Race and Racialization in Nordic Elementary Education: A Literature Review Analysis With a Focus on Denmark (2010–2023)

This article examines the evolving discourse on race and racialization in Nordic elementary education research from 2010 to 2023. Over the past two decades, race has emerged as a critical analytical category in Nordic scholarship, reflected in a growing body of studies and academic conferences. The article first presents a quantitative overview of publication trends across Nordic countries, highlighting an increase in studies addressing racialization, racism, and educational inequality. It then provides a qualitative analysis of Danish studies, which have explored racializing practices, structures, discourses and racialized experiences. However, recent scholarship signals a shift towards race-critical studies, legitimizing race as an analytical framework and moving research beyond documenting racialization to examining responses and resistance. This shift challenges Nordic colorblind ideologies, reinforcing race as a key analytical category and fostering a deeper understanding of structural inequalities in Nordic welfare-state schooling.