Hygge as cultural keyword

Dominika Bartnik-Światek

Abstract

In this article, the concept of hygge, a style of social interaction, is analyzed in terms of its relation to cultural values, as it is a keyword in Danish culture and a product of the distinctive Danish social ethos which developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The idea of hygge as a feature of Scandinavian culture came into being in the course of its interpretation; its limitations are also discussed. The article also provides a window on cultural peculiarities connected with the keyword hygge.