AfroNordicness in Contemporary Literature and Culture

Issue editor: Lena Englund (University of Eastern Finland, lena.englund@uef.fi)

(Download the full call here)

Contemporary African diasporic experiences and cultural expressions have been extensively studied in Anglophone contexts, often with particular focus on celebrated writers. In a Nordic setting, comprising Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, Afro-diasporic experiences have received less attention. Some preliminary work has been conducted so far about the numerous expressions of African and Black identities and their connections with the Nordic countries and Nordicness in personal and cultural terms. Further examination of the concept of AfroNordicness in cultural contexts is thus timely. The publication of the seminal work Afro-Nordic Landscapes: Equality and Race in Northern Europe (2014) offers an important starting point with its focus on nation, racism, and diaspora, while “Nordic” has become commodified, going beyond geography, language, or shared societal structures.

This special issue explores broader AfroNordic experiences and expressions with particular focus on what Nordic means when combined with African heritage in literature and culture. In what ways can AfroNordicness coexist along with other ways of defining identity and belonging? What are the political ramifications, expectations, and limits of AfroNordicness in personal and cultural terms? Literary and other cultural expressions often go beyond individual stories, especially in migratory contexts, and invite critical examination of race and belonging. In a Swedish context, the experiences and lives of people with African origins or ancestry have received somewhat more attention than in other Nordic countries. The term AfroSwedish is gaining scholarly interest, not only as a way of defining people with certain backgrounds or racialized contexts but as the varied positionings that address and negotiate what it means to be part of the African diaspora in Sweden. Yet not all people who could potentially be included by the label choose to define themselves as such, an important reminder about the problems involved with such categorization, particularly if done from the outside.

This issue is interested in how expressions of AfroNordicness can be theorized and analysed in various cultural products such as literature primarily, but also for example film or forms of media. The issue also invites critique of terms such as AfroNordic and their possible limitations. Comparative perspectives are also welcome regarding the five Nordic nations. The following topics may inspire in-depth analyses of for example literary works or more theoretically engaged interventions:

Hyphenated identities and experiences

Race, ethnicity, racialization, racism

Memory and remembering

Construction/commodification of AfroNordic identities

Postcolonial/decolonial perspectives

African diasporas in the Nordic countries

Place-related/spatial concerns

Alternative Nordic identities

AfroNordicness and genre/form

The Nordic welfare state as symbol of inclusion/exclusion

Generational migratory experiences and perspectives

Nordic exceptionalism as it pertains to AfroNordic experiences

Future perspectives and directions of AfroNordicness

 

 

Timeline

 

Abstracts (300-500 words + brief author bio): 15 November 2026

Decisions on abstracts: 1 December 2026

Full papers: 31 March 2027

Editorial comments: 20 April 2027

Papers ready for review: 31 May 2027

Publication: early 2028

 

Abstracts and brief bios should be sent to lena.englund@uef.fi by 15 November 2026.