Culture
Here you will find all the content related to the category 'culture'.
2020.12.17 | Article, Vibeke Sofie Sandager Rønnedal, Culture, Minorities
Racism in classic pieces of Nordic children's literature
Some of the most beloved figures in Nordic children’s literary classics from the 20th century are rooted in narrow-minded caricatures, and racial prejudice can be so subtly embedded in many older pieces of literature that even contemporary readers are blinded to it. The discussion surrounding the republishing of some of these controversial books…
2020.12.10 | Outlook, Niels Kayser Nielsen, Media, Culture
Uses of Nordic history
The 'use of history' is the term used to denote a combination of selecting, emphasising and overlooking people, events and epochs taken from history. These aspects are to be found in the pool of historical knowledge that we share and are usually identified with the intention of promoting certain interests. In the Nordics, as elsewhere, these…
2020.09.01 | Article, Beate Sløk Andersen, Gender, Culture, Education
Humor in the military professions: a case study on exclusion in the Nordics
In principle, all levels of the male-dominated professions in the Nordic countries are accessible to men and women alike. But, informal processes of exclusion may interfere with gender integration; an extensive use of humor can, for example, interfere with women’s attempts to become part of the military profession. While military organizations are…
2020.03.24 | Article, Frog, Culture, Reputation
Folklore in the Nordic countries
Folklore is a phenomenon found in all cultures. Falling under the umbrella of what is now called ‘intangible cultural heritage’ by UNESCO, it encompasses everything from Finnish improvisational rap and medieval eddic poetry to internet memes or wearing a crown of candles on St Lucia’s day. Nordic folklore research has played a significant role in…
2019.11.28 | Outlook, Byron Zachary Rom-Jensen, Reputation, Culture, Research
‘Socialist’ suicide in Scandinavia: a historical view of a common myth
High rates of suicide are often connected with the Nordic countries and their apparently ‘socialist’ policies. Highlighting high suicide rates in Scandinavia can be traced back to at least the 1960s when foreign observers attempted to either undermine or legitimize the welfare states in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. These characterizations forced…
2019.07.09 | The Quick Read, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Culture
National symbols in the Nordic countries
National symbols share an ability to fuse diverse people in a shared feeling of identity. They are as diverse as flags to food, scenery to famous people, and they vary depending on whether they are viewed from inside or outside the Nordics or a specific country. A pressing question today is which national symbols are appropriate for globalised,…
2019.06.03 | Article, Helle Strandgaard Jensen, Culture, Media, Research
How to raise your parents: Scandinavian children’s television in 1970s
Children’s departments in Scandinavian broadcasting corporations (in Denmark, Norway and Sweden) were clearly influenced by the call for equality and the influence of principles arising from the 1968 movement. Producers of children’s programmes worked extensively to democratise children’s television by, for example, taking children’s wishes and…
![Niels Simonsen's 'Tilbagetoget fra Dannevirke' [The Retreat from Dannevirke], 1864.](typo3temp/_processed_/csm_NielsSimonsenPainting_c0d6ab9602.jpg)
2019.05.01 | The Quick Read, Rasmus Glenthøj, Culture, Nation building
The meaning of the Second Schleswig War ('1864') in Denmark
Denmark lost a third of its territory and 40% of its population in the Second Schleswig War in 1864 to Prussia and Austria. Seen as both a national trauma and the creation of modern-day Denmark, narratives regarding the war that were created at the time - and since - continue to resonate, exemplified by recent debates over its portrayal in TV…
2019.04.25 | The Quick Read, Inken Dose, Culture, The arts
Danish Cultural Institute
Founded in 1940, the Danish Cultural Institute aims to foster intercultural understanding both at home and abroad, and has branches in seven countries with activities and networks in many more. Financed by the Danish Ministry of Culture, private funds and its own revenue, it focuses on diverse themes.
2019.04.01 | The Quick Read, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Culture
Outdoors in the Nordics
A comprehensive infrastructure caters to both domestic and foreign demand for outdoor activities in the Nordic countries, a demand resulting from swathes of both developed and undeveloped nature, and a widespread perception that being outdoors is character-building and healthy. In recent times, the younger and immigrant populations have shown that…