Denmark has garnered worldwide acclaim for its values of liberalism, freedom of expression and equality, but, I argue, the role of fictional representations in film, television and literature has proliferated this view. The sale of Danmark’s Radio’s (DR) now prestigious television drama to first-world nations like the US, the UK, Australia and Germany has cemented Denmark’s appeal as a gender-progressive and remarkably self-reflexive Nordic country, and one which seems to speak on behalf of the whole Nordic region. Framing my argument through border theory and John Urry’s tourist gaze, this paper challenges the perception of the Nordic region as a homogeneous mass, defined by its social welfare system. I maintain that the role of politically-critical crime fiction in the negotiation of national identity (including gender politics) and generating an international discourse is under-represented in academia considering the huge industrial impact of a successful media industry. I concisely trace Nordic crime fiction through its iterations as the left-wing criticism of Sjöwall and Wahlöö, to Peter Hoeg’s harrowing Frøken Smillas Fornemmelse for Sne, to Arnuldar Indriðrason’s grim resignation, culminating in the transnational TV phenomenon of Bron/Broen, while considering the way that cultural nuances within and between the Nordic nations are grappled with in fiction. Of particular interest is the emergence of female investigators who forgo or sacrifice the familial realm, thereby displacing their duty of care into the public service. The visibility of these women speaks to a demand for gender equity in the Nordic countries, but the actual female characters are often conflicted between the social expectations of motherhood and their personal drive for justice. This paper draws from Andrew Nestingen’s claim that “If we want to understand contemporary Scandinavia’s struggles over transformation we have to study its popular fictions” to ask: what role does fiction play in consolidating ideas of nationhood, cultural fluidity and the seemingly universal appeal of crime and degradation?

Djuna Hallsworth is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies. She explores the cultural and political context surrounding the representation of women in Danish film and television, framing screen cultures within welfare state governance. Djuna has attended two conferences in Denmark since she began her thesis in March 2017, and has established relationships with Danish industry professionals and academics to aid her research. She has applied to be a visiting PhD scholar at Aarhus University in 2019. Djuna’s main research themes include motherhood, sexuality, mental illness, transgression and guilt, and uses her background in film studies, textual analysis and English to integrate these themes into her work.

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