Bates College SCARAB Honors Theses Capstone Projects 5-2020 The Construction of Exceptionalist Nationalism: A Critique of Danish Imperialist Shame and Ongoing Colonialism in Kalaallit Nunaat Sofie Lee Sogaard Bates College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses Recommended Citation Sogaard, Sofie Lee, "The Construction of Exceptionalist Nationalism: A Critique of Danish Imperialist Shame and Ongoing Colonialism in Kalaallit Nunaat" (2020). Honors Theses. 332. https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/332 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects at SCARAB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of SCARAB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Construction of Exceptionalist Nationalism: A Critique of Danish Imperialist Shame and Ongoing Colonialism in Kalaallit Nunaat An Honors Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of American Cultural Studies Bates College In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts By Sofie Lee Søgaard Lewiston, Maine April 2020 i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I want to thank the Indigenous communities of Kalaallit Nunaat, whose voices and generosity made this thesis possible. Without your collaboration, this thesis could not exist. Thank you to my advisor Professor Kristen Barnett, who has guided me through my four years at Bates with wisdom and kindness. Thank you to the American Studies Department for your flexibility and encouragement. Thank you to my family: Mamma, Pappa, Kristian, Niels, Peanut, and RBG for your unwavering love and support. I love you! Mara and Topher, thank you for always being there for me. You have been my rocks these past four years. I love you more than I could ever express in an acknowledgement. “The Rat Pack” (you know why you are). Thank you for your constant stream of “tea” and chaos. I love you forever. Thank you to the Multifaith Chaplaincy for being a space of refuge and peaceful retreat. Brittany, Raymond, and Zara, you are wonderful! Thank you to Lexie Mucci, the kindest person I have ever known. Please come back to Bates! Thank you to the Anthropology Department for the Hamill Grant; the Center of Global Education for the Barlow Grant; and Bates College for the Bates Student Research Fund. ii Abstract This research provides an anti-colonial perspective on Denmark's ongoing colonial relationship with the Inuit peoples in Kalaallit Nunaat. The objectives of this work are to explore the foundational reasons behind the nation’s lack of transparency when discussing its imperialist past and present focusing on the construction of exceptionalism and the use of the educational system as a tool of cultural violence. It includes interviews with members of Inuit communities in Nuuk and Odense that address topics of colonial history, national identity, school systems in Kalaallit Nunaat, and lived experience through local Indigenous perspectives. This thesis is rooted in a process of academic thought that prioritizes Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems and is written with the philosophy of creating a product with and for Indigenous communities. It centers the idea that radical, anti-racist, anti-colonial frameworks are a threat to the oppressive social order within which Indigenous peoples are currently located and are the key to creating real change. Further, the thesis acknowledges the history of research as a tool of colonialism disempowering Indigenous communities and using Indigenous peoples as passive objects in, and of, western research. As a result, the personal narratives used as its core were collected in an ethical manner and participants were reimbursed with honorariums and provided copies of interviews and additional documentation including editorial power of the final thesis. At its core, this thesis hopes to amplify and center Indigenous peoples and their voices, bringing national imperialism to the forefront of the Danish conscience. ii Table of Contents: Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Theory: Radical Possibilities in Academia ....................................................................................... 5 The Use of Theory in Decolonizing Research ............................................................................... 6 Theoretical Applications .............................................................................................................. 8 Post-Colonial Theory ................................................................................................................. 10 Anti-Colonial Theory ................................................................................................................. 13 Decolonizing Theory .................................................................................................................. 21 Indigenous Theory ..................................................................................................................... 29 Thoughts on Research ................................................................................................................ 43 Kalaallit Nunaat Creation Story ................................................................................................ 50 The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago .......................................................................... 51 A Western Perspective of the History of Kalaallit Nunaat .......................................................... 53 Nationalism and Exceptionalism .................................................................................................... 58 Nation and State: Understanding Nationalism ........................................................................... 60 Danish Exceptionalism ............................................................................................................... 68 Language and Schools ................................................................................................................... 81 Language and Schools in Kalaallit Nunaat ................................................................................. 82 Language/Schools’ Influence on Colonialism ............................................................................. 91 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 100 Interview Methods: .................................................................................................................. 103 General Ethics.......................................................................................................................... 110 Interview Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 111 Cultural Identity ...................................................................................................................... 112 History ..................................................................................................................................... 119 General Feelings and Experiences ............................................................................................ 131 Trump and the USA ................................................................................................................. 140 Possibilities .................................................................................................................................. 143 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 147 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 159 Appendix A: Informed Consent Forms Interviews ........................................................................ 159 1 Appendix B: Debriefing Form .................................................................................................... 160 Appendix C: Internal Review Board Approval ............................................................................. 161 Appendix D: Interview Questions ............................................................................................... 162 Appendix E: Participant 1 Interview Transcript ............................................................................ 163 Appendix F: Participant 2 Interview Transcript ............................................................................ 166 Appendix G: Participant 3 Interview Answer ............................................................................... 169 Appendix H: Participant 4 Interview Transcript ........................................................................... 173 Appendix I: Participant 5 Interview Transcript ............................................................................. 177 Appendix J: Participant 6 Interview Transcript............................................................................