Jante Law
Encyclopedia
The Jante Law is a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Scandinavian
communities, which negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate.
The Danish
-Norwegian
author Aksel Sandemose
in his novel A fugitive crosses his tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933, English translation published in the USA in 1936) identified the Jante Law as a series of rules. Sandemose's novel portrays the small Danish town Jante (modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors
as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, but typical of all small towns and communities), where nobody is anonymous.
Generally used colloquially as a sociological
term to negatively describe an attitude towards individuality and success common in Scandinavia, the term refers to a mentality which refuses to acknowledge individual effort and places all emphasis on the collective, while punishing those who stand out as achievers.
The term may often be used negatively by individuals who more or less rightly feel they are not allowed to take credit for their achievements, or to point out their belief that another person is being overly critical.
The ten rules state:
An eleventh rule recognized in the novel is:
11. Don't think that there aren't a few things we know about you.
In the book, the Janters who transgress this unwritten 'law' are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against communal desire in the town to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity.
These 11 principles or commandments form the "Jante's Shield" of the Scandinavian people.
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
communities, which negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate.
The Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
author Aksel Sandemose
Aksel Sandemose
Aksel Sandemose was a novelist, born in Nykøbing, Mors Island, Denmark to a Danish father and a Norwegian mother....
in his novel A fugitive crosses his tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933, English translation published in the USA in 1936) identified the Jante Law as a series of rules. Sandemose's novel portrays the small Danish town Jante (modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors
Nykøbing Mors
Nykøbing Mors is the largest town on the Danish Limfjord island of Mors. The town received its charter in 1299 and has a population of 9,154...
as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, but typical of all small towns and communities), where nobody is anonymous.
Generally used colloquially as a sociological
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
term to negatively describe an attitude towards individuality and success common in Scandinavia, the term refers to a mentality which refuses to acknowledge individual effort and places all emphasis on the collective, while punishing those who stand out as achievers.
The term may often be used negatively by individuals who more or less rightly feel they are not allowed to take credit for their achievements, or to point out their belief that another person is being overly critical.
Definition
There are ten different rules in the law as defined by Sandemose, all expressive of variations on a single theme and are usually referred to as a homogeneous unit: Don't think you're anyone special or that you're better than us.The ten rules state:
- Don't think you're anything special.
- Don't think you're as good as us.
- Don't think you're smarter than us.
- Don't convince yourself that you're better than us.
- Don't think you know more than us.
- Don't think you are more important than us.
- Don't think you are good at anything.
- Don't laugh at us.
- Don't think anyone cares about you.
- Don't think you can teach us anything.
An eleventh rule recognized in the novel is:
11. Don't think that there aren't a few things we know about you.
In the book, the Janters who transgress this unwritten 'law' are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against communal desire in the town to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity.
These 11 principles or commandments form the "Jante's Shield" of the Scandinavian people.
See also
- LagomLagomLagom is a Swedish word with no direct English equivalent, meaning "just the right amount".The Lexin Swedish-English dictionary defines lagom as "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right". Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "optimal" and "suitable"...
- Tall poppy syndromeTall poppy syndromeTall poppy syndrome is a pejorative term primarily used in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other Anglosphere nations to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above...
- Crab-bucket syndromeCrab mentalityCrab mentality, sometimes referred to as crabs in the bucket, describes a way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs...
- Danish culture
- Finnish culture
- Norwegian culture
- Swedish culture
- Social modelSocial ModelA social, or socioeconomic, model, is the value system associated with the structure of a nation's political economy. There are no set rules that define a social model, only loose definitions characterized by certain attributes.-Taxation:...