ABSTRACT
Women’s/gender studies as a field of study, knowledge and research has been professionalised throughout Europe in the course of the last few decades. In some parts of Europe this development has occurred slowly and in others more rapidly (see chapters 13 and 14 in this volume for the Spanish and German cases, respectively). While Europe in general seems to have had an uneven institutionalisation (Griffin 2005a), developments in the Nordic 1 countries are assumed to look similar. Unsurprisingly, the Nordic countries are often believed to be emblematic of a smooth and successful professionalisation. Is this the case? Can one talk about one pan-Nordic development, implying the same patterns in every Nordic country? In addition to the professionalisation of women’s/gender studies in Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden, is there also a regional Nordic development? These are some of the questions that I will explore in greater detail in this chapter through the following themes:
disciplinisation
institutionalisation
by assessing the degree of professionalisation.
