Podcasts
nordics.info has three podcast series available here or on our Knowledge of the Nordics podcast platform. They can also be found on your preferred podcast provider, such as, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
If you are a researcher and would like to make a podcast with us, please get in touch: nordics.info@cas.au.dk.
See the bottom of this page for longer introductions to all of our podcasts and to find out who the participants are etc.
Series 3: The Nordics Uncovered: Critical Voices from the Region
 | Our new podcast series! Series 3: Interviews with researchers from the Nordic countries and elsewhere on welfare, education, literature and film, integration and more (between 30 and 60 minutes, from February to June 2021). |
Series 2: Nordics.info Spoken
 | Series 2: Information and critical analysis written by researchers on the Nordic countries is read out in English and one of the Nordic languages (between 12 and 25 minutes). |
Series 1: An Evolving World: Conversations on Norden
 | Series 1: Researchers and experts within the social sciences and/or humanities discuss or are interviewed about a certain topic to do with the Nordics (between 30 and 45 minutes). |
Please note!:
Many of our podcast participants do not always speak in their native language. This means that pronunciation and sometimes the occasional word may not be 100% perfect. We think that this adds to the charm of our series. If you do have any comments/feedback, please get in touch!: nordics.info@cas.au.dk.
Descriptions of the podcasts:
The podcasts that have been published so far are shown here with an introduction on pages on nordics.info:
2021.06.16 | Podcast, Carl Marklund, Reputation, Södertörn University
Uncovering Sweden in an International Context with Carl Marklund
Many commentators talk about the Nordics as successful societies that should be emulated. But criticism of the Nordic countries is equally widespread. In this interview, Carl Marklund, researcher and research director at the Institute for Contemporary History at Södertörn University, traces how some of Sweden’s policymaking successes and failures…
2021.06.02 | Podcast, Eirinn Larsen, Gender, Business, University of Oslo
Norway: Uncovering Gender and Branding in the Nordics with Eirinn Larsen
The Nordic countries are usually seen as much more gender-equal than just about anywhere else in the world. In this podcast, Eirinn Larsen business and gender historian and editor of Gender Equality and Nation Branding in the Nordic Region explains how gender is used as a tool for branding the Nordics. She also talks with Nicola Witcombe,…
2021.05.21 | Podcast, Miika Tervonen, Minorities, University of Helsinki
Finland: Uncovering Nordic Myths of Homogeneity with Miika Tervonen
Nordic societies are often seen as based on a social contract whereby citizens do certain things from cradle to grave and the state, in return, will look after them. The history of the Nordic nation/welfare states is fraught with tensions and boundary-drawing, however. The historical rise of national in-groups, 'Us', has also produced excluded…
2021.05.19 | Podcast, Mikael Frausing, Wulf Kansteiner, Vibeke Sofie Sandager Rønnedal, Aarhus University
Shaping the Nordic Past
Our ideas of a the past are shaped by many things: Historical stories on the news or in a museum, a book or a TV programme. We are showered in history every day in our homes, on the streets where we live, and through advertising and political messaging. Even our very identities are bound up with history as they are informed by our historical…
2021.05.06 | Podcast, Caroline de la Porte, The Nordic Model, Copenhagen Business School
Uncovering the Nordic Model with Caroline de la Porte
Conceptualising the 'Nordic Model' is difficult. The Nordic countries are all different, and there is not just one model. Many countries outside the Nordic region have similar traits, so it is not necessarily only a ’Nordic’ model. So, can it really be a useful term? What is actually meant by it? In this podcast, we find out more about…
2021.04.15 | Podcast, Cathie Jo Martin, Education, Labour markets
Denmark: Uncovering Nordic Collectivism with Cathie Jo Martin
Examples of a collective mindset include: Denmark’s introduction of the earliest mass education system in the world in 1814. Nordic social democracy in the 20th century had full employment as a key aim. Different national organisations which represent employers on the one side and workers on the other (the social partners) have managed…
2021.04.09 | Podcast, Robert A. Saunders, Media, Reputation
Television and Geopolitics: A Conversation on the Nordics
The interplay between popular culture and the ’real’ world is interesting. While it is clear that many creators of television, comic books and songs etc take inspiration from live events, the influence of popular culture on events themselves is perhaps less obvious. Frequently quoted examples are The Games of Thrones influencing the…
2021.03.30 | Podcast, Lill-Ann Körber, Region-building, Culture, Aarhus University
Uncovering the Legacies of Nordic Colonialism with Lill-Ann Körber
Studying culture – high or low, images or text, written or otherwise, and in many different manifestations – can sometimes reveal things which other more formal sources cannot. Lill-Ann Körber is Professor of Nordic literature, media and culture at Aarhus University and has a background in literature and art history within Scandinavian Studies.…
2021.03.19 | Podcast, Janet Garton, Paul Larkin, Culture, Literature
The Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough
The social, political and literary movement from around 1870 to 1900 in Scandinavia was called the Modern Breakthrough. It was a backlash against conservatism, both culturally and politically, and led to countless challenging and fascinating pieces of fictional and non-fictional literature and art. Authors were like celebrities, propounding social…
2021.03.15 | Podcast, Gunnþórunn Guðmundsdóttir, Literature, University of Iceland
Iceland: Uncovering the past in Nordic Literature with Gunnþórunn Guðmundsdóttir
Literature can tell us a lot about a society and Nordic literature is no different – especially when it envisages the past in new ways, filling the gaps that have been left by dominant narratives. Gunnþórunn Guðmundsdóttir, Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Iceland, specialises in literatures and cultures…