“I Didn’t Feel Norwegian Enough to Wear the National Costume”

Abstract

Knowing Randi for several years, I was able to observe her interacting with ethnic Norwegians in different contexts and that in many respects she is the epitome of an upper-middle-class Norwegian. Adopted at infancy from South Korea by a Norwegian family, she was raised with other Norwegian siblings. She is married to an ethnic Norwegian, has a doctorate, and teaches at a prestigious academic institution. She is well assimilated to the extent that she has never expressed the wish to travel to her birth country. She also made a conscious choice to sever the connection with her birth country and biological kinship. Although Randi perceives herself as Norwegian, she feels she cannot achieve full national belonging because of certain national ideologies.