The Nordic myth in education: performing transnational whiteness through purification and distinction as forms of other-making

This paper examines the dynamics of transnational whiteness in South Korea through what we call the Nordic myth, which means the prevailing celebration of Nordic education in Korea. We employ narrative inquiry on 24 books written by Korean authors to explore the Nordic myth in the Korean context. Through this process, we identified Other-making as a core strategy for constructing and sustaining the Nordic myth, which manifests in three narrative themes: purifying Nordic European Countries (NECs) through invisibilizing and distancing from internal Others, distinguishing NECs from Northeast Asia, and distinguishing NECs from the Anglosphere while still holding onto it. This study contributes to whiteness studies by expanding the geography of whiteness beyond traditional (post)colonial centres or the West. By examining how whiteness is performed discursively in a non-white context, we highlight that its operations do not rely solely on white bodies, institutions, or physical presence.