Known as one of the happiest countries in the world, this small Scandinavian nation has a lot to offer. Denmark is the setting for Viking sagas, Hans Christian Andersen tales like the Little Mermaid, and landscapes that inspired Tolkein. Centuries of such lore precede a traveler who visits Denmark. Denmark also has quite a few modern institutions to brag about. These include LEGO, a badass cycling culture, and world-renowned restaurants like Noma and Alchemist.
I will be visiting Denmark in 2023 as a student in a University of Washington study abroad program called Colonialism, Culture, and Public Art Activation. Denmark certainly isn’t the first country that comes to mind when I think of colonialism and colonization. I’d be more likely to think of England, France, and Spain. But, for a relatively small country, it was more involved than I realized in the imperial jockeying that was happening amongst these Eurpoean nations.
How do national recollections of colonial history play out in a place like Denmark, which is geographically separated from the people who were the most negatively impacted by colonization? How do art and culture shape the way people understand their national histories? I am looking forward to exploring questions like these in this course, and I can’t wait to find out what other questions and insights will emerge during the program.
