Does habitus provide the framework for Scandinavian cooperation?

Abstract

This article argues that habitus is the basis for Scandinavian cooperation. The article makes two contributions. First, it endeavours to contribute to the literature on Scandinavian cooperation by demonstrating, through the article’s empirical data, that shared habitus provides the structural framework for Scandinavian cooperation. Habitus drives together the bureaucratic, diplomatic, and political personnel of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, including those who work within, or as state representatives, at International Organisations (IOs), despite them being members of differing communities of practice. Habitus also shapes Scandinavian approaches to practices within IOs and global politics. The second contribution the article makes is a theoretical one, to International Relations practice theory literature, through demonstrating the usefulness of habitus as a conceptual tool in examining the basis for close bonds and cooperation between groups of states.