Ikeafication: The Bridge and the rise of Nordic noir

Abstract

This article explores how international audiences identify with Nordic noir, and The Bridge in particular, as a way of mediating complex identity discourses and the economics of social welfare. It will be suggested that, while the influence of Scandinavian culture on the United Kingdom can be framed as an idealistic touristic projection, the appeal of Nordic noir is more complicated. On the surface, it may seem to embody positional cultural consumption and middle-class privilege; however, it is also a barometer of anxiety about dark undercurrents in UK politics at a time of change and uncertainty. At the beginning of the time of writing (2020), Britain had yet to negotiate its future relationship with the European Union following the result of the 2016 Referendum: the intervening four years having seen a rise of right-wing populism in the United Kingdom and polarization over Brexit. Overshadowing this had been the presidency of Donald Trump in the United States and an ongoing migrant crisis emanating from the war in Syria. As one respondent, invoking Shakespeare’s Hamlet, stated: ‘There’s something rotten in the state of…’. Building on the work of Creeber, Robbins Nielsen, Waade, and Alexi, it will be argued that, far from being a unique dreamland, The Bridge is a symbol of both Diaspora (Bhaba) and postmodernity (Baudrillard), and that the popularity of Scandinavian noir with international audiences is concomitant to an awareness that their own worlds are less singular.