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New website reflecting the complexity of the Nordic

The new website nordics.info is produced by researchers responding to a recent demand for knowledge and critical analysis about the Nordic region.

The website nordics.info was officially launched in the first week of March 2019. Its purpose is to disseminate reliable, interdisciplinary information on the Nordic region for a global and Nordic audience.

“Nordic countries are often presented in either a utopian or a dystopian light. The truth usually lies somewhere between the two. With nordics.info we seek to reflect the complexity of Norden in a way that is accessible and interesting to a broad general readership.” explains Mary Hilson, Professor at the School of Culture and Society.

Content covers different aspects of the Nordic societies, including history, politics, social policy and culture, and comparisons between the Nordics and other geographical areas. Like danmarkshistorien.dk, the nordics.info team are continuing to build up a bank of accessible articles and videos.

What does ‘Nordic’ mean?
The world is fascinated by the brand ‘Nordic’; not only TV series and design, but also the models of social welfare and ways of living. nordics.info grew out of the growing global interest in the Nordic region and the need for more accessible, evidence-based material and research in the current debate. 

“With nordics.info we are responding to a recent demand for knowledge and, importantly, critical analysis about the Nordic region,” states Nicola Witcombe who is the editor of nordics.info. “Visitors to the site are invited to decide for themselves what ‘Nordic’ means and encompasses.” 

Readers can currently find short articles on the Nordics answering questions like: Why does the world love Danish TV drama? How does universal healthcare work? What is the parliamentary culture in the Nordic countries like? Potential visitors may include a journalist researching an article on Bernie Sanders’ references to the Nordic model, someone enjoying the most recent TV season of Scandinavian crime drama, or academics seeking an overview of a particular topic. 


Facts 
nordics.info is part of the research consortium ‘Reimagining Norden in an Evolving World’ (ReNEW) organised by Aarhus University together with five other universities and funded by NordForsk. The website was officially launched at the ReNEW Third Nordic Challenges Conference 2019 at Copenhagen Business School on March 6.

The new website is hosted at Aarhus University and content is produced by researchers at Aarhus and other universities, particularly those from the five other ReNEW consortium universities (Copenhagen Business School, Iceland, Helsinki, Oslo and Södertörn).

What does ‘Nordic’ mean? The Nordic region, or Norden, is usually defined as consisting of the five sovereign states Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, plus the three autonomous territories connected to these states: the Faroe Islands and Greenland (Denmark) and Åland (Finland). These states are widely considered to form a distinctive region by virtue of their strong historical ties and the tradition of inter-governmental co-operation across national boundaries. However, ‘Nordic’ can mean different things to different people. Visit nordics.info and decide for yourself!