Janteloven Part 1 NAC-11

This might be the first of a series of articles on the impact of Janteloven on Norwegian and Norwegian-American thinking. So what is Janteloven? It was a term in a novel written in the 1930s by Askel Sandemose, a Danish-Norwegian, about a fictitious small town in Denmark, which adopted rules of behavior that reflected proper Scandinavian thinking. These rules discouraged its citizens from acknowledging individual effort by emphasizing the collective. Transgressors were viewed with suspicion and some hostility. This included those who stand out as achievers. The result was a people who valued teamwork, humility, modesty, and generosity.

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NAC-11 Janteloven Part 1.pdf

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