What Is The Relationship Between Denmark And American Culture

In Denmark, hygge connotes the coziness and warmth that accompany social interactions or intimate environments. With up to seventeen hours of darkness and extremely cold winter temperatures, Danes spend a lot of time indoors evoking a comfortable and homey ambiance. Hygge can manifest in a number of settings: sitting around a candlelit table with family, reading a good book by the fireplace, preparing a nice meal, or even relaxing by the television. This mentality towards life has no doubt helped Denmark achieve its reputation as the world’s happiest country. The sense of togetherness hygge evokes is also tied to Denmark’s insular national identity. Danes are typically characterized as modest but proud people whose relaxed and informal demeanor

For example, it is common to ask a random stranger on the street how his or her day is going. Interestingly, when I first came to Denmark I was told not to ask this question unless I had developed a personal relationship with someone and truly wished to know. While Americans frequently smile at people on the streets, Danes tend to keep their heads down and mind their own business. In my interactions with locals, I’ve also noticed that Danish people have a very sarcastic, manner-of-fact way of speaking that would probably be considered offensive by some Americans. Danes are also very careful to maintain personal space- on public transportation people will change seats just so they can sit by themselves. Danes also observe certain formalities and etiquette; they tend to be very precise and punctual when making appointments and value a clean, organized living space. Additionally, Danes tend to look the same, dress the same, and speak the same. It is interesting to contrast these rigid customs with the concept of hygge, which is supposed to be about relaxation, warmth, and

Denmark is a social democratic welfare state which attempts to protect the rights of all citizens. Despite the self-image of tolerance it has evoked, Denmark still has small extreme-right fringe groups (as well as large segments of the population) that violently oppose the integration of immigrants. From a cultural and religious standpoint, Denmark has been a homogenous society for centuries. With a strong national identity and a welfare system based on a culture of sameness, Denmark has had trouble adjusting to an increasingly multi-ethnic society. More than half the growth of the Danish population in the last 35 years, or more than 250,000 people, can be accounted for by immigrants and their descendants. These people mainly come from the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey and Somalia. Although Danes are fairly tolerant to immigrants on a personal level, they are much less welcoming on a national level (Nielsen 2004b; Lüchau 2004), as many Danes want restrictions on immigration. Many consider ethnic minorities an unwelcome presence and believe that those allowed to live in Denmark should quickly assimilate to the culture. Political figures have also started to emphasize and perhaps exaggerate the financial burden refugees place on the Danish welfare system. Negative stereotypes of newcomers have become increasingly common: they are labeled "welfare scroungers" or