Nordic cultural policies: A critical view

I introduce my discussion on cultural policies in the Nordic countries with a brief summary of Jürgen Habermas’ views on different forms of rationality and communication in the modern world, as put forward in his seminal works The Theory of Communicative Action (1987 [1981]) and Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy (1996 [1992]). Based on a previous study, Nordic Cultural Policy in Transition, I then suggest a model for analysing cultural policy, with special attention to the changes in Nordic attitudes in the period from 1960 to 2003. Finally, I discuss the above model in a critical light and attempt an assessment of its relevance in academic cultural policy research.