Archive

Powerful Women in the Sagas By Ikwe Mennen

By Ikwe Mennenn University of Wisconsin–Madison The rise of feminism and the concept of women’s rights are thought to be very recent and many believe that women in the past had no power. However, women in medieval Iceland, though not equal to men, enjoyed a surprising amount of free­dom. Not everything is known about social dynamics of the time, but analyzing the Sagas of the Icelanders can reveal the women’s various freedoms and influences. Women could often choose their husbands…

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An American In… Petrozavodsk: Finnish-American Emigration to Soviet Karelia

By Zachary Strom University of Wisconsin–Madison Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the familiar story of emigration was one of a lone individual or a family leaving a homeland that was without promise and searching for renewed prospects in life, boarding a ship to take them to a virgin land to pursue a dream. For the overwhelming number of these people, that virgin land was in the Americas, and the dream that they were pursuing has been termed…

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Transatlantic: The Role of Gender Expectations in Birgitte Evensen’s Story of Emigration and Assimilation

By Nikki Link University of Wisconsin–Madison INTRODUCTION Loving another human being is never an easy task. Yet, imagine if that love had to not only venture from one heart to another, but also remain fossilized on yellowing paper, sent careening across a vast ocean, and over thousands upon thousands of miles of amber waves of grain. Imagine if the promise of eternal union meant leav­ing everything and everyone you know behind. For Birgitte Evensen, a privileged young Norwegian woman, those…

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A Day in Jokkmokk

By Benjamin Pflughoeft University of Wisconsin–Madison A handful of miles north of the Arctic Circle, nestled in the heart of Sweden’s northernmost province of Lappland, lies the small village of Jokkmokk. Normally a quiet and isolated community, every first weekend of February the population explodes as thousands descend upon the village for the annual Jokkmokk Market —a tradition dating back more than 400 years. The Jokkmokk Market is a beacon of traditional Sami culture, filled with music, trade, and various…

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How Finns Swear and What This Tells Us About Their Culture

By Emily Malone University of Wisconsin–Madison The first thing many people studying a foreign language for the first time want to learn is how to swear. To them, learning how to say “fuck you, asshole!” is much more important than being able to introduce themselves or have a basic conver­sation. The good thing for people that love to swear and curse is that these phe­nomena are universal. All cultures and languages have plentiful means for people to spew obscenities. Where…

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In the Case of David v. David

By Kerry Jarvi University of Nebraska “So, where are you from?” is the polite way of asking “Who are you?” to strangers. Either way I remain conflicted answering the question. The honest, full answer of this question is much too complicated to give most people who ask. My answers all have varying levels of detail, and I’ve learned from experience to give the one that will require the least explanation. If the person is actually interested in getting to know…

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