Keynote speaker

Stefan Nygård (University of Helsinki): Dealing with Decline: Scandinavian World-Making

Frederick William III’s assertion that military defeat can pave the way for national rejuvenation, made after Prussia’s loss at Jena-Auerstedt in 1806, resonates deeply within the modern histories of Denmark and Sweden. As these nations relinquished their status as European powers, they were compelled to redefine themselves as small or ‘middle powers’ throughout the nineteenth century. This presentation offers a long-term perspective on the innovative strategies employed by cultural and political actors, particularly in Denmark, to navigate this decline. It explores how these figures positioned either themselves, the city of Copenhagen, or the broader Scandinavian region, as unique intermediaries between the core and periphery of the global ‘world-system.’ By examining historical case studies, the talk aims to illuminate the motivations behind such acts of world-making and their broader implications for national trajectories and international roles.

 




Stefan Nygård is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Philosophy, History and Art Studies at the University of Helsinki and project leader at the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. He works on nineteenth- and twentieth-century European intellectual and cultural history and the histories of knowledge and politics. His recent publications include The Politics of Debt and Europe’s relations with the ‘South’ (2020) and co-edited volumes such as Decentering European Intellectual Space (2018), Rethinking European Social Democracy and Socialism (2022) and “Reflection, Creation and Modern Science” (Bergsoniana 4/2004).