Jerome Bruner Ideas Applied to Norwegian Americans

According to metaphysical Jaina theory, anything in the universe can - theoretically and in thought at the very least - be related to anything else in the universe. Hence, Jerome Bruner's ideas from the fields of psychology and education can be used to say things about Norwegian Americans. If you accept that Bruner writes about humans and that Norwegian Americans are humans, the way seems clear -

Bruner has authored many books. Some of them are co-written with other authors. And Norwegian Americans have been studied by Odd S. Lovoll. His book The Promise Fulfilled [Pna] uses questionaire statistics for assessments and verbalisations. [◦Read more]

And the cartoon strip Han Ola og Han Per reflects the overriding conditions of Norwegian Americans between 1918 and 1935. [Hp; Mop]

There are other expressions that mark Norwegian Americans than a burlesque humour strip as well - songs, representatives, life stories, good ideas and other cultural outlets and much else. Bruner reflects on some of these issues in his cultural psychology [Acom; Coe].

About one third of the Norwegians emigrated to the U.S.A. between 1835 and 1910, hoping for a good life. Since most Norwegian Americans today are middle class Americans, it seems they succeeded all right too. I wish it was as simple as that, but it is not. So it could be good to follow up by asking such as,

• Norwegian Americans, what are their marks? What are their distinguishing characteristics, if any? What makes them "tick"? And how sure is that?
• What kind of abundance heralds decline among the descendants of those who set out? Weakening of good inheritance values suggests decline, for example.
• What parts of their collective myths and stories and history may motivate and nourish others today? Is the collective Norwegian-American history too young and culturally contaminated to count as first class, for example?
• What have culturally assimilated Norwegian Americans become, as shown by what and how they eat and drink and communicate at large? What distinguishes them, how much, and how significantly is it? And does any of it matter?
• There is a fine line between being assimilated and being dissolved as an ethnic or cultural unit somehow. Assimilation in a "mixture culture" marked by old English hegemony, does it allow for contributing to the good things, and how far, if so? Giving up inheritance and getting "melting pot" standards may or may not be a poor bargain. So how is it?
• There are limits to the value of comparisons, such as comparing Norwegian Americans to others,. The "thing" in itself should keep manifesting itself. Does it? To what degree, if so?
• And where is the evidence? Are parts of it not better than anecdotal? If so, how suitable can evidence parts be or become if fixed somewhat?

To ask fine questions could matter much in the long run. What is more, it helps to discriminate too when it comes to our own nourishment - material, social, intellectual, mental, moral, cultural-habitual, and so on, as the case may be. Handling information sensibly can be trained also.