What does the colonial past mean to the ongoing dynamics between Greenland, Denmark – and the US?

On January 7th, Donald Trump, jr, the son of the President elect of the US, suddenly landed in Nuuk airport, the capital of Greenland. The visit came after several comments from Donald Trump that he intents to buy Greenland. The aspirations of the US put an enormous pressure on the Greenlandic state formation process that has taken place since Denmark in 2009 accepted Greenland as Self- governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark with the right to form its own state. It also forces Denmark too reconsider its relations – past and present – with Greenland bringing historical injustices and discrimination of Greenlanders into the core of political debate.

In this lecture, Astrid Nonbo Andersen, a visiting professor at CSO/Sciences Po, will look into the way colonial memory politics in Greenland and Denmark informs the dynamics between the two countries. This includes the formation of the Greenland Reconciliation Commission in 2013, the revelations of the IUD scandals in 2022, and Trump, jr.’s visit that has sparked new discussions on how to deal with the past and its lingering effects.

Speaker : Astrid Nonbo Andersen’s primary research focus is on historical justice and the politics of history and memory theory. Her work on memory politics, historical justice, reconciliation, and restitution primarily centers on Scandinavia and Greenland. Currently, she is involved in a research project examining Truth and/or Reconciliation processes in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. She has also conducted research on the Greenlandic reconciliation process, Danish colonial memories, and the restitution demands raised against Denmark by groups in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Program :
 

• Welcoming remarks by Sarah Gensburger, CNRS Research Director, Center for the Sociology of Organisations (CSO, Sciences Po/CNRS)
• Introduction by Stéphanie Balme, Director of CERI, Center for International Studies (Sciences Po/CNRS)
• Presentation by Astrid Nonbo Andersen, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies
• Opening of the discussion by Sandrine Lefranc, CNRS Research Director, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE, Sciences Po/CNRS)

This event is organized by Center for the Sociology of Organisations, Center for International Studies and Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics.