This introductory article opens the thematic issue Spaces of Upset in theNordic Region. It introduces the contributions of the issue, outlines the concepts thatunite them, and discusses the sociolinguistic area in which they are set: the Nordicregion. Centering on Denmark, Finland and Sweden, the article offers an overview ofsome of the sociolinguistic, ideological and political characteristics of the region andthe countries it comprises. The Nordic region is widely seen as a paradigm case ofsocial stability, consensus and cohesion. This vision is, however, amirage. To be sure,upset often lingers below the discursive veneer of Nordic harmony, concord andagreement. Breaking with this outlook, this thematic issue takes a closer look at someof the antipodes of this sociolinguistic and ideological condition. Its contributionsengage with ‘spaces of upset’, that is, with manifestations and experiences of sociolinguisticrupture, upheaval or change, in and throughwhich visions of sociolinguisticstability and cohesion are disrupted and challenged. These spaces of upset bearwitness to social, ideological and linguistic tensions and changes, be they incipient,enduring or surpassed. They accordingly provide anewtake on processes of continuityand change, pointing out the ideological faultlines of the orders they disrupt, or upset.