THE ROLE OF CULTURAL POLICY IN THE FORMATION OF GENERAL IDENTITY IN THE NORDIC INTEGRATION MODEL
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of cultural policy in shaping general regional identity within the Nordic integration model. The study is based on constructivism, social identity theory, and the concept of the “imagined community,” highlighting the institutional and normative foundations of shared identity in the Nordic countries. The impact of cooperation mechanisms in the fields of education, language, and culture on integration is analyzed using the example of the Helsinki Agreement, the Nordic Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordplus program, the Nordic Language Policy Declaration, and the Vision 2030 strategy. The results of the study show that the success of the Nordic integration model is linked to the formation of multi-layered identity through “soft power” tools.
1. Wendt, A. (1992). Anarchy is what States Make of it: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization, 46(2), 391– 425.
2. Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social Identity Theory and the Organization. The Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20–39.
3. Brezicha, K. F. (2019). Reimagining Education’s Role in the Imagined Community: Toward a More Comprehensive Theory of Political Socialization. The Good Society, 27(1–2), 29–60.
4. Wivel, A. (2025). The Nordic region and the European Union. In T. Ojanen, J. Grzymski, & M. Ekman (Eds.), Handbook of Nordic cooperation (pp. 280–292). Edward Elgar Publishing.
5. Hofverberg, E. (2022, March 31). Nordic cooperation – 60 years since the signing of the Helsinki Treaty of 1962. In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/03/nordic-cooperation-60-years-since-the-signing-of-the-helsinki-treaty-of-1962/
6. Antikainen, A. (2006). In Search of the Nordic Model in Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 50(3), 229–243.
7. Moos, L. (2013). Transnational influences on values and practices in Nordic educational leadership: Is there a Nordic model? Springer.
8. Eurydice. (2023, November 27). Other dimensions of internationalisation in higher education. In Norway: 12.5 Internationalisation. European Education and Culture Executive Agency.
9. Nordic Council of Ministers. (2025). Education, training, research and language – Political priorities 2025–2027. https://www.norden.org/en/information/education-training-research-and-language-political-priorities-2025-2027
10. Adlercreutz, A. (2025, August 27). Minister for Nordic Cooperation Anders Adlercreutz’s speech at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission 2025. Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-/minister-for-nordic-cooperation-anders-adlercreutz-s-speech-atthe-annual-meeting-of-heads-of-mission-2025
11. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. (2009, February 19). Bekendtgørelse af overenskomst af 3. November 2004 om nordisk uddannelsesfællesskab på det gymnasiale niveau (det almene gymnasium og erhvervsskolerne) (BKI No.
12 of 19 February 2009). Retsinformation. https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/ltc/2009/12 12. Nordic Council of Ministers. (2024). Declaration on Nordic language policy. https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2024-710/declaration-onnordic-language-policy.html
13. Nordic Council of Ministers. (2018, September 25). The Helsinki Treaty: Treaty of Co-operation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. https://www.norden.org/en/publication/helsinki-treaty-0 14. Östling, B. (2021, April 29). Will English become the new Nordic language of cooperation? Nordic Labour Journal. https://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/will-english-become-the-new-nordic-language-of-cooperation/ 15. Nordic Council of Ministers. (2018). The Helsinki Treaty: Treaty of Co-operation between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. ANP 2018, p.746.
16. Nordic Council of Ministers. (2024, October). Nordic Co-operation Programme for Culture 2025–2030. PolitikNord 2024, p.737.
7. Nordic Culture Fund. (2025, June 24). Nordic Culture Fund’s annual report for 2024. https://nordiskkulturfond.org/en/news/nordic-culturefunds-annual-report-for-2024
18. Johannisson, J. (2025). Introduction: A multilevel approach to public funding for the arts and culture. In J. Johannisson (Ed.), Nordic funding for the arts and culture: A multilevel approach (Nord 2025:004). Nordic Council of Ministers.
Copyright (c) 2026 «ACTA NUUz»

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




.jpg)

1.png)




