The "Law" was first formulated as ten rules in Sandemose's satirical novelA Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933), but the attitudes themselves are older.[4] Sandemose portrays the fictional small Danish town of Jante, modelled upon his native townNykøbing Mors in the 1930s where nobody was anonymous, a feature of life typical of small towns.[5]
There are ten rules in the law as defined by Sandemose, all expressive of variations on a single theme and usually referred to as a homogeneous unit:You are not to think you're anyone special, or that you're better than us.
The ten rules state:
You're not to thinkyou are anything special.
You're not to thinkyou are as good aswe are.
You're not to thinkyou are smarter thanwe are.
You're not to imagine yourself better thanwe are.
You're not to thinkyou know more thanwe do.
You're not to thinkyou are more important thanwe are.
You're not to thinkyou are good at anything.
You're not to laugh atus.
You're not to think anyone cares aboutyou.
You're not to thinkyou can teachus anything.
The Janters who transgress this unwritten "law" are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against the town's communal desire to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity.
An eleventh rule recognized in the novel as "the penal code of Jante" is:
Perhaps you don't thinkwe know a few things aboutyou?
From the chapter "Maybe you don't think I know something about you":
That one sentence (the eleventh rule), which acts as the penal code of Jante, as such was rich in content. It was an accusation of absolutely anything, and that it also had to be, because absolutely nothing was allowed. It was also an elaborate indictment, with all kinds of unspecified penalties given to be expected. Furthermore it was useful, depending fully on tone of voice, in financial extortion and enticement into criminal acts, and it could also be the best means of defense.
Sandemose's novel described working-class life in the fictional town of Jante. He wrote in 1955, a bit mischievously, that "Many people have recognized [in Jante] their own hometown – this has happened regularly to people fromArendal [Norway],Tromsø [Norway] andViborg [Denmark]".[6] Sandemose made no claim to having invented the rules; he simply sought to formulate social norms that had stamped the Danish and Norwegian psyches for centuries.
Although intended as criticism of society in general, some critics in the 1990s argued that the Law of Jante had shifted to refer to personal criticism of people who want to break out of their social groups and reach a higher position.[7]
It is common in Scandinavia to claim the Law of Jante as something quintessentially Danish, Norwegian or Swedish.[8] The rules are treated as a way of behaving in order to fit in and results in dressing similarly and the types of cars that people buy and buying similar products for their homes.[9] It is commonly stated that Jante Law is for people in the provinces, but commentators have suggested that metropolitan areas are also affected.[9]
While the original intention was as satire, Kim Orlin Kantardjiev, a Norwegian politician[10] and educational advisor, claims that the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encouragegroup behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' highhappiness scores.[9] It has also been suggested that contentedness with a humdrum lifestyle is a part of happiness in the Scandinavian countries.[11]
However, in Scandinavia, there have also been journalistic articles which link the Law of Jante to highsuicide rates.[12] Backlash has occurred against the rules, and in Norway someone even placed a grave for Jante Laws, declaring them dead in 2005. However, others have questioned whether they will ever go away, as they may be firmly entrenched in society.[9]
When interviewed during episode 646 ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, broadcast November 9, 2018, Swedish actorAlexander Skarsgård explained that although he had recently received anEmmy and aGolden Globe Award for a lauded performance, the inhibitions induced by the Law of Jante prevented him from boasting of the accolade.[13]
InWisting, a 2019 Norwegian police procedural television series, partially in English, the character Line says (translated), "The newspaper sales numbers and the Law of Jante are merging."[14]
In some interviews,Greta Thunberg credits and appreciates thelaw for her being ignored by Swedes that see her in public.[16][17]
Thislaw is prominent in Swedish culture and the Swedish parliament sees it as potentially harmful, holding people back.[18]
At forty minutes intoStockholm Syndrome (an episode of the Netflix series "This is Pop"), Swedish record producers and songwriters tell how they are reluctant to talk about their success because ofJantelagen
^Stephen, Trotter (2015-04-15)."Breaking the law of Jante"(PDF).University of Glasgow. eSharp. Retrieved2023-06-24."the concept of Janteloven (the law of Jante) [is] a literary construct from Aksel Sandemose‟s A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (1997[1933])... assumed to explain the egalitarian nature of the Scandinavian nations.
^Scott, Mark (18 December 2003)."Signs of Cracks in the Law of Jante".The New York Times. Retrieved2013-12-22.Taken from a book by the Danish author Aksel Sandemose, the concept suggests that the culture within Scandinavian countries discourages people from promoting their own achievements over those of others.
^Translator note,En flygtning krydser sit spor, 2nd ed.
^English translation of passage from foreword of the Norwegian edition (1999), p. 14.
^Andersen, Steen (6 July 1992)."Den løbske Jantelov" [The Runaway Jante Law].Morsø Folkeblad. Retrieved28 April 2015.
Koldau, Linda Maria (2013):Jante Universitet. (Jante University). Vol. 1: Den skønne facade (The Beautiful Facade); Vol. 2: Uddannelseskatastrofen (Educational Disaster); Vol. 3: Totalitære strukturer (Totalitarian Structures). Hamburg: Tredition.ISBN978-3-8495-0351-2 (Vol. 1);ISBN978-3-8495-0350-5 (Vol. 2);ISBN978-3-8495-0266-9 (Vol. 3). In Danish language.
Koldau, Linda Maria (2013):Educational Disaster. The Destruction of Our Universities: The Danish Case. (abridged English version ofJante Universitet containing the most important analyses and a chapter on Jante Law mentality in Danish education). Hamburg: Tredition (forthcoming).ISBN978-3-8495-4936-7. In English language.
Steffen, Juliane (2011): "Hjem til Jante" (Home to Jante), concise analysis of the mechanisms of Jante Law at Danish universities, published in:Linda Maria Koldau:Jante Universitet. Vol. 2: Uddannelseskatastrofen. Hamburg: Tredition, 2013, pp. 464–466.ISBN978-3-8495-0350-5 (Vol. 2). In Danish language.
Andersen, Steen: Nye forbindelser. Pejlinger i Aksel Sandemoses forfatterskab. Vordingborg: Attika, 2015.ISBN978-87-7528-8700. In Danish language.
