Political culture and interculturality: Views from Northern Europe

The course introduces Nordic political culture and its history, and how Nordic welfare models are transferred to and reinterpreted in other parts of the world. Nordic societal models are portrayed as exceptional in comparative value studies, such as the World Values Survey. The course evaluates such presumed exceptionalism and the quantitative methods used to define, assess, and compare cultural values. Through an intercultural approach inspired by critical cultural theory, and by placing Nordic political culture in an international and historical context, students are offered the opportunity to reflect on welfare and "workfare," multiculturalism and segregation, trust and austerity, as well as equality and feminism.