Niels Brimmes. Danmark og kolonierne: Indien: Tranquebar, Serampore og Nicobarerne. Kopenhagen: GADs Forlag, 2017. 411 S. ISBN 978-87-12-04958-6.

Hans Christian Gulløv. Danmark og kolonierne: Grønland: Den arktiske koloni. Kopenhagen: GADs Forlag, 2017. 445 S. , , ISBN 978-87-12-04955-5.

Per Oluf Hernæs. Danmark og kolonierne: Vestafrika: Forterne på Guldkysten. Kopenhagen: GADs Forlag, 2017. 397 S. , , ISBN 978-87-12-04957-9.

Poul Erik Olsen. Danmark og kolonierne: Vestindien: St. Croix, St. Thomas og St. Jan. Kopenhagen: GADs Forlag, 2017. 405 S. , , ISBN 978-87-12-04956-2.

Mikkel Venborg Pedersen. Danmark og kolonierne: Danmark: En kolonimagt. Kopenhagen: GADs Forlag, 2017. 477 S. , , ISBN 978-87-12-04954-8.

Reviewed by Miriam Schneider

Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (May, 2018)

Over recent years, the colonial history of ‘pe‐ ple) are only recently being explored. In Den‐ ripheral’ European nations has received in‐ mark, it has only become the custom to label the creased scholarly attention. While major colonial famed Oldenburg monarchy (i.e. the Danish King‐ empires such as Britain, France, Spain or the dom under the rule of the Oldenburg dynasty) as Netherlands have always taken centre stage, and proper colonial empires from the 2000s onwards. while the study of infamously “belated” colonial See e.g. the pioneering study by Michael Bregnsbo powers such as Belgium or Germany has made up and Kurt Villads Jensen, Det danske Imperium. considerable ground, lesser colonial empires Storhed og fald, Copenhagen 2004. In a character‐ (such as the Scandinavian countries See e.g. Mag‐ istic development, a major jubilee – the 100th an‐ dalena Naum et al. (eds), Scandinavian colonial‐ niversary of the sale of the Danish West Indies in ism and the rise of modernity. Small time agents 2017 – has now been used to bring this newfound in a global arena, New York 2013; cf. the exhibi‐ academic awareness to broader public conscious‐ tion project “Rethinking Nordic Colonialism”, ness. Amongst many (online) exhibitions and pub‐ http://www.e-fux.com/announcements/41460/re‐ lications, one book project stands out, having thinking-nordic-colonialism-a-postcolonial-exhibi‐ even been nominated for the popular “Årets his‐ tion-project-in-fve-acts/ (23.04.2018). ) or “colo‐ toriske bog” award: the 5-volume collection Dan‐ nialisms without colonies” See Barbara Lüthi et mark og Kolonierne [Danmark and the Colonies]. al., Colonialism without colonies. Examining It took the centenary of the sale of Denmark’s blank spaces in colonial studies, in: National Iden‐ tropical colonies as an occasion to revisit and re‐ tities 18 (2016), pp. 1–9. (such as the Swiss exam‐ H-Net Reviews vise the country’s entire history as a colonial pow‐ Thematically, the books are grouped into four er. studies dealing with individual colonies – 1) Tran‐ As the editors remark in their general pref‐ quebar, Serampore and the Nicobar Islands in In‐ ace, Denmark’s reduced power status after the dia, 2) the forts at the West African Gold Coast, 3) Napoleonic (1803–15) and Schleswig Wars the Danish West Indies and 4) Greenland – as well (1848/1864) and its early loss of most of its as 5) one comprehensive examination of the Dan‐ colonies meant that its colonial past and history ish(-Norwegian) Kingdom as a multi-national and as a slave-holding nation were almost forgotten. multi-ethnic state. Following World War II, moreover, in the wake of Newcomers to the subject are recommended the general de-colonization of Europe’s major to start by reading the volume Danmark: En colonial empires, the Danes cultivated an image Kolonimagt [Denmark: A Colonial Power]. Al‐ of themselves “as a particularly mild and humane though conceptualized as a round-up rather than colonial power” (p. 4), supported by the fact that fagship book, it provides a valuable overview in‐ Denmark was the frst European nation to abolish troducing Denmark(-Norway) as a multi-facetted the slave trade (1792/1803). Recently, Danish “conglomerate state” (p. 383) consisting of numer‐ scholars and the media have started to investigate ous geographically and constitutionally diverse their nation’s involvement in the “black chapter” territorial units. In Chapter 1, renowned historian (p. 4) of European colonialism, though. Danmark Ufe Østergaard details the various parts that once og Kolonierne aims to bundle this research and to belonged to the composite “Oldenburg Monarchy” provide “the frst comprehensive” (p. 5) postcolo‐ or later “Rigsfælleskab” [Community of King‐ nial account of the history of Danish colonialism doms]: Denmark, Norway, Schleswig and Holstein, in the tropics as well as in the North Atlantic. The Iceland and the Faroe Islands etc. And he provides editors clearly distance themselves from earlier a reliable, ethnicity-based defnition of the con‐ accounts of Danish colonialism, notably: Johannes cept of “colony” which explains why Greenland is Brøndsted, Vore gamle tropekolonier, 2 vols., included in this collection while Iceland is not. Copenhagen 1952/53. Following this theoretical introduction, the What is appealing about this enterprise is next four chapters, written by empire pioneer that the books address a broad Danish readership Michael Bregnsbo, vividly map out the history of without losing the merits of cutting-edge research. the Danish Empire from its establishment in the The stern academic might complain about the 17th century to its heyday around 1800 and its de‐ lack of footnotes, which could have elevated the cline/de-colonization in the 19th and 20th cen‐ series to valuable student’s companions. Also, the turies. Particularly intriguing are Bregnsbo’s bio‐ lavish design and corresponding weight of these graphical portraits of the many Danes who, in the richly illustrated cofee-table books compromise absence of further state involvement in imperial their readability. Nevertheless, the project has as‐ expansion, made their fortunes within other colo‐ sembled some of the leading experts in the feld of nial empires in the Age of Empire. They chime in Danish colonialism who, while writing in an easi‐ with recent research on trans-imperial border- ly intelligible and often delightfully narrative crossers and “imperial cooperation”. See e.g. Volk‐ prose, ask and answer all the latest research ques‐ er Barth / Roland Cvetkovski (eds), Imperial co-op‐ tions. Detailed bibliographies, moreover, provide eration and transfer, 1870–1930. Empires and en‐ the reader with an overview of the scholarship counters, London 2015. The remaining six chap‐ that each chapter builds on. ters provide valuable diachronic discussions of in‐ dividual themes such as the administrative orga‐

