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About

NORFAS is a research network of historians and senior scholars active in the field of fascism studies, who have done comprehensive research in the field of historical transnational fascism studies. Established in early 2018 by a group of historians from Sweden, Norway and Finland on the initiative of Mattias Gardell, we explore the entangled dynamics of various forms of Nordic fascism and radical nationalism in the Nordic countries.

NORFAS scholars all work from an understanding that to capture the interdependencies of fascism and far right across the Nordic region, we need to abandon methodological nationalism in favour of transnational and entangled approaches to supranational phenomena. Members are expected to actively participate in network activities.

NORFAS’ aim is to facilitate and promote sound critical research on fascism and the far right, and disseminate the findings to other scholars and the wider society. The NORFAS members support each other by sharing sources and insights, publishing together, and by providing constructive criticism on works in progress, including publications and research proposals. The network has received funding from for example the Swedish Riksbank, the Markus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation, CIRCUS – Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society, and the Norwegian Fritt Ord Foundation.

NORFAS activities include organising seminars, workshops, symposia and conferences to stimulate theoretical and methodological development in order to produce empirical knowledge on fascism and far right in the Nordic countries. NORFAS provides a platform for joint publications as well as research projects and programs. We also aim to engage in dialogue and cooperation with relevant research environments and scholars internationally, and to disseminate our research findings in other media platforms.

NORFAS is coordinated by a steering committee consisting of scholars, representing each participating Nordic country. The steering committee is headed by Nicola Karcher and Oula Silvennoinen, with Lars M. Andersson, Sofie Lene Bak and Claus Bundgård Christensen as members. New members to the network are invited by joint agreement of the steering committee and must have produced comprehensive research in the field of Nordic fascism studies.