Norwegian Society Research Articles

Polish Honor and Norwegian Dignity: Life Satisfaction, Acculturation, and Self-Worth

Locus of self-worth shifts from internal in cultures of dignity to external in cultures of honor. It remains yet unknown whether it can be modified, for example, under an influence of important life events, as migration to a culture of a distinct logic. Our study aimed to analyse relationships between the locus of self-worth and the acculturation strategies on life satisfaction. We collected data from 60 heterosexual Polish couples living in Poland, 120 Polish migrant couples in Norway, and 60 Norwegian couples living in Norway. Groups differed from each other in life satisfaction and in locus of self-worth, with Norwegians valuating the self the most internally and Poles in Poland the most externally. Our results on locus of self-worth show that Polish culture fits in the classification of culture of honor, while Norwegians represent culture of dignity. Moreover, a series of hierarchical linear regressions demonstrated that both locus of self-worth and acculturation strategy are significant predictors of participants’ life satisfaction, with a moderating role of migrants’ attachment to Polish culture and adaptation to Norwegian society.

A National Socialist school for Norway: concepts of Nazification during the German occupation

ABSTRACT During the Nazi occupation of Norway from 1940 to 1945, Norwegian society was exposed to comprehensive Nazification measures. Considered racially equal, it was intended that the “Germanic” Norwegians would be transformed into a National Socialist people’s community. With the establishment of the so-called new order on 25 September 1940, the Nazification of Norwegian society became the main task of the local collaboration party, Nasjonal Samling. An integral part of the Nazification was the reform of schools in accordance with National Socialist educational principles. However, the Norwegian education sector had played a crucial role during the process of democratisation. Because Nasjonal Samling was challenging a sector considered a democratic stronghold of the nation, it needed to develop educational concepts and reforms that had the potential to win teachers, pupils, and parents over to National Socialism. However, the party never succeeded in this ambition. Attempts to reform Norwegian schools were met with disapproval almost from day one and grew into a nationwide protest in 1942, which forced the party to put aside most of its reform plans. This article investigates the concepts for National Socialist schooling in Norway, and explains why the attempts to Nazify Norwegian schools were doomed to failure.

Crux Christi Sit Mecum: Devotion to the Apotropaic Cross

A late medieval paper amulet containing prayers to St. Dorothy and the Holy Cross was found in a demolished part of a medieval wooden stave church in Torpo, Norway. This article examines the content and the function of this textual amulet by placing it in a wider Scandinavian and Western European context. From the perspective of materiality and sensory-based religious practices, this article will explore the connection between the textual amulet found in Torpo and its relation to the now-lost large wooden cross in Torpo church, and to crosses believed to be wonderworking or miraculous in its proximity. By doing so, this study will shed light on the apotropaic and healing potential that the material and immaterial cross offered the pious in late medieval Norway. The last part of this article addresses the Post-Reformation theological understanding of the amulet, and its use and function in Lutheran Norwegian society.

Cyberspace Effects on Civil Society. The Ultimate Game-Changer or Not?

ABSTRACTThe article studies the effects of the emergence of cyberspace, or digitization, on civil society, and develops an analytical framework to that effect. It is distinguished between four types of civil societies: apolitical, political, transnational, and uncivic. Each type of civil society is considered separately vis-à-vis cyberspace developments in order to understand what kind of civil society is enhanced by these developments and, conversely, what kind of civil society is constrained. This understanding helps inform how cyberspace has changed the more generic society-state relations. While one can identify many instrumental changes and developments in civil society practices, the article concludes that the emergence of cyberspace has not profoundly changed society in terms of the relative power of one type of civil society over another. Thus, its transformative power is rather limited in a more fundamental sense. The empirical focus of the article is on Norwegian civil society, representing a Western developed democratic state, but it is argued that while the empirical results may vary, the analytical framework can arguably be applied and tailored to any society.

Extensive underwater radiated noise analysis of a research vessel in compliance with DNV SILENT notation

