Topics will vary from semester to semester. Additional screening time may be required for film topics. See departmental announcement for offerings.

Overshadowed by British and French Imperialism, Scandinavian colonialism has often been downplayed or gone unnoticed – both outside of and within Scandinavia. This ignorance stands in stark contrast to the fact that the history of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish colonialism(s) and imperialism(s) spans a time period of more than 400 years and ties Scandinavia to former overseas colonies in the Arctic, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Scandinavian colonial history has had, and still has, significant impact on Scandinavian societies and social imaginaries. Drawing on works of literature, film, ethnography, history and anthropology, this course explores Scandinavian colonialisms in a historical and contemporary light. The course will discuss -Scandinavian colonialism, imperialism and participation in the Atlantic slave trade (17th and 18th century) -Colonial legacies ingrained in the development of the nation state and welfare state (19th and 20th century) -Contemporary post-colonial questions and matters (21st century) Geographically, discussions will span -Colonization of Greenland, Iceland and Faroe Islands by Denmark-Norway -Colonial relations between the Norwegian state and the Sámi people and their traditional homeland, Sápmi -Scandinavian colonial forts and trade stations along the West African Coast and the use of enslaved labour in colonies in the Americas -Scandinavian chartered trade companies in Asia and Africa The course aims at a dual learning outcome: To provide students with an understanding of the history of Scandinavian colonialism, and to enable students to analyze, critically discuss and draw insightful conclusions about the portrayal of colonialism in Scandinavian literary culture.

The course is taught in English with readings in English.
Prerequisites: None.

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