OSLO: One hundred years after winning independence from Sweden, Norway is having an identity crisis.
Norwegians can enjoy a June 7th fete celebrating the 1905 declaration of independence happy in the knowledge that North Sea oil makes them one of the world’s richest nations and that the United Nations says they live in the best of all places.
But anthropologists say Norway’s Viking-like self-confidence disguises decades of soul-searching over whether the small Nordic country should continue to spurn chances to join its neighbours in the European Union.
“We see ourselves at the same time as a really important country and aware that we are a small country on the margins of Europe,” said Thomas Hylland Eriksen, professor of social anthropology at Oslo University.
“That means we have both an enormous superiority complex and an enormous inferiority complex,” he said.
Norway holds a record by voting “No” to European Union accession in referendums in 1972 and 1994. Nordic allies Denmark, Sweden and Finland have all joined.
But the issue of joining the European Union never dies and has been revived both by memories of the hated 1814-1905 rule by Stockholm — also called a “Union” — and by last week’s French and Dutch “No” votes to the EU constitution.
“The French and Dutch votes have blown holes in the myth that it’s just Norwegians who are sceptical about EU elitism,” said Heming Olaussen, head of Norway’s “No to the EU” movement.
EU CHAOS: “This will strengthen the “No” side (in Norway). The EU is entering a period of chaos and confusion. People rarely want to join chaos,” he said. He said Norwegians were reluctant to hand sovereignty of a young, egalitarian nation to Brussels.
Advocates of membership say Norway should join its main trading partners, seeing the EU as the main force for peace and democracy in Europe.
Eriksen said there were two Norways — an urban version built on Danish-German traditions open to the world and a rural Norway drawing on older Norse traditions, wary of foreign links. Before Sweden, Denmark ruled Norway from 1380 to 1814.
“The Norse version can portray itself as closer to Norwegian national ideals,” he said.
By that argument, EU referendums have pitted the urban middle classes against a vision of life by picturesque fjords.
Norway has taken the world stage by taking on roles as a mediator in Middle East and Sri Lankan peace talks — somewhat of a paradox for a nation agonizing about neighbourly relations.
“Norway seems to follow (US comic) Groucho Marx’s dictum that you should never join a club that would have you as a member,” one diplomat said.
Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik said last week that the French “No” to the EU constitution made any review of whether to join the EU less urgent for Norway — even pro-EU politicians doubt there will be a full-blown membership debate until 2007.
Opinion polls have swung back and forth with the latest showing a clear 56-44 percent “No” to joining the EU.—Reuters