Norway

The Networking Role of Dugnad

Dugnad has a strong resonance in Norwegian history. The term designates the readiness to participate in voluntary communal work, be it for the local sports club or the annual spring cleaning of shared apartment complexes. Although dugnad is commonly translated in terms of “community work,” its full connotations defy translation, as it is a concept used to discuss a form of social contract that is idiosyncratic to Norwegian culture. Its etymology, however, derives from the word roots due, stemming from the same root as dyd, meaning virtue; and duge, meaning sufficient. Thus, dugnad conjures up the notion of doing something for others, for the community, out of virtue. Historically, dugnad played a necessary part in preindustrial rural Norway, where everyone was expected to help out in the community at extraordinary events. Participating in a dugnad by the giving of time and efforts with no expectation of monetary compensation thus makes one a “good enough” member of society, someone who has contributed to the common good. The importance of dugnad for Norwegian economic and political history became particularly [Page 671]evident after World War II, when the modernization and rebuilding of the country was administered by the Labour Party as an immense voluntary communal work, all for the common good of the welfare state.

The spirit of dugnad has thus become an integral part of communal life in Norway. As a central arena for social networking, local sports clubs, but also sports in general, are often run and managed through voluntary communal work. Sports organizations comprise the largest part of the voluntary sector in Norwegian organizational society. It is very common for Norwegian children to be part of several sports clubs and have their parents play an active role in the sports community. It is thus safe to say that sports plays an essential role in social networking in the Norwegian context, often performed in terms of the social contract of dugnad.

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