Region building

Listen to a podcast on how Nordic cooperation works through politicians, civil servants and civil society, and how it is often more driven by self-interest than at first appears.

Back in the 1980s and 90s, support for joining the European Union in Iceland was split into three, a bit like it is today: for, against and undecided. But popularity for the EU has slowly fluctuated between these two periods of time due to the financial crisis, Brexit and domestic politics etc.

After World War I had been raging for six months and the pressure to choose a side was mounting, the kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden met to find a common position. On the surface, the meeting was a success - the three countries were united in their neutrality. But, behind the scenes there were bubbling tensions due to differing perspectives on Nordic cooperation and the wider geopolitics of Europe.

Listen to an overview of the history of Iceland in either English or Danish! / Lyt til en podcast om Islands historie på engelsk eller dansk!

Following the social and economic transformations after World War II and the ambitious promises of the Nordic welfare model, Nordic disability rights activism grew. It reached its peak in the 1970s and early 1980s, influenced by the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP) in 1981 as well as the leadership of key figures, like Bengt Olof Lennart Lindqvist and Niels Erik Bank-Mikkelsen. As well as making strides at home, Nordic disability organizations became forerunners in promoting disability rights within north-south cooperation and the development sphere. Today, the Nordic disability movement is somewhat fragmented, but maintains an important role in policy-making and monitoring the implementation of disability rights.

Nordism refers to the act of promoting Nordic cooperation as well as supporting a common Nordic identity. First appearing in the 1920s, it does not traditionally include the idea of a united Nordic federal state, unlike the earlier Scandinavism movement (with respect to Denmark, Norway and Sweden). The vision of cooperation between the five Nordic countries and the fostering of mutual understanding, respect and friendship lives on today, and can be found in the work of the Nordic Council and the Norden Associations, for example. However, there are still some proponents of closer amalgamation and even those who support the idea of a Nordic federal state, echoing the Scandinavism of over a century ago.

Listen to a podcast which takes contemporary, cultural case studies and traces them back in history to uncover important narratives that often go overlooked.

The real or imagined cultural history of the Nordic countries (taken individually, in small groups or in their entirety) is a useful tool not to be disregarded lightly. The assets of Nordicity can be seen from varying perspectives, including the anthropological, ideological and the political. But the path of Nordic culture needs to be trodden with care: At its worst, it can provide succour for anti-democratic forces and uncertainty in a time when the security of the nation state is highly valued. At its best, it can provide a useful alternative to the national or European level, as a historically-rooted asset that adjusts to new interpretations and uses.

The Nordic Model’ is a concept that appears frequently in scholarship, media reports, and public debates to refer to the socio-political organization…

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 entrenched identities that can be both inclusive and exclusive. Feelings of identity can give a sense of belonging, or potentially lead to polarisation between different groups. Nevertheless, ‘Nordic’ identity does, at least to some extent, appear to happily co-exist with those of the five nation states (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) as well as other layers of identity.