The Arc of Nordic Multiculturalism Policies (1974–2006). A Divergent Convergence

Abstract

Abstract Nordic countries are similar when it comes to migratory trends. However, when the ‘multicultural question’ erupted in the 1970s, they opted for different policies. In the early 2000s, some scholars analysed a retreat from multiculturalism policies and a civic integrationist turn. Yet, our knowledge of the processes of convergence or divergence per se of these policies is still limited. Using the comparative method, this article shows that, during that period of time, the five Nordic countries were divided into two camps, with little mixing in terms of policy content: multiculturalist (Sweden and Norway) and assimilationist (Denmark and Iceland). Finland shifted its policy from assimilation to multiculturalism in the 1990s, when it became a country of immigration. It adopted the same range of multicultural policies as Sweden and Norway; Sweden was the leader on this and Denmark was the least multiculturalist. Negative feedback was the most recurrent mechanism of policy reproduction.