Archive

Into the Silence: The Nordic World as Encapsulated in Skaldic Poetry

By Johanna Weissing University of Wisconsin–Madison Words, after speech, reach Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern, Can words or music reach The stillness, as a Chinese jar still  Moves perpetually in its stillness.1 In any attempt to study and understand a culture, one must take into account the material and artistic products of that culture, including its architecture, tools and traditions of music, and visual art. Perhaps the aspect of a culture that conveys the greatest insights…

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Old Norse Women of Inspiration

By Linnea Rock University of Wisconsin–Madison From before the days of written history, women have endured societal hardships, as in most situations they were deemed subordinate. Thankfully there have been many examples of great women who have found ways to assert themselves in a male-dominated world, a contingency of which had taken root in medieval Scandinavia. In mythology and medieval stories, there are accounts of women possessing strength and a willingness to weaken boundaries between normal gender roles. Many of these…

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Dangerous Women, or Obedient Vessels?

By Linnea Rock University of Wisconsin–Madison Amidst the entirety of entertainment available and loved today, it is relieving to discover thought-provoking content occasionally exists. Using modern forms of entertainment is a great way to criticize social norms and to inform others about different ideas. This makes it possible for one’s ideas to reach a wide audience because of the popularity and accessibility of media to people of all class levels. Today’s popular media forms are full of societal critiques, but…

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Iceland by Robby McCullough

Iceland’s Economic (In)stability

By Thomas Malcolm University of Wisconsin–Madison Iceland has an incredibly spotty history in regard to its economy. After Iceland’s latest economic crash of 2008, its name actually began to be associated with crisis and economic disaster.1 This notion, however, is more appropriate than one may come to believe from the crash of 2008 alone. For the last century, Iceland has been riddled by a cycle of economic expansion and collapse. However, I believe that despite its history, in today’s world…

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Features of Nineteenth-Century Swedish Agriculture and their Demographic Impact

By Benjamin Groth University of Wisconsin–Madison The mid-nineteenth century was, in many ways, a period of pronounced transition in Sweden’s history and bore multifarious paradigm shifts in almost every facet of Swedish society. Of particular note are demographic and infrastructural development; Sweden, like much of Europe at this time, underwent industrialization and institutional reform, though the processes were sometimes more ambiguous and later-occurring than continental trajectories.1 Pronounced urbanization and growth of per capita GDP began only in the later part of…

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Pride Flag by Sasel13

Continually Striving for Sexual Equality in Denmark

By Cori Garrett University of Wisconsin–Madison Scandinavian countries have been global leaders in the race for social equality during the past two and half centuries, through the establishment of universal suffrage for women and the beginning of wage equality in Scandinavia prior to World War II. The granting of equality for women, the largest minority group in Scandinavia at this time, opened up the opportunity for other marginalized groups to advance their fight for universal equality. One group or community…

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