Norway is doing well. Very well. Its business card is a unique summary of what many other nations on the planet aspire to: one of the countries with the highest levels of happiness, an egalitarian economy, a privileged place in the ranking of countries by GDP per capita and social spending, a State with prosperity and a comfortable budget surplus. And yet, despite all this, or perhaps precisely because of it, a feeling that has little to do with satisfaction has emerged in Norway: a sense of guilt, reflected in its films and series, and which has already attracted the attention of viewers. experts.

They even gave it a name: “scandiculpa.”

“Happy Norway”… Norwegians are happy. Or at least happier than the inhabitants of most countries, according to SDSN’s periodic survey of measures of something as abstract and variable as happiness.

SDSN experts create a “TOP 10” of the countries with the highest level of corruption, based on factors such as social support, income, health, freedom, generosity or the greater or lesser level of corruption in a hundred and a half countries on the planet. happiness. Norway is in seventh place, between Sweden and Switzerland. For reference, Spain is in 32nd place.

…and has good numbers. Norway not only stands out in the SDSN ranking of the happiest countries. It also does so in terms of GDP per capita, economic and gender equality, balance between personal and business life, energy transition and less corruption, to name a few. As if that were not enough of a calling card, the Scandinavian country, which closed last year with a budget surplus, has valuable natural resources.

Happy society… Guilty society? None of the above indicators really come as a surprise. It has been known for some time that Norway is a well-positioned country with an enviable welfare state. What is less well known is that within this framework, a sense of guilt has emerged in the country that has attracted the attention of some academics. They even gave it a name: “Scandiculpa,” commonly translated as “scan crime.”

A shared feelingElisabeth Oxfeldt, a professor of Scandinavian literature at the University of Oslo, recently spoke to BBC reporters about this interesting phenomenon. During an interview with the British channel, Oxfeldt admitted that “not everyone feels guilty” in the country, “but many do.” As evidence, she cited how this feeling manifests itself in culture.

“By observing contemporary literature, films and television series, I have discovered that the contrast between the happy, lucky or privileged ‘me’ and the suffering ‘other’ gives rise to feelings of guilt, anxiety, discomfort or shame,” he said. “We have witnessed the emergence of a narrative of guilt about people’s privileged lives in a world where others suffer.

What does the screen tell us? Veteran Norwegian reporter Jorn Madslien explains in his article for the BBC that recent Norwegian series have shown stories of characters from the “leisure class” taking advantage of immigrants living in much worse conditions than themselves, or Norwegians making progress in workforce equality thanks to nannies in poor countries.

In academic focusThe phenomenon is deeply rooted in Scandinavian society, and the University of Oslo reports on its website about an interdisciplinary project led by Oxfelt that deals precisely with “Scandinavian narratives of guilt and privilege in the age of globalization.”

“Every day, because of the media and immigration, we are confronted with the awareness that others are also suffering: child laborers, victims of human trafficking, refugees… Others live alongside us and often contribute to our well-being,” said those responsible from Oslo. After recalling the reality of Norway, he continued on the program: “We are repeatedly hailed as the richest, happiest and most egalitarian nation.”

“A multitude of contemporary narratives show us that a sense of global inequality not only leads Scandinavians to see themselves as lucky because of their unusual privileges, but also to feel uncomfortable and suffer from what we call ‘Scandinavian guilt,’” they continue. One of the project’s aims is to understand the country’s cultural identity, which is “in a state of limbo.”

Curious, yes; new, no. A quick Google search reveals that the debate surrounding the accusation (Skyldfølelse) is not entirely new in Norway. In 2017, the platform Forskning.co, supported by the Norwegian Research Council, published a revealing article entitled “Typical Scandinavian criminality”, which already discussed Oxfeldt’s research and the expression of Scandinavian criminality.Scandinavian Skyldfolelser).

“We, who live in the richest and happiest country in the world, have every reason to feel guilty about the poverty and suffering of others,” the chronicle read seven years ago. The same concept can be seen in earlier analyses by Politiken, Information and Ntiko Foreningen Norden.

But… What’s in the background? Norway is not just any country. And not just because of its rankings for happiness, social well-being or equality. The BBC reminds us in its “scandiculpa” analysis that some of the country’s wealth and comfort come from businesses whose morality is publicly questioned.

For example, according to data managed by ICEX, gas and oil extraction represented more than 15% of the country’s GDP and almost 67% of its export value in 2021. In fact, it was the 11th global producer of “black gold” that year. Its successful oil and gas business was also supported by one of Europe’s most complex fronts: the invasion of Ukraine, which forced it to confront those who accused it of profiting from the war.

Whether or not this is the case, the fact is that Norway has made record oil and gas revenues in 2022, with Russian troops already stationed in Ukraine. Another controversial business is salmon farms that use oil from fish off the coast of Mauritania. A recent analysis Financial Timeswarns that the system is “damaging food security in West Africa.” Some even talk of “food colonialism.”

Image by Oliver Cole (Unsplash)

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