Differentiating, Collaborating, Outdoing: Nordic Identity and Marginality in the Contemporary World

This article compares the interplay between Europe and Scandinavian countries with interactions at other margins, and speculates on the prospects for Nordic identity. It uses an idea of the possibilities inherent in the "marginality" of a society, applying that conception to situations past and present. A summary exposition indicates how Scandinavian countries have negotiated their marginality in a "Nordic posture" of political independence and economic and cultural ties to "more advanced" societies. These interactions with Europe are then compared with other contemporary margins (i.e., ex-colonized societies, ex-soviet bloc countries, EU states, countries experiencing globalization). While similar, Nordic societies are distinctly more successful in exploiting marginality: practiced in cooperating or emulating "Europe" while sometimes finding space to outdo it. This article thus suggests continuing vigor in some version of Nordic distinctiveness. The late 20th century decline of confidence in a separate Nordic identity need not therefore end Scandinavia's advantageous position on the margins.