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Centre for Nordic Studies CENS
Contact information: Office: Unioninkatu 38 A (P.O. Box 59) 00014 University of Helsinki phone +358-(0)9-191 23188 |
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Introduction[ The Mission of CENS ] [ Goals ] [ Main Focuses of Research ] [ Methods ]
The Mission of CENSThe mission of CENS is defined by European and global integration, which no longer recognize the security system and the rigid rules of the Cold War. The Nordic countries today face the world and the rest of Europe in a setting that has given rise to novel forms of transnational collaboration. New links and new types of links are being created at an ever-accelerating speed. This means that the actors are no longer clear representatives of nation states. When they occasionally do perform as such, it is obvious that these actors from different Nordic countries do so in diverse ways. It is also evident that they very seldom perform as common representatives of the unit known as the Nordic countries. Paradoxically, because of these new patterns of international co-operation there is a growing need for knowledge about the relevance of Nordic experiences in an increasingly integrated world, and about the new patterns of confrontation and collaboration between the Nordic countries and the rest of the world. [ Back to top ] Goals
The aim of CENS is not to strengthen a Nordic identity. Identity is a controversial concept and often creates more problems than it solves. Nonetheless, communicative skills require an awareness of one's own limitations, that is, an awareness of the cultural codes we as culture dwellers are bound to use. On Nordic characteristics and Nordic experiences, CENS aims to focus on the following themes and stereotypes that often are used to describe the Nordic countries:
New types of confrontation and collaboration To a remarkable extent, these new types of confrontation and collaboration are connected with the role and meanings of the 'Nordic model' as it is articulated outwards and contrasted with other 'models'. Firstly, how does the Nordic model as a model of national society respond to transformations through which rivalling societal models now must be conceived of in the context of a transnational (European) society? Secondly, how does the Nordic co-operation as a specific model of international co-operation relate to transformations which have eroded major premises of this model (such as the distinction between security policies and other policies) yet have diminished the specificity of non-governmental or sub-nation-state forms of the Nordic internationalism? We might identify contradictory tendencies ranging from an attempt to generalize something that used to be intra-Nordic internationalism to a willingness to ignore and reject it. [ Back to top ] Main Focuses of Research
Targeting conceptualization of politics in the Nordic countries, CENS disseminates unique Nordic features as well as differences between the Nordic countries. CENS targets political concepts of the political culture in the Nordic countries. For example, the cooperation and networking in Nordic context is unique, covering many different levels. On the one pole is the political leadership of the state and on the other are the ordinary citizens representing different sections of society. See also our projects [ Back to top ] Knowledge and the Welfare State How is the research on research on the Nordic welfare state organized and done? Being fragmentized there is a lack of comprehensive views of the research on the Nordic welfare state. We need research on research on the Nordic welfare state to be able to understand more fragmentized special research. CENS research programme on the Nordic Welfare State inquire into these traditional myths on the Nordic Welfare State. It is also important to investigate how the Nordic Welfare State responds to the challenges of increasing international integration. Another important theme is to analyze to what extent the Nordic Welfare State can be said to be genuinely Nordic. In most Nordic countries the Welfare State is regarded as an exclusively national project. What then, is Nordic about the Nordic Welfare State? See also our projects [ Back to top ] New Regionalism The Nordic countries are in the pressure of new regionalism in Northern Europe: is there something unique in the Nordic identity and in the Nordic cooperation that will last? [ Back to top ] Strong Nordic Woman? The Strong Nordic Woman, compared with whom? In what sense? CENS, in cooperation with the Christina Institute, targets understanding better different gender roles in the Nordic countries. One of the most typical characteristics of the Nordic societies has been the strong and apparent position of women in the public life. There's been plenty of studies and research of this phenomenon from different perspectives of social sciences, humanities, etc. The gender research, among many others, has been able to provide new perspectives to challenge elder stereotypical views of the Nordic. MethodsInterdisciplinary Research Comparisons
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Nordic Characteristics 
Political Culture and Key Concepts in the Nordic Countries
The concept of a "Nordic Welfare State" has become a standard term in international political and social science. Traditionally the Nordic Welfare State is contrasted with continental and liberal welfare programmes. The Nordic Welfare State is characterized by the high level of public/governmental intervention in the economy. Another important feature of the Nordic Welfare State is the fact that the support is distributed to individuals rather than to families. The Nordic Welfare State is often associated with social democratic ideology. In the era of the cold war, the Nordic Welfare State was advertised as "a third way" between, or rather 'above', the major ideologies of capitalism and communism. There ar many ways in which to refer to the Nordic Welfare State. Some call it "the Nordic Welfare Society", other talk about "the Nordic Welfare Model". The notion of a "People´s home" is popular in Sweden.