The recent rise of the ‘Nordic model’ in international discourse has stimulated discussions by observers on the left and right about the concept’s achievements and future prospects. This seemingly rapid growth of the concept has nonetheless obscured the myriad and often contrary ways that Nordic model(s) have been discursively constructed and applied, as well as the considerable pre-history of the Nordic political and social systems as subjects of study and even imitation. In fact, the concept of a Nordic model has been the product of exchanges within a global circulation of ideas that have defined internal and external perceptions of the region. But exploring this vital connection between the Nordic model and its global context requires a greater understanding of how, where, and when the concept developed and why it has generated such interest in Norden and abroad.

This research seminar will launch the research project ‘The Nordic Model in the Global Circulations of Ideas, 1970-2020’ at Aarhus University, which aims to map and analyze the transnational diffusion of the Nordic model concept and its effects. It examines the concept from four different perspectives through presentations by project members Mary Hilson, Carl Marklund, Andreas Mørkved Hellenes, and Byron Rom-Jensen. Lunch is included in the seminar.

If you are interested in attending, please email bzrj@cas.au.dk by 17. May 2019. The research project can be followed at http://projects.au.dk/nordicmodels/.