The IASS (International Association for Scandinavian Studies) is the international organization for the research of Nordic literature, culture and linguistics. Since 1956 the IASS conference has been organized every other year. In 2016, the 31th IASS conference took place in Groningen (Netherlands). This 2016 conference revolved around the 21st century as an era characterized by dynamics with different implications. These ongoing global transitions are reflected in the humanities; the dichotomy between centre and periphery has invaded the literary discourse. In many small language areas, more translated literature is being published than literature written in the national language. This implies that cultural mediators play a major role in the production of literature. Their efforts are made visible in a  transnational approach to the history of literature. Digitization has come to play an increasing role in visualizing the processes of cultural mediation. The great migration waves after World War II have changed the societies in Europe and the Nordic region. Migration is not a new phenomenon; rather, it has shaped our view of the world and history at all times and has influenced many cultures and languages. Migration after 1980 has resulted in new literary genres and new words. Immigrant languages have gained their legitimacy and helped create new identities. All these perspectives - and many more - are reflected in the contributions in this volume. They show the transformation the Nordic countries and Europe are in. New themes and new perspectives are introduced, and the language of the academic discourse is changing: of the 32 contributions, 11 are in English. This is undoubtedly a consequence of the internationalization of universities in general and the humanities in particular.

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