IR 100 years: a Nordic perspective

IR's centenary celebrations have catalyzed a debate concerning the roots and subsequent developments of the discipline. The year 1919 is important as it spurred the institutional development of IR as an academic field of study, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world. Yet, from an ideational perspective, IR can be seen to have a much longer and more global history. Ideationally, the roots of Nordic IR also extends back well before 1919, although its institutionalization only began from the 1930s onwards. This commentary looks briefly at the development of Nordic IR both from institutional and ideational perspectives. It argues that Nordic IR has made valuable contributions to IR theory that would merit a comprehensive historiography of its own; something which it still currently lacks.