Articles on this page intend to address not only how researchers approach and understand issues such as multiculturalism, diversity, mobility, Europeanisation and globalisation, but also how Norden interacts and is seen by the wider world. This include the categories minorities, belief systems and the arts. Globalisation is interpreted widely. New articles are added regularly.
2021.01.28 | Podcast, Mette Buchardt, Education, Multiculturalism
In current times, schools are often hot spots for education policy initiatives driven by party politics. Encounters between the majority ethnic group and newcomer children can be exaggerated or underplayed depending on the political context, and it can be a highly contested area. In this podcast, the head of Aalborg University’s Centre for…
2020.12.22 | Article, Anna Derksen, Minorities, The Nordics in the World
In 1981, the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP) shed new light on the global situation of people with disabilities with the slogan ‘full participation and equality’. Based on a longer history of Nordic disability rights activism since the 1960s and the assumption that equal rights of disabled people had by and large…
2020.12.17 | Article, Vibeke Sofie Sandager Rønnedal, Culture, Minorities
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…
2020.12.11 | Podcast, Caroline de la Porte, Jonas Felbo-Kolding, Nicola Witcombe, Governance, Globalisation, Public policy
An ageing population, immigration, tax evasion and incoming foreign workers are frequently cited as threats to the Nordic Model. The universal welfare state is built upon citizens and the state fulfilling their particular roles: the state providing childcare, healthcare and benefits in return for people working and paying their taxes (’the social…
2020.09.24 | Article, Mercédesz Czimbalmos, Minorities
International research has highlighted intermarriage as a key issue for Jewish communities and other minorities globally, particularly as it is clear that intermarriage is perhaps one of the most apparent means of boundary-crossing between a minority group and general society. Research into intermarriage in Jewish congregations in Helsinki since…
2020.08.06 | Podcast, Lill Tove Fredriksen, Minorities, Literature
Listen to 'A brief history of Sámi literature' in English or Finnish! This podcast is part of a series where existing material on nordics.info is read out in assorted languages by colleagues and friends. Great for learning Finnish or English. / Tämä podcast-jakso on nimeltään 'Lyhyt historia saamelaisesta kirjallisuudesta' ja se on käännös…
2020.08.03 | Film, Lill-Ann Körber, Globalisation, Multiculturalism
What does postcolonialism refer to when talking about the Nordics? The arts may be the foremost field where we can learn about Nordic postcolonialism judging by the steadily growing number of art works, films, performances and literature dealing with the subject. But, the lens of postcolonialism - or decolonialistion - also importantly allows for…
2020.07.07 | Podcast, Anders Ravn Sørensen, Kazimierz Musiał, Larisa Kangaspuro, Lizaveta Dubinka-Hushcha, Mads Mordhorst, Michael Bennedsen-Hansen, Nicola Witcombe, Norbert Götz, Nation building
From the outside, it is assumed that the populations of the Nordic countries are fairly homogeneous and that there is a relatively high level of gender equality and acceptance of different sexualities and diversity. In short, identity is not much of a problem. On closer examination, however, there are similar tendencies to elsewhere, such as more…
2020.06.22 | Biography, Pernille Almlund, Globalisation
The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (born 2003) is in many ways a unique phenomenon and an inspiration to many activists all over the world, both children and adults, but she has also faced criticism from various quarters, not least climate change skeptics.
2020.06.15 | Film, Caroline Weber, The Borders of the Nordics, Minorities
In this short video, Caroline Elisabeth Weber (M.A.) provides an account of the rich histories in the border area between Germany and Denmark that still impact people’s perceptions of their region today. For example, the Treaty of Vienna 1864 marked the end of the Second Schleswig War between Austria and Prussia, and Denmark. It was a critical…