This collection of 40 articles provides critical analysis of the society, history andculture of the Nordic region in an international context. The book includes research based overviews of topics such as humanitarianism, Sámi literature, colonialism, childcare provision, crime fiction and populism – as well as more detailed articles on specific subjects or events, like the dancing ban in Finland during the Second World War, food delivery workers in twenty-first century Denmark or the historical development of the Öresund bridge.

The articles were originally published on the research dissemination platform nordics.info between 2019 and 2025. The 46 authors are at different stages of their academic careers, based in a range of countries and come from across the social sciences and humanities.

The book is written for a non-academic audience without specialist knowledge of the Nordic countries, but researchers, students and experts may also find ituseful. The book can be read cover to cover or perused intermittently.