90. Culture of Norway

Norwegian culture is closely linked to the country's history and geography. The unique Norwegian farm culture, sustained to this day, has resulted not only from scarce resources and a harsh climate but also from ancient property laws. In the 18th century, it brought about a strong romantic nationalistic movement, which is still visible in the Norwegian language and media.

In the 19th century, Norwegian culture blossomed as efforts continued to achieve an independent identity in the areas of literature, art and music. This continues today in the performing arts and as a result of government support for exhibitions, cultural projects and artwork The greatest sources of influence on Norwegian culture have been the Protestant church and Germany during the Middle Ages, France during the 18th century, Germany again during the 19th century and the English-speaking world after World War II. Norway today enjoys a strongly adapted western culture. Over the past 30 years,

Norway has evolved from an ethnically homogenous society to a culturally diverse nation with large immigrant communities, especially in Oslo where a quarter of the citizens are immigrants. Norwegians have an egalitarian outlook. The concept of Jante Law is in many areas and fields still today strong in Norway. Any form of elitism is likely to meet strong criticism. Norwegians generally express themselves in very modest terms, especially when it comes to compliments and praises - when they say something is “totally okay” that means it is very good indeed.

There is a strong drive for more individualist values. During the 20th century, these have taken over from the more collectivist tradition. Notably there is very strong support for tolerance toward same-sex relationships compared to most European countries, and Norwegians are often thought of (and most Norwegians think of their country) as a country with little xenophobia, which does not necessarily make it true.