The new regular issue 15(1)/2020 of Nordicum-Mediterraneum has been released. It comprises three new scholarly articles that underwent double blind peer-review, three non-refereed additional contributions, and a rich collection of reviews of recent scientific and scholarly books, many of which deal with Arctic-related issues.

As regards the new peer-reviewed articles, the first one (by Grétar Þór Eyþórsson) deals with the municipal structures of the West-Nordic countries and their implications for the quality of the democratic process. The second article (by Jonas Gamborg Lillebø) focuses on recent political events in Norway from the perspective of implicit social hierarchies of value affecting integration and intercultural dialogue. The third one (by Nicoletta Cabassi) explores a curious case of culinary polysemy north and south of the European continent. Two short philosophical works are also included, one (by our long-time collaborator Garrett Barden) concerning Plato’s dialogue Meno, the other (by Hans Marius Hansteen) dealing with populism and centrism in contemporary political discourse. Finally, a travel diary about Iceland and Lebanon by Croatian auteur Nikola Tutek concludes the current issue on a truly Nordic-Mediterranean note.