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The idea of Scandinavia – comprising Sweden, Norway and Denmark – has held a strong position in the region over the last two centuries. Today, five nation-states, comprising Scandinavia proper, along with Finland, Iceland and the associated autonomous regions of Greenland, the Faeroe Islands and Åland, are part of a wider geopolitical, social-political and cultural unit known as Norden – The North. In tandem with growing nationalisms, a pan-Scandinavian movement thrived in the early nineteenth century. Although yielding few political results, the idea of Scandinavia was mobilized as a constant alternative to both isolated nationalism and European integration. Today, the political and cultural unity of the Scandinavian, and later the Nordic countries seems to be particularly visible from a non-Scandinavian perspective, albeit the national identities among the individual Scandinavian/Nordic countries themselves clearly differ. The main focus is to elucidate the development and workings of the Scandinavian model which is characterized by various adaptations in the Nordic countries of the welfare state and concomitant egalitarian values. Since the 1930s, the Scandinavian countries have come to be regarded as a paradigm in general and comparative politics, invoking “the Scandinavian model” as a common reference. In spite of their large magnitude of redistribution (taxation) these countries today conquer consistently top spots in world happiness surveys. The course will survey this historical development, including both internal and external perspectives on Scandinavia. Furthermore, it will include discussions of sociological, ethnological, literary/philosophical/scientific, as well as aesthetic aspects of Scandinavia/Norden, thus introducing those movements, currents, and trends within politics and culture that have shaped modern Scandinavia – and which define the region in the eyes of the outside world.
Course plan:
The Idea of Scandinavia. The Geopolitics of Nordic Identity
Reading:
- Uffe Østergaard: “The Geopolitics of Nordic Identity – From Composite States to Nation-States” in: The Cultural Construction of Norden. Oslo: Scandinavian University Press, 1997, pp. 25-71.
The Invention of the Viking. The Usability of a Common Past
Reading:
- Michael Müller-Wille: “The political misuse of Scandinavian prehistory in the years 1933-1945” in The Waking of Angantyr. Aarhus University Press, 1996, pp. 156-175.
The Quest for Unity. The Scandinavian Movement
Reading:
- Hans Vammen: “National Internationalism” in Thorvaldsens Museum Bulletin. 1997, pp. 9-16.
Scandinavian Existentialism: Kierkegaard and Bergman
Reading:
- Robert L. Perkins: “Søren Kierkegaard” in: Dictionary of Existentialism. Greenwood Press, 1999, pp. 239-246.
- Søren Kierkegaard: extracts from The Essential Kierkegaard. Princeton University Press, 2000.
- William Wilf: “The Genius of Bergman” in: Landmark Films. Paddington Press, 1979, pp. 230-231.
- Ingmar Bergman: extracts from “The Seventh Seal” in: Four Screenplays. Simon & Schuster, 1969.
The Folk High School Movement and Co-operative Movement
Reading:
- A. P. Thyssen: “Grundtvig’s Ideas on the Church” in N.F.S. Grundtvig – Tradition and Renewal. The Danish Institute, 1983, pp. 226-291.
Between Provincialism and Internationalism: Aspects of Danish History of Science Since 1800
Reading:
- H. Kragh (et al.): Science in Denmark: A Thousand-Year History. Århus: Aarhus University Press, 2008, pp. 9-15; 281-290; 388-395.
Diverging and Converging Scandinavian Security and European Policies, 1945-2000
Reading:
- Carsten Due-Nielsen & Nikolaj Petersen: Denmark’s Foreign Policy since 1967: An Introduction. in: Adaptation and Activism. The Foreign Policy of Denmark 1967-1993. Eds.: Carsten Due-Nielsen & Nikolaj Petersen. Jurist- og Økonomforbundets Forlag, København 1995, pp. 11-43 (305 pages ISBN 87-574-3022-5).
- Olaf Riste: On NATO’s Northern Frontline. In: Olaf Riste: Norway’s Foreign Relations – A History. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo 2001, pp. 206-234 (308 Pages. ISBN 82-15-00051-7).
- Ulf Bjereld & Ann-Marie Ekengren: Cold War Historiography in Sweden. In: The Cold War – and the Nordic Countries. Historiography at a Crossroads. Ed.: Thorsen Borring Olesen. University Press of Southern Denmark, Odense, 2004, pp. 143-175. (194 pages. ISBN 87-7838-857-0).
The Universal Model of Welfare: Genesis and Structure of the Scandinavian Welfare State
Reading:
- Niels Finn Christiansen & Pirjo Markkola: ”Introduction”; ”Conclusions” in: The Nordic Model of Welfare. A Historical Reappraisal. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2006, pp. 9-29; 335-354.
The Scandinavian Marriage Model
Reading:
- Kari Melby, Anna-Birte Ravn & Christina Carlsson Wetterberg: “Introduction” in: Gender equality and welfare politics in Scandinavia. The limits of political ambition. The Policy Press, 2008, pp. 3-24.
Current Issues in Scandinavian Politics, Culture, and Society
Reading:
- http://norden.org/pub/ovrigt/ovrigt/sk/ANP2007728.pdf
National narratives in Scandinavia and the Nordic business system
Reading:
- Iversen, Martin Jes and Lars Thue: “Creating Nordic Capitalism – the Business History of a Competitive Periphery” in Creating Nordic Capitalism – the Business History of a Competitive Periphery. Eds.: Susanne Fellman et.al. London, 2008, pp. 1-19.
Fashion in Scandinavia: Negotiations of Identities
Reading:
- Marie Riegels Melchior: “From Design Nations to Fashion Nations: Unpacking 21st Century Scandinavian Fashion Dreams” in Fashion Theory. The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture, vol. 15, issue 2.
Course objectives (beside the objectives stipulated in the curriculum):
For the examination, students must be able to:
• account for the main characteristics of post-1750 Scandinavian history
• account for different artistic and political constructs of ‘Scandinavian identity’
• account for the special characteristics of the Scandinavian welfare state
• discuss differences and similarities between the Scandinavian/Nordic countries
• characterize ‘Scandinavian identity’ critically within an international context
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