2 H-Net Reviews nization and personnel of the Danish Empire graphically specialized audience. Unlike the (Poul Erik Olsen); the cultural, social and econom‐ round-up, they do not ofer enjoyably well-orga‐ ic history of Denmark as a colonial power seen nized, informative thematic sections. Instead, through the lens of its material culture (Mikkel their traditional chronological structure some‐ Venborg Pedersen); an evaluation of Danish colo‐ times even blocks the view of broader develop‐ nialism in comparison with other European states ments. The innovative potential of the four vol‐ (Michael Bregnsbo); and a colourful investigation umes rather lies in their perspective which pri‐ of Danish popular colonial culture up to the marily locates the individual colonies in the histo‐ present (Anne Folke Henningsen). ry of their regional environment and which focus‐ Overall, the book, by inserting Denmark into es on cultural encounters between colonizers and the wider history of European colonialism, makes colonized rather than purely Danocentric views. a valuable contribution to recent research. At Thus, the volume Vestindien – probably the times, the authors are so painstakingly concerned most intriguing of the series – frmly places the to leave the narrative of the Danish ‘special path’ three islands St Thomas, St Croix and St Jan with‐ that they miss pointing out what was special in the wider history of the rise and fall of the Car‐ about their subject, though. Thus, a highly rele‐ ibbean sugar economy and of the triangular vant, almost overarching question of the entire trade. To achieve a primarily Afro-Caribbean per‐ volume is whether there existed such a thing as a spective, the expert authors unearthed some strik‐ “positive colonial and imperial ideology” (pp. 171, ing sources on life in the tropics. Due to its won‐ 200) in Denmark, or whether the Danish colonial derful narrative coherence – each chapter starts empire was a mere product of chance. Collective‐ with a paradigmatic biography which illustrates ly, the authors seem to negate the relevance of the the grand developments of the subsequent pages concept of “imperialism” (as opposed to practical – the tome efortlessly guides the reader through “colonialism”, p. 60), their explanations not going history, from the 17th-century establishment of much beyond the mercantilist model (pp. 200, the plantations to the process of Christianization 274). Michael Bregnsbo at least also points to the and Creolization through to the gradual abolition Danish Atlantic Isles Association as a later, private of slavery and the fnal sale of the now US-Ameri‐ movement favouring a strengthened colonial em‐ can Virgin Islands. Particularly Chapter V pro‐ pire as a matter of national prestige (p. 171). What vides a nuanced revision of the popular narrative is missing, though, is a discussion of the notion of how slavery was abolished in 1848, demystifying “informal imperialism” and in how far secondary Governor-General Peter von Scholten and instead powers such as Denmark (a major shipping and putting a new focus on the agency of leading Afro- trading nation throughout the centuries!) did not Caribbeans such as General Buddhoe. use their inconspicuous, neutral image to gain ex‐ The volume Vestafrika can be read as a pen‐ actly this informal infuence which would become dant to Vestindien. Despite its small-step chrono‐ such a central theme towards the end of the 19th logical structure, it provides good insights into the century. A comparison with other minor rather complex local situation of the African Gold Coast than major powers and their strategies might (now Ghana) which a handful of Danish mer‐ have been helpful here. chants had to negotiate to establish and hold trad‐ While a desirable English edition of Danmark: ing stations on the second vertex of the triangular En Kolonimagt could make worthwhile reading trade. The volume highlights the high level of co‐ for all historians of European colonialism, the oth‐ operation with other European and especially er four volumes of the series address a more geo‐ with local African elites which was needed to