Studies have shown that underwater-radiated noise from ships may have both short and long-term negative consequences on marine life, especially marine mammals. An international community of researchers, environmental groups, government agencies, and sectors of the shipping industry has recognized shipping noise as an important marine conservation issue. In 2010, Det Norske Veritas (DNV, the Norwegian Classification Society) made the first attempt to fix the radiated noise limits for commercial ships, in which vessels fulfilling the requirements will be given an optional class notation SILENT. In this study, underwater noise measurements were performed on a new research vessel in shallow water in compliance with DNV SILENT notation. More speeds were tested than required by DNV, to understand the characteristics of related noises. Results show the new ship satisfies the allowable noise level curve for type R (Research); however, the measured noise levels do not increase as speed accordingly. Moreover, level differences can be significant between starboard and port side tracks especially at low frequencies. Commonly observed coastal currents play an import role on ship maneuverings and test conditions and therefore unexpected results. Practical considerations and suggestions about performing measurements and analyzing the data will be discussed and summarized.Studies have shown that underwater-radiated noise from ships may have both short and long-term negative consequences on marine life, especially marine mammals. An international community of researchers, environmental groups, government agencies, and sectors of the shipping industry has recognized shipping noise as an important marine conservation issue. In 2010, Det Norske Veritas (DNV, the Norwegian Classification Society) made the first attempt to fix the radiated noise limits for commercial ships, in which vessels fulfilling the requirements will be given an optional class notation SILENT. In this study, underwater noise measurements were performed on a new research vessel in shallow water in compliance with DNV SILENT notation. More speeds were tested than required by DNV, to understand the characteristics of related noises. Results show the new ship satisfies the allowable noise level curve for type R (Research); however, the measured noise levels do not increase as speed accordingly. Moreover, level...

Synchrony of Intersecting Temporalities in Young People’s Housing Transitions: Intergenerational Cross-national Comparisons

ABSTRACT This paper takes a longer historical view on the topic of young people and housing and examines how intersecting temporalities affect both the timing of moving out of the parental household and the subsequent housing trajectories for three generations in the same families. Synchrony between levels of biographical, family and historical time are important for timing of transitions. A main question addressed is if and how synchrony or lack of such between temporal levels affect biographical decisions in questions of housing and moving out. The paper is based on a study with a case-based cross-national comparative design and involves analysis of cases set in the wider contexts of Norwegian and British societies. In both countries changes at the structural level across generations have affected timing of moving out at the family and biographical levels and thus the synchrony involved in these processes.

Parenting in double translation: lived experiences of Ugandan immigrant parents in Norway

ABSTRACT This article examines how Ugandan immigrants in Norway experience cultural shifts in parenting. Data were collected from six parents by using narrative inquiry and micro-ethnography in the setting of the family’s everyday life, and data were interpreted using thematic narrative analysis. The parents’ narratives emphasized how they struggled to understand Norwegian parenting values and reconcile Norwegian and Ugandan parenting values and norms. The parents tried to adapt their parenting practices according to Norwegian parenting expectations while also preserving their own cultural practices. Consequently, two worlds frame the parents’ social identities and parenting experiences over time, creating a difficult split with consequences for their parenting practices and entire existential situation. Parents felt that failing to meet the expectations of parenting attracted interventions from Norwegian Child Welfare Services, and these interventions were found to be frightening and difficult to understand. The findings are relevant to social work because they emphasise how the interaction between immigrant parents and welfare professionals may cause parents to feel they are not ‘good’ parents and may produce marginalisation and feelings of social exclusion in Norwegian society.

Zakotwiczanie się. Migrantki z Polski w norweskim przedszkolu

Based on participant observation and ethnographic interviews with Polish women working in kin-dergartens in Norway, this article studies the migrant women’s employment trajectories, including adaptation processes in the workplace and integration into the wider Norwegian society. In this paper, I aim at answering the following questions: How do Polish migrant women go about seek-ing employment in Norwegian kindergartens? How do they adapt to the new work environment? How do they deal with cross-cultural differences in childcare? How did they learn new norms and values within the institutional context of kindergartens? The research indicates that employment in kindergartens was not merely a way to provide for one’s livelihood, but was also a mechanism to establish and develop a closer relationship with members of the Norwegian society, a tool facilitating meaningful connections with the new country.

Influencing Elite Opinion on Gender Equality through Framing: A Survey Experiment of Elite Support for Corporate Board Gender Quotas

AbstractThis article contributes to both the scholarly debates on the controversies over gender quotas and the body of knowledge on framing effects through an investigation of whether national elites, individuals in top positions across 10 sectors of Norwegian society, are susceptible to positive framing of corporate board gender quotas (CBQs). Elites are thought to be more resistant to framing, and their predispositions are found to be stronger and more consistent than those of the general public. However, few, if any, studies have empirically investigated framing effects on national elites. We report on an experiment embedded in a comprehensive survey of Norwegian national elites. The results clearly indicate that elites are susceptible to framing. When exposed to frames highlighting both male dominance among the business elite and the success of CBQs in achieving gender balance on corporate boards, elites were significantly more likely to support gender quotas. Framing effects were primarily found among men, not women, and contrary to expectation, effects were stronger among the business elite. Thus, we should direct our attention to how the framing of issues also influences key stakeholders, and policy makers should consider opposition to gender equality measures as something that has the propensity to change.

