Introspective Performance: The Scandinavian Power Investigation as a Politico-Cultural Practice

Abstract

The transdisciplinary coherence of area studies can be enhanced through a cross-fertilisation of historical and social sciences with concepts derived from philology and cultural studies. The five Scandinavian power investigations (Norway 1972–1982, Sweden 1985–1990, Denmark 1997–2003, Norway 1997–2003, and Finland 2007–2010) are here recognised as a unique body of work. Blending politically guided perspectives with collaborative scholarly analysis, these investigations represent events rather than texts. For this reason the concept of genre does not sufficiently capture their essence. Instead, power investigations are seen as comprehensive politico-cultural practices identified by 14 characteristics imported from the humanities. The utility of these investigations in suggesting transparency and self-reflection enhances the legitimacy of Scandinavian government.

Keywords::

• power
• public inquiry
• Scandinavia
• political culture
• commissioned science

Notes

¹ This article is part of the project ‘Nordic Openness: Opportunities and Limits of a Consensual Political Culture’, funded by the Network for European Studies at the University of Helsinki and the Kone Foundation. I am indebted to Ainur Elmgren for her help with Finnish source material. An earlier version has been published in German as Götz (2010).

²http://webarkiv.ft.dk/?/Samling/19951/udvbilag/UDM/Almdel_bilag10.htm, http://webarkiv.ft.dk/?/Samling/19951/udvbilag/UDM/Almdel_bilag11.htm.

³ Beretning afgivet af Udvalget vedrørende analyse af demokrati og magt i Danmark den 19. marts 1997 [Report of the committee on the analysis of democracy and power in Denmark, 19 March 1997], available at: http://webarkiv.ft.dk/?/Samling/19961/udvbilag/UDM/Almdel_bilag23.htm.

⁴ The final report is in Togeby et al. (2003).

⁵ Suomalainen valtajärjestelmä. Muistio 30.4.2004 [The Finnish power system: Memorandum, 30 April 2004]. (This is the memorandum by the Westermarck Society, private copy.)

⁶ This statement can be seen in a general context of Nordic/Scandinavian tradition and orientation in Finland (Erkkilä 2010).

⁷ For the Finnish power investigation, a programme anthology (Pietikäinen 2010a, 2010b) was used, in addition to a call for proposals from 2005 and two interviews with the programme coordinator, Petteri Pietikäinen (January 2008 and January 2010).

⁸ Perspectives for future power research may especially be found in studies about power over language and concepts, such as Kananen and Kantola (2009).