organic Agri-Food Systems. p. 507-527.
Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27508-2_26
Amilien, Virginie
;
Kjærnes, Unni
(2017).
The dynamics of sheep welfare in Norway – between idealised images and practical realities.
British Food Journal.
Vol. 119.
https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2016-0047
Kjærnes, Unni
;
Amilien, Virginie
(2016).
Regulering av velferd hos sau i Norge: ulike verdiverdener – ulike forståelser av velferd.
Sosiologi i dag.
Vol. 46.
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/4994420
