Beyond exceptionalism
The idea of Nordic countries as benevolent, egalitarian nations largely innocent of colonialism, is increasingly challenged by researchers. Yet, there is still reluctance within Nordic education systems to properly examine issues of coloniality, race, and white privilege. In this conceptual paper w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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OsloMet — Oslo Metropolitan University
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.oslomet.no/index.php/nordiccie/article/view/5989 |
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| author | Joffy Conolly Getahun Yacob Abraham Ane Bergersen Kari Bratland Kirsten Jæger Annie Aarup Jensen Inger Lassen |
| author_facet | Joffy Conolly Getahun Yacob Abraham Ane Bergersen Kari Bratland Kirsten Jæger Annie Aarup Jensen Inger Lassen |
| author_sort | Joffy Conolly |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The idea of Nordic countries as benevolent, egalitarian nations largely innocent of colonialism, is increasingly challenged by researchers. Yet, there is still reluctance within Nordic education systems to properly examine issues of coloniality, race, and white privilege. In this conceptual paper we first draw on research from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden to deconstruct the notion of Nordic exceptionalism. We highlight a shared history of colonial complicity and ongoing coloniality towards Indigenous and minoritised groups. We also show that the Nordic emphasis on societal equality is based on a narrative of cohesion, an imagined sameness, that increasingly fails to reflect their diverse populations. This egalitarian ideology results in colour-blindness in society and an unwillingness to acknowledge or confront issues of race, white supremacy, or inequality for fear of disturbing the equilibrium.
Using decolonial theory, we then suggest that within education, Nordic exceptionalism has led to a singular historical narrative and attempts to assimilate minoritised groups, in the process valorising Western epistemology. Educators either dismiss, or are ignorant of, what Quijano (2000) terms the colonial matrix of power: the system of Western domination that continues to normalise epistemic violence and devalue other knowledges and perspectives. Educators prefer to protect white sensitivities rather than allow critical discussion and uncomfortable questions of coloniality. We demonstrate that Nordic education needs to decolonise itself, but that this cannot be achieved until it overcomes a discomfort with difference that prevents alternative knowledges and practices from being valued or adopted. We conclude with some thoughts on how to begin this process.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5bfd894c131c46a8944a97954b0dd6fb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2535-4051 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | OsloMet — Oslo Metropolitan University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-5bfd894c131c46a8944a97954b0dd6fb2025-01-25T18:34:54ZengOsloMet — Oslo Metropolitan UniversityNordic Journal of Comparative and International Education2535-40512025-01-019110.7577/njcie.5989Beyond exceptionalismJoffy Conolly0Getahun Yacob Abraham1Ane Bergersen2Kari Bratland3Kirsten Jæger4Annie Aarup Jensen5Inger Lassen6University of OuluUniversity of Borås, SwedenWestern Norway University of Applied Sciences, NorwayOslo Metropolitan University, NorwayAalborg University, DenmarkAalborg University, DenmarkAalborg University, Denmark The idea of Nordic countries as benevolent, egalitarian nations largely innocent of colonialism, is increasingly challenged by researchers. Yet, there is still reluctance within Nordic education systems to properly examine issues of coloniality, race, and white privilege. In this conceptual paper we first draw on research from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden to deconstruct the notion of Nordic exceptionalism. We highlight a shared history of colonial complicity and ongoing coloniality towards Indigenous and minoritised groups. We also show that the Nordic emphasis on societal equality is based on a narrative of cohesion, an imagined sameness, that increasingly fails to reflect their diverse populations. This egalitarian ideology results in colour-blindness in society and an unwillingness to acknowledge or confront issues of race, white supremacy, or inequality for fear of disturbing the equilibrium. Using decolonial theory, we then suggest that within education, Nordic exceptionalism has led to a singular historical narrative and attempts to assimilate minoritised groups, in the process valorising Western epistemology. Educators either dismiss, or are ignorant of, what Quijano (2000) terms the colonial matrix of power: the system of Western domination that continues to normalise epistemic violence and devalue other knowledges and perspectives. Educators prefer to protect white sensitivities rather than allow critical discussion and uncomfortable questions of coloniality. We demonstrate that Nordic education needs to decolonise itself, but that this cannot be achieved until it overcomes a discomfort with difference that prevents alternative knowledges and practices from being valued or adopted. We conclude with some thoughts on how to begin this process. https://journals.oslomet.no/index.php/nordiccie/article/view/5989decolonialityequalitymindsetNordic educationNordic exceptionalism |
| spellingShingle | Joffy Conolly Getahun Yacob Abraham Ane Bergersen Kari Bratland Kirsten Jæger Annie Aarup Jensen Inger Lassen Beyond exceptionalism Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education decoloniality equality mindset Nordic education Nordic exceptionalism |
| title | Beyond exceptionalism |
| title_full | Beyond exceptionalism |
| title_fullStr | Beyond exceptionalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond exceptionalism |
| title_short | Beyond exceptionalism |
| title_sort | beyond exceptionalism |
| topic | decoloniality equality mindset Nordic education Nordic exceptionalism |
| url | https://journals.oslomet.no/index.php/nordiccie/article/view/5989 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joffyconolly beyondexceptionalism AT getahunyacobabraham beyondexceptionalism AT anebergersen beyondexceptionalism AT karibratland beyondexceptionalism AT kirstenjæger beyondexceptionalism AT annieaarupjensen beyondexceptionalism AT ingerlassen beyondexceptionalism |