Introduction: Experiences of Cooperation and Confrontation in Nordic Civil Societies

This chapter introduces central concepts of civil society and asks what may be seen as particularly Nordic about civil society in the region, and whether and how the Nordic countries stand out in terms of civil societies’ roles and impact. The chapter argues that civil society developments in the Nordic region from 1800 until today may be studied in relation to a pair of interconnected tensions. The first tension pertains to the cooperation but also competition between civil society and the state in the Nordic countries, while the second tension is found between the national boundaries imposed by states, and transnational civil societies of various kinds, which extend across the borders. These two dimensions—the close state–civil society nexus and civil society transnational encounters, are central to understanding Nordic civil societies, as are the blurred boundaries between civil society, the state and the market. Here, we also introduce the twelve chapters of the volume, which address and empirically examine Nordic experiences of civil society from different geographical, theoretical and chronological perspectives.