The special issue focuses on Scandinavian colonialism, presenting four peer-reviewed articles which illuminate that Scandinavian colonial enterprises were part of a larger colonial world. Scandinavian states were relatively weak coloinal players and non-state actors often had negotiate with larger European empires, indeed it is possible to understand these processes as a case of colonialism without empire. This particular historical records may explain how Scandinavians today perceive of themselves in relation to the so-called Third World.