42 43 Reviews the Lost Scandinavism. from Indian Summer to Nordic Winter
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
42reviews 43 The lost Scandinavism. From Indian summer to Nordic winter Ruth Hemstad HE SCANDINAVISM OF the 19th matters such as banking questions were and institutional cooperation easier. It pate in the first Nordic history conference, the Nordic year in the group of nationally signifi- Fra Indian summer til century is depicted mostly as discussed. Bo Stråth, in his Union och was very much a unifying nationalism, Games, and the third Nordic Chess Congress. For cant years. 1814, 1905, and 1940/1945 nordisk vinter: a movement on the losing end demokrati: De förenade rikena Sverige– and thus parallel to the contemporary Swedes, Scandinavism was seen almost as an invective jointly contribute to an overarching Skandinavisk Tof history. When the idea of a Norge 1814–1905 [Union and Democracy: national aspirations found in other at- after 1905. In 1906, the Swedes boycotted a Nordic national story of the country’s struggle samarbeid, unification of the Danish, Norwegian, The United Kingdoms of Sweden and tempts to create unity, Germany and student meeting with a Christian program, as well as for liberation. The interpretation of the skandinavisme og and Swedish peoples was put to the test Norway, 1814–1905] (2005), has also Italy. With its primarily cultural orienta- a Nordic meeting on colleges and universities the year Union period is still politically explosive unionsoppløsningen during the Second Schleswig War (also drawn attention to the issue, partly tion, Neo-Scandinavism was not a com- after. Countless other meetings were canceled or post- in Norway. In 2005, groups who are known as the Danish-Prussian War) in with the help of Hemstad’s previously petitor in the same way to the national- poned. A veterinary congress planned for 1907 wasn’t against the EU equated — as they did TORBJÖRN NILSSON [From Indian Summer to 1863–64, it fell victim to the realpolitik published articles. The cooperation has ism of the individual countries, which held until 1921. The sixth Nordic peace conference in earlier in the battle over Norwegian Associate professor of Nordic Winter: Scan- of national egoism. Despite previous however not heretofore been set into a led to a flowering of the movement at 1906 didn’t take place until 1910. After difficult nego- membership — the Swedish governance history, works at the dinavian Cooperation, (Swedish) pledges, the Danes were left broader historical perspective, and the the turn of the century. Nonetheless, tiations, the eighth Nordic Sunday school meeting was of the Union from Stockholm with the Institute of Contempo- Scandinavism, and the to their own devices. Scandinavism numerous and varied types of meetings it was seen as a threat in Norwegian also canceled in 1907. Even these forms of seemingly power of today’s European Union in rary History, Södertörn Dissolution of the Union] failed the test when its rhetoric was con- have not been investigated systemati- patriotic circles. Why strive for coop- peaceful meetings could resume only after the Great Brussels. A critical attitude towards University. Has written a Dissertation. Oslo, fronted with harsh reality. Denmark lost cally in the way that Hemstad has now eration with the state whose influence War. The women’s movements in the two countries the EU often went hand in hand with major work on the history Akademisk Publisering the war and ended up in the shadow of done. About a hundred different types over language and culture one wished also came into conflict with each other, something that a downplaying of the harmonious ele- of the Swedish right. 2008. 653 pages. the powerful German empire that was of meetings, conferences, and the like to counteract (Denmark), and with the Inger Hammar has shown in her För freden och rösträt- ments from the time of the Union in Editor of the Swedish created in 1871. Scandinavism appeared have been identified in the period from state with which one wanted to sever ten: Kvinnorna och den svensk-norska unionens sista da- favor of an image of Swedish oppression journal Personhistorisk to have been buried forever. 1839 to 1905, and an equal number can ties (Sweden)? gar [For Peace and the Right to Vote: Women and the and Norwegian resistance. Tidskrift [Journal of Per- In the preceding decades, the tone be added from the period beginning Final Days of the Swedish-Norwegian Union] (2004). sonal History]. had been different. Scandinavian with the dissolution of the Union, and HEMSTad’s DISSERTATION has a basis in The 1905 Nordic Conference on the Woman’s Ques- ALTHOUGH THE QUESTION of the Union student meetings in Uppsala in 1843, ending in 1929. conceptual history. Within the tradi- tion [Kvinnosaksmötet] was canceled and held in 1914 and the conflicts of the previous turn Copenhagen in 1845, Kristiania (Oslo) The concept Scandinavism is not tion of conceptual history, represented instead. Thus, after 1905, winter prevailed. In view of of the century do not elicit any sig- FROM GEDDEHOLMS GÅRD, VÄSTERÅS STADSARKIV in 1851, Uppsala in 1856, and Copen- identical with Scandinavian