When the first language feels like a second language: Challenges for learners of Norwegian Nynorsk

Norway has two official written language varieties: Bokmål (DanoNorwegian) and Nynorsk (New Norwegian). Normally, all Norwegian pupils must learn both varieties of the written Norwegian language in school, and at the end of secondary school, they obtain two separate grades in written Norwegian. However, one of the varieties is considered to be and is taught as the main written language, whereas the other variety is the second or alternative written language.
 Approximately 85 percent of the pupils in school have the DanoNorwegian variety as their main written language and many of these pupils develop antipathies toward the other variety with the result that they do not master it very well at the end of secondary school. In fact, many pupils achieve better results in English than in the alternative variety of their own so-called mother tongue.
 In this paper, I will discuss some of the challenges that are related to learning Nynorsk in the Norwegian educational system and society. With reference to Norton (2013) and others, I will argue that these challenges may actually be best understood from the perspectives of identity, social power, motivation, investment and second language acquisition.

Value polarization in a Norwegian context? Distance between the elite and the population in attitudes toward immigration and gender equality

To what extent do the Norwegian elite and the population at large differ in their views on immigration and gender equality? The article analyzes data from the Norwegian Leadership Survey 2015, conducted among the holders of top positions in ten sectors in Norwegian society, and compares elite attitudes to attitudes in the Norwegian population. We find a considerable distance between elite and population, but immigration is more polarizing than gender equality. The findings are discussed in light of recent comparative research on populism and the growing resistance to liberal and post-material values, as well as literature on gender equality as a “Nordic value”.

Navigating Cultures: Narratives of Becoming Among Young Refugees in Norway

Young migrants face specific developmental challenges and multiple cultural expectations. This study aims at providing insight to such challenges and strategies to navigate them. The article presents a narrative analysis of a young refugee’s story about entering Norwegian society, based on interviews with three girls, whose stories were merged into one in dialogue with the participants themselves. Nadia’s story describes her demanding outsider position after migration and the growing conflict between her mother’s and majority society’s expectations to a girl from her origin. After some time in a supportive creative arena, Nadia found ways to negotiate diverging voices and categories and balance her cultures strategically and confidently. Challenges and opportunities experienced by young refugees stem from both minority and majority voices. Society can facilitate constructive cultural navigation by providing safe and supportive arenas, listening, and allowing young refugees to be the subject of their own story.

Norwegian policy on sami language learning and preservation

Abstract The article discusses the government policy of Norway, one of the countries that has significantly succeeded in solving ethnocultural problem. It introduces the main stages of the Norwegian government policy towards the Sami people. Special atten­tion is given to the problem of preserving the cultural identity of the Sami and the status of the Sami language in Norwegian society. The article presents the problem of learning and preserving the Sami language through the analysis of Norwegian official state legislation which constitutes the methodological basis of the article. It also considers a number of local and international conventions and acts that are designed to protect Sami rights, as well as the effects these conventions and acts have on the status and situation of the Sami language in Norway. The current status of the Sami language and educational perspectives are considered in a comparative and historical framework. The results presented in the article are intended to raise awareness of cultural identity and inequality of educational opportunities based on ethnic minority background.

Jewish theology and Jewish studies in Germany

This article presents some insights into the German developments of studying Judaism and the Jewish tradition and relates them to the ongoing development of the subject at universities in the Nordic countries in general and Norway in particular. It also aims to present some conclusions concerning why it might be interesting for Norwegian society to intensify the study of Judaism at its universities.

Viking leadership: How Norwegian transformational leadership style effects creativity and change through organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)

This article examines the distinct “Viking” leadership style of top leaders in the Norwegian industry that has evolved from a harsh and violent history. Earlier studies have reported that Norwegian leaders at the middle manager level rate high in transformational leadership traits due to a strong feminine culture and a low power distance society, yet Norwegians are also highly individualistic which differs significantly from other national cultures with feminine traits and collective societies. This unique cultural combination is becoming a cross-cultural issue as the Norwegian society is becoming more heterogeneous, particularly in work settings. Understanding how this leadership style differs from other cultures, even in Scandinavia, is important to help leaders better understand the effects of their leadership style on performance. In this study, we explored four of the original Hofstede national cultural dimensions, specifically, power distance, femininity–masculinity, individualism–collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance and examined how these are reflected at the top leadership level within the Norwegian industry using a national leadership study of Norwegian top leaders ( N = 917). We also examined how these self-reported leadership styles affected perceived organizational results in the form of innovation and change through organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Our findings suggest that Norwegian top leaders do exhibit transformational leadership traits, and that these traits have a positive influence on OCB, which further had a positive relationship to organizational performance in the form of innovation and change results. We also found that power distance and a collectivistic orientation predicted OCB, while only power distance predicted innovation and change among the Hofstede cultural dimensions. Of the four Hofstede dimensions, only one moderating effect was found for predicting OCB, the link between transformational leadership and power distance, suggesting that leaders with low power distance and high transformational leadership orientation are most connected with OCB.

