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Sweden-Norway at the Berlin Conference 1884–85: History, national identity-making and Sweden's relations with Africa
Philosophy and History, KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Philosophy and History of Technology, History of Science, Technology and Environment, Stockholm, Sweden.
2013 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The image of Sweden is one of a small, democratic and peace-loving country without the moral burden of a colonial past. However, in this Current African Issues publication, the notion that Sweden lacks a colonial past in Africa is brought into question. At the Berlin Conference 1884–85, the rules for colonisation of Africa were agreed upon among a handful of white men. With the blessing of King Oscar II, the united kingdoms of Sweden-Norway participated in the Berlin conference, ratified the resulting convention and signed a trade agreement with King Leopold’s International Congo Association. Thereafter, hundreds of Swedish militaries, seamen and missionaries took an active part in the brutal colonial project in the Congo. What was Sweden-Norway really doing at the Berlin Conference and in the ensuing Scramble for Africa? Is it now time to re-assess Swedish identity in relation to Africa, an identity so far centered on colonial innocence?

Dr DAVID NILSSON is a researcher at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research focuses on global longterm perspectives on sustainable development in Africa.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 2013. , p. 54
Series
Current African issues, ISSN 0280-2171 ; 53
Keywords [en]
Sweden, Africa, Foreign relations, Colonialism, International politics, Colonial history
National Category
History
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1793ISBN: 978-91-7106-738-8 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:nai-1793DiVA, id: diva2:650999
Projects
Sweden and the Origins of Natural Resources Colonialism
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Note

CONTENTS: The scramble for Africa from a Nordic perspective -- The United Kingdoms of Sweden-Norway in the run-up to Berlin  -- The Berlin Conference from the perspective of Sweden-Norway -- Discussion: What was Sweden doing in Berlin? -- Conclusions: a "new" colonial past for Sweden? -- Literature -- Appendices

Available from: 2013-09-24 Created: 2013-09-24 Last updated: 2022-02-15Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
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  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
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  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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