coopera- primarily by the German researcher the meetings and conferences that were canceled or nificant excitement in today’s Sweden, hagen in 1862, to name just a few, had 1864 of the idea of a unified political entity, but rather tion. In order to speak of Scandinavism Reinhart Koselleck, concepts are cut back because of conflict surrounding the Union, the symbolic force of the history has garnered much attention. In emotional experienced a — albeit brief — heyday. She refers to this per se, more is needed than patholo- seen as ambiguous, malleable, and one can even speak of an ice age. not disappeared. In the fall of 2008, speeches and countless toasts, the period in the 1890s with a concept taken from Erik Ru- gists, folk dance enthusiasts, and ortho- context-dependent. Often, there are When the exchange slowly resumed around the the municipality of Malmö (Sweden) friendship among the three peoples deng: “Indian summer”, a time of warmth before the pedists have conferences or gatherings debates over how the concepts should First World War, not gaining much momentum until discussed a proposal to invite the three was cemented. Swedish monarchs such cold sets in with the coming of “the Nordic winter”. that bring together people from across be interpreted, debates that may shed the 1920s, people didn’t look back to the experiences royal families to the city in connection as Oscar I and Charles XV committed These metaphors based on the seasons are central in the Nordic borders. There is a risk that light on the relevant political history, of Scandinavism. The term “Nordic” fit much better with the centenary of the meeting of the themselves to Scandinavism in a variety Hemstad’s account. the rich flora of types of exchange pre- among other things. A standard work — partly to suppress Scandinavism, a suppression for three kings (“trekungamötet”) there in of ways. Their motives were less ideal- sented in the book will necessarily yield in the area is the extensive lexicon that which the parties involved might have different incen- 1914, in which the monarchs and foreign istic than those of the enthusiastic stu- AS NOTED, THE dissertation is extensive — 653 pages. a picture of a grand, immense Scandi- Koselleck, along with Otto Brunner and tives, partly to include Finland as well, which had ministers of the countries participated. dents — the monarchs wanted to create The notes alone (2,252 of them, some very detailed) navism. The author is aware of the prob- Werner Conze, starting in the 1970s, achieved independence in 1917. Also, as a symptom of The meeting was mainly intended to a super-Nordic kingdom under Swedish fill up nearly 160 pages, itself the size recommended in lem, and strives to elucidate that which prepared over the course of twenty this, Föreningen Norden (The Nordic Association) was show the world that the countries were leadership. Sweden in the 1970s for an entire doctoral thesis. That is not merely the sort of cooperation years: Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe: His- founded in 1919. united in their neutrality during the norm is however long since dead and gone, and Swed- that results from practical professional torisches Lexikon zur politisch-sozialen world war that had broken out earlier THE PAINFUL DEFEAT of political Scandi- ish dissertations in history often tend to be tomes. In interests or other practical reasons, Sprache in Deutschland. The polemical IT IS THE DISSOLUTION of the Union in 1905 which that year. At the same time, the meeting navism has contributed to other forms Hemstad’s dissertation, incidentally, an appendix with but which, in addition, has some con- force of concepts appears to be strong- constitutes the true breakdown of the Scandinavist helped accelerate the cooperation that of Scandinavism being neglected by the results of the survey of Nordic arrangements (that nection to Scandinavism’s message of a est in the tension between what is movement, or movements, as one should perhaps say the Nordic winter had left frozen. The research. In general, the myriad of is, not simply Scandinavian, but at times also includ- shared identity and culture. The coop- described as the space of experience — there were of course countless exchanges and co- proposal at hand, however, fell victim to forms of cooperation between the as- ing Finnish participation), from the period 1839—1929, eration or collaborative effort must be (Erfahrungsraum) and horizon of ex- operative efforts of various sorts. The Indian summer opposition from the left. One argument sociations of a highly diverse nature is also included. In addition, a separate register of seen by those involved to have a value pectations (Erwartungshorisont). The during the preceding decade had been overshadowed from the Social Democrats involved the that characterized the Scandinavism of gatherings makes it possible to find all the meetings, in itself in order to qualify as Scandi- discussion of concepts plays a central by the sharp contradictions of the dissolution of the undemocratic circumstances of that late 19th century has been overlooked by from conferences on schools for disabled children navism.