Overlevelsene

Overlevelsene is a Norwegian term that refers to the survivors of a significant event or condition. In everyday language it can mean the group of people, populations, or lineages that have endured a disaster, war, disease outbreak, ecological shift, or historical upheaval. The term is often used in historical, anthropological, and demographic contexts to discuss how survival is distributed across time and social groups, and to describe the characteristics of those who survive relative to those who do not.

It derives from overlevelse, meaning survival, with the definite plural form overlevelsene. The word carries connotations of endurance and continuity across generations rather than merely luck in a single event.

In archaeology and historical demography, researchers may study the overlevelsene of a community after a catastrophe to examine changes in population structure, migration patterns, or cultural transmission. In epidemiology, the term can describe populations that persist through an illness outbreak, with attention to resilience factors such as geography, social networks, and resources.

Because overlevelsene emphasizes continuation, it can overlook individuals who narrowly avoided extinction yet faced severe long-term harms. Therefore, analysts often complement the term with measures of resilience, recovery, and quality of life.

Related concepts include survivors, survival rate, resilience, and historical demography.