3 H-Net Reviews keep up a regular slave fow to the West Indies. period of colonial (dream) expansion which still Especially naval specialist Erik Gøbel’s Chapter needs much further exploration. VII puts the Danish slave trade into a much-need‐ The fnal volume of the series studies an alto‐ ed wider perspective, showing how the proftless, gether diferent space: Grønland, Denmark’s Artic marginal activities of the Danes in Africa were all and last remaining colony. It presents the North geared towards securing the self-sufciency of Atlantic island and its surrounding fshing their tropical treasury. The most intriguing sec‐ grounds as contested territory throughout the tion, though, is Daniel Hopkins’ investigation of ages which the Danish-Norwegian Kingdom suc‐ the curious plans for an actual Danish colony cessfully claimed for itself, from the “improvised (Guinea) entertained by King Frederik VI, the emi‐ colonialism” (p. 105) of the early 18th century to nent politician Ernst Schimmelmann, the bureau‐ the present era of climate change. From a Danish crat Peter Thonning and others between 1788 and perspective, the colonization of Greenland was a 1855. Not only does Hopkins’ account prove the two-edged project: On the one hand, a paternalis‐ existence of a colonialist-imperialist ideology tic civilizing mission aiming for the Christianiza‐ among some Danish circles, it also gives the most tion, the reform and protection of the Inuit popu‐ straightforward reason why the miniscule African lation; on the other hand, a system of monopoly forts were included in a series about Denmark’s trade exploiting a traditional whaling and seal- colonies. hunting society. That Denmark was even involved Probably the most dazzling site of Danish in projects of “colonial expansion” and imperialist colonial activity were the trading stations Tran‐ thinking in the Age of Empire is demonstrated by quebar and Serampore in India. Already in its Søren Rud’s description of the exploration and de‐ frst chapter, the volume Indien thus provides a velopment of East Greenland in the 1880s–1900s. colourful introduction to the South-East-Indian The central theme of the second part of the vol‐ Coromandel Coast as a “centre of the world’s big‐ ume is the awakening national and political con‐ gest trading system” (p. 20) which awakened the sciousness of the Greenlandic people and how it desires of European companies and absolutist was accommodated by the Danish government monarchs such as Christian IV. The following until frst home rule (hjemmestyre) and then self- chapters highlight how, even more than in Africa, government (selvstyre) were achieved in the ofcials of the Danish East India Company had 1979/2009, respectively. Greenland’s growing to submit to the complex social and political terms geostrategic importance from World War II on‐ and conditions of the varying kingdoms of this re‐ wards, the Danifying reform projects of the post- gion to secure their trade. The entire volume war era and the growing counter-movement for a traces how the notoriously underfunded Danes more Greenlandic Greenland bring us right to the were competing with several other European na‐ present and to the nascent public debate about tions and particularly how they accommodated to the nature of Danish colonialism in the Artic and the growing British presence in India. Serampore elsewhere. College, opened in 1818, is described as an impor‐ It is the opening-up of this debate to a broad‐ tant centre of intellectual life. The most bafing er public and the introduction to European, Carib‐ chapter, though, is Simon Rastén’s short overview bean, African, Indian as well as Arctic discourses of the altogether six attempts by several Danish which presents the strongest merits of this highly expeditions to colonize the inhospitable Nicobar knowledgeable series. Overall, the four individual Islands across the Bay of Bengal between 1755 volumes might have profted from a thematic and 1848. Again, it demonstrates how Denmark rather than chronological structure which would participated in colonialist-imperialist dreams in a

4 H-Net Reviews have enabled a more integrative and comparative analysis of the separate colonial spaces instead of individual themes getting lost in disconnected subsections. For example, the central role of vari‐ ous religious missions, particularly the Hallen‐ sians and the Moravians, across the entire Danish colonial empire could have been highlighted by specially dedicated chapters. On another note, the assertion that a poly- rather than Euro- or Danocentric approach is attempted is, unfortu‐ nately, not supported by the inclusion of academic voices from the former colonies, apart from Greenland. Nevertheless, by presenting the ‘pe‐ ripheral’ power Denmark(-Norway) as a colonial empire spanning four continents and as a would- be global player which, at least until 1848, partici‐ pated in colonial expansion as much – or little – as it could, the series flls a gap – not only in Danish public consciousness, but also in the study of colo‐ nial history at large.

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/

Citation: Miriam Schneider. Review of Brimmes, Niels. Danmark og kolonierne: Indien: Tranquebar, Serampore og Nicobarerne. ; Gulløv, Hans Christian. Danmark og kolonierne: Grønland: Den arktiske koloni. ; Hernæs, Per Oluf. Danmark og kolonierne: Vestafrika: Forterne på Guldkysten. ; Olsen, Poul Erik. Danmark og kolonierne: Vestindien: St. Croix, St. Thomas og St. Jan. ; Venborg Pedersen, Mikkel. Danmark og kolonierne: Danmark: En kolonimagt. H-Soz-u-Kult, H-Net Reviews. May, 2018.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=52305

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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