The end of methodological nationalism: the internationalization of historical research in Sweden since 2000

Abstract

ABSTRACT Based on quantitative and qualitative data and analyses, this article highlights how research in the discipline of history in Sweden has been affected by imperatives of internationalization in recent decades. Four central dimensions of the internationalization of research are discussed in some depth, based on empirically observable changes in the discipline since 2000: (i) geographical areas of research, (ii) international publications, (iii) international researcher mobility, and (iv) international research funding. It is concluded that for the first two dimensions there has been a significant shift towards more internationalization of research in the Swedish discipline of history since 2000, and particularly since 2010, but for the latter two, internationalization is less prominent, even though the opportunities for international mobility and securing international research funding have increased significantly since 2000. The article also highlights some controversies and debates pertaining to the internationalization of historical research in Sweden and the other Nordic countries. It is concluded that Swedish historians have come a long way in overcoming the methodological nationalism that characterized the discipline for most of the twentieth century, and that they now participate more than ever before on the international frontlines of historical research.