The Happiest Xenophobes on Earth: Examining Anti-Immigrant Sentiments in the Nordic Countries

• Main Author: Zeisset, Maggie
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ IWU 2016
• Subjects: Political Science; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol21/iss1/6; https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1238&context=respublica

The Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland) are widely known as progressive, open and tolerant. However, in recent years these countries have witnessed growing intolerance towards immigrants, particularly Muslims. This intolerance is manifested in violent attacks against foreigners and the rise of far right, exclusionary populist parties. This paper seeks to understand what causes some citizens in these Nordic countries to embrace anti-immigrant xenophobic attitudes and other citizens to, not only reject, but to fight such views.