Ville vekster til hverdags og fest

This article pertains to the Great Transformation, and its impact on the use of wild plants and herbs for food in rural areas of southern Norway. To shed light on the subject, this article frequently uses the collected answers of relevant questionnaires from Norsk Etnologisk Gransking (NEG). By using some specific examples from the questionnaires, the article attempts to illustrate the impact of the Great Transformation on different villages and societies. This is achieved by comparing the difference between those societies early connected to modern forms of communications, and those more outlying villages and hamlets impacted by the modern world at a much later date. By investigating the usage of a certain set of selected dishes and beverages containing wild herbs and plants, the article can provide concrete examples on how the Great Transformation of Norwegian rural societies impacted their need of and access to certain ingredients.

Halal Dating and Norwegian Youth Culture

Abstract Through conversations with Norwegian youth of Muslim background, this article explores how such young people negotiate religious identity, intimacy and sexuality within Norwegian youth culture. In light of recent statistics on marriage patterns in Norway, it further investigates norms and approaches significant to these youths’ choices. Marriage and intimate relationships are central to how this study’s participants connect the expectations of their minority background with the norms of Norwegian society. Some choose to engage in informal religious marriages—such as “halal dating”—while others are in love relationships and define for themselves the boundaries of what is and is not allowed.

(Nie)udany projekt. Vidkun Quisling i paradoks norweskiego faszyzmu lat 30. i 40.

The article discusses the history of the Nasjonal Samling party (founded in 1933) and its leader Vidkun Quisling – a military, politician and prime minister of the collaborative government of occupied Norway in 1942–1945. Currently, Norwegian fascism of the 1930s and 1940s does not serve as a popular exemplification of fascist ideology, although unlike many other European movements of this type, it managed to gain power in its own country. However, this happened only after Quisling entered into an alliance with Germany and the Third Reich attacked Norway. The history of Quisling and his party seems to prove the bankruptcy of his ideas, which never gained popularity in Norwegian society.

”Urfolk” og ”mangfold” i skolens læreplaner

Since 1974, the curriculum for the Norwegian school has had a overarching part that puts the school and its content into a bigger social and political context. As such, this part of the curriculum is a highly political and ideological text that expresses the state's purpose and interest related to the school. This article looks into how indigenous people, minorities and diversity is represented in the general part of the curriculum from 1974 to 2017. The changing curricula show changes in the official politics and views on diversity. Through an analysis of the curricula we explore which terms and concepts that are used in the description of people and groups in Norwegian society. We focus primarily on the representation of the Sami, who move from being people in "mixed language districts" with limited rights, via being an "ethnic minority", to being an indigenous people with a set of rights. Further, we look into how the diverse society is represented, from the use of "alien workers", via "immigrants", to just "diversity". We argue that the concepts or strategies of politics of recognition and politics of integration respectively can be used to describe the curricula. Norway's educational policy towards minorities and indigenous people seems to exist between these two. In the end, this leave diversity competence as an important concept in the future Norwegian school.

Fortellinger om 1814: Forestillingen om det eksepsjonelle norske demokrati

The focus of this article is an educational encounter during a social science project at a junior high school in Norway. The topic of the school project was the Norwegian Constitution of 1814. In this Constitution, many of the ideas of the French and American revolutions had been adopted, e.g. popular sovereignty and the separation of power. Nevertheless, the Constitution also reflected intolerant ideas, especially with regards to the so-called Jews-paragraph, whereby Protestantism was proclaimed, and Jews were excluded from the Norwegian state. In the educational encounter analyzed in this article, I argue that the notion of an exceptional Norwegian democracy affects the narrative constructed about the Norwegian Constitution. This notion serves to exclude the Jews-paragraph from the narrative. The postcolonial concept of Nordic exceptionalism constitutes an important theoretical framework for the analyses of the educational encounter. In the contemporary Norwegian society, immigration regulation by laws again has relevance. This article, therefore, discusses the critical classroom conversations thematizing the Jews-paragraph could have led to, by pointing at different historical and present-day topics of relevance. The discussion implicates the importance of recognizing the role and impact state-led control, violations and exclusion of minorities have in Norwegian history. Not recognizing these aspects of history can lead to the production and reproduction of idealized and exceptional national narratives.