Introduction: Postimperial sovereignty games in the Nordic region
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Introduction: Postimperial sovereignty games in the Nordic region. / Adler-Nissen, Rebecca; Gad, Ulrik Pram.
In: Cooperation and Conflict, Vol. 49, No. 1, 03.2014, p. 3-32.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Introduction: Postimperial sovereignty games in the Nordic region
AU - Adler-Nissen, Rebecca
AU - Gad, Ulrik Pram
N1 - Part of special issue on "Post-imperial Sovereignty Games in Norden"
PY - 2014/3
Y1 - 2014/3
N2 - Benevolence, homogeneity and peace has never been the full story of the Nordic region.Building on a critical review of myths of ‘Norden’ in international relations theory and beyond(international political economy, security studies, regional and European integration theory andpostcolonialism), we develop the framework of postimperial sovereignty games for understandingcontemporary Nordic foreign policy and regional dynamics. We shift focus from the ‘large’Nordic countries to the remnants of Nordic empires: Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands andÅland. On the one hand, these polities struggle to enhance their independence – Iceland evenafter becoming a sovereign state; the other polities via self-government arrangements. On theother hand, the former colonies develop close relationships to a supranational European Union intheir effort to achieve independent subjectivity. Contrasting the developments towards increasedindependence and European integration, the article demonstrates the importance of imperiallegacies. Firstly, it challenges Norden as a model security community. Secondly, it questions theimage of a harmonious Nordic welfare model based on equality and consensus in light of theexperiences of Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. Finally, it suggests that no theory ofEuropean integration is complete without taking imperial and postimperial processes into account.
AB - Benevolence, homogeneity and peace has never been the full story of the Nordic region.Building on a critical review of myths of ‘Norden’ in international relations theory and beyond(international political economy, security studies, regional and European integration theory andpostcolonialism), we develop the framework of postimperial sovereignty games for understandingcontemporary Nordic foreign policy and regional dynamics. We shift focus from the ‘large’Nordic countries to the remnants of Nordic empires: Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands andÅland. On the one hand, these polities struggle to enhance their independence – Iceland evenafter becoming a sovereign state; the other polities via self-government arrangements. On theother hand, the former colonies develop close relationships to a supranational European Union intheir effort to achieve independent subjectivity. Contrasting the developments towards increasedindependence and European integration, the article demonstrates the importance of imperiallegacies. Firstly, it challenges Norden as a model security community. Secondly, it questions theimage of a harmonious Nordic welfare model based on equality and consensus in light of theexperiences of Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. Finally, it suggests that no theory ofEuropean integration is complete without taking imperial and postimperial processes into account.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - Empire
KW - European integration
KW - Nordic region
KW - postcolonialism
KW - sovereignty games
KW - Nordic
KW - sovereignty
KW - sovereignty games
KW - Empire
KW - post-imperialism
KW - Post-colonial studies
KW - post-colonialism
KW - Greenland
KW - Iceland
KW - Faroe Islands
KW - Åland
KW - Denmark
KW - Norway
KW - European Union
KW - European integration
KW - security community
KW - Security
KW - Culture
KW - Identity
KW - International Relations
KW - International Relations Theory
U2 - 10.1177/0010836713514148
DO - 10.1177/0010836713514148
M3 - Journal article
VL - 49
SP - 3
EP - 32
JO - Cooperation and Conflict
JF - Cooperation and Conflict
SN - 0010-8367
IS - 1
ER -
ID: 95312205