Multiculturalism and globalisation:
Multiculturalism and globalisation
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.
2019.06.07 | Film, Nation building, Minorities
Drawing the German-Danish border: posters and propaganda from 1920
Go with Klaus Tolstrup Petersen, historian and director of the Schleswig Collection (Danish Central Library for South Schleswig), back to 1920 when a plebiscite was held on whether the area of northern and middle Schleswig would be Danish or German. Take a look at the many posters and propaganda that were used to try to sway voters in this film in…
2019.05.06 | Article, Peter Thaler, Minorities, Multiculturalism
The German Minority in Southern Denmark
The historical duchy of Schleswig was divided following two plebiscites in 1920. Ever since, South Schleswig has formed the northern section of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, whereas North Schleswig forms the Danish border region of South Jutland. National minorities were left behind on both sides of the border. Thus, a minority…
2019.04.29 | Article, Jørgen Bæk Simonsen, Belief systems, Multiculturalism
Islam in Denmark – an historical overview
Despite the public debate since 1980s presenting Islam in Denmark as a new phenomenon, it has for centuries played a central role as ‘the other’ when Danes have sought to explain their collective identity. It is true that many Danish Muslims arrived as a ‘guest workers’ in the boom years of the 1960s and stayed on. They were followed by their…
2019.04.26 | Article, Nicola Witcombe, Law, Minorities
The European Convention on Human Rights: Copenhagen Declaration 2018
The Copenhagen Declaration 2018 is a non-binding road map for the Council of Europe with respect to the European Convention on Human Rights. It was agreed by the 47 members of the Council of Europe during Denmark’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers from November 2017 to May 2018. The Danish government’s position was to push for greater…
2019.04.25 | The Quick Read, Jason Lavery, Minorities, Governance
The Åland Islands
The Åland Islands lie at the south-western tip of the Finnish peninsula between Finland and Sweden. This archipelago of 6,500 islands and skerries is demilitarised, an autonomous region and a Swedish-speaking part of Finland.
2019.04.04 | The Quick Read, Dorota Lubińska, Multiculturalism
Urban vernacular in Sweden
Rinkebysvenska or Rinkeby Swedish is a contemporary urban vernacular (CUV) which has developed in multi-ethnic urban areas of Sweden including a suburb of Stockholm called Rinkeby. This speech variety is mainly used by young people in addition to other languages and language varieties depending on context, and its use is reflected in rap and…
2019.03.29 | Article, Laura Bjørg Serup Petersen, Belief systems, Multiculturalism, Research
Intercultural encounters in the Danish church in 2010s
The church as a social caretaker became less common throughout the 20th century as the Nordic welfare state increasingly took over this task. Churches which engage in social activities are arguably reclaiming this role, such as the increasing number of churches in the Danish People’s Church engaging in intercultural activities. These local…
2019.03.01 | The Quick Read, John Weinstock, Culture, Minorities
Yoiking, a Sami musical expression
Yoik is the native Sami musical expression which is reminiscent of singing. It has layers of meaning as it holds identity markers and was traditionally very significant in how social interaction took place within Sami communities (and still is to a certain extent). It also had more practical purposes, such as calming reindeer.
2019.03.01 | Article, John Weinstock, Culture, Minorities
Sami handicrafts
Duodji, the Sami word for handicrafts/applied art, has a long and illustrious history. Handicraft has been influenced by the need to survive in a harsh arctic environment (production of clothes to keep warm and weapons to hunt with) and the nomadic nature of the Sami (leading to rounded shapes so as not to hurt reindeer), but have also been…
2019.02.22 | The Quick Read, Norbert Götz, Globalisation, The Nordics in the World
United Nations and the Nordic countries
The principles and aims of the United Nations resonate in the Nordic countries, which are small welfare states with an appreciation of international law, solidarity and multilateral problem-solving. From the time of the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations) to the 1990s, the Nordic region developed and operated a caucusing and…