'Vi er alle Australiere': the migrant newspaper Norden and its promotion of pan-Scandinavian unity within Australia, 1896-1940

PhD Thesis


Emmerson, Mark Joseph. 2014. 'Vi er alle Australiere': the migrant newspaper Norden and its promotion of pan-Scandinavian unity within Australia, 1896-1940. PhD Thesis Doctor of Philosophy. University of Southern Queensland.
Title

'Vi er alle Australiere': the migrant newspaper Norden and its promotion of pan-Scandinavian unity within Australia,
1896-1940

TypePhD Thesis
Authors
AuthorEmmerson, Mark Joseph
SupervisorDewhirst, Catherine
Connors, Libby
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
Qualification NameDoctor of Philosophy
Number of Pages301
Year2014
Abstract

Between 1825 and 1930 over two million Scandinavians left their homelands as part of a mass exodus from Northern Europe, settling across the face of the globe and reestablishing networks of imagined communion. The Scandinavian-Australian newspaper, Norden (1896-1940), was integral in creating such networks and connecting migrant communities across vast transnational spaces, as well as
historicising the extent of the Scandinavian diaspora’s activities in the Antipodes. As a comprehensive, chronologically detailed record of the migrant communities’
activities and aspirations over almost half a century, Norden’s records have been a veritable gold mine of information concerning one of Australasia’s overlooked
minority groups. However, despite its immense value as a source and significance as a long-lived migrant institution, a thorough history of the Scandinavian-Australian migrant press remains unwritten. Furthermore, its overlooked importance as a cultural and social connector – and pan-Scandinavian community unifier – warrants direct scholarly attention.

This thesis charts the history of the Scandinavian foreign-language press in Australasia, from the first attempts to establish a migrant newspaper in the 1850s to the decline of Norden and its readership during World War II. Norden’s
establishment in the 1890s enabled scattered Scandinavian readers to identify as a small yet unified cultural group, and their ensuing involvement in wider society
marks it as a significant site for migrant community-building despite Australia’s vast distances. More importantly, this thesis uses Norden’s influence to examine two major historiographical issues regarding Scandinavian-Australian migrants, namely pan-Scandinavian versus nationalist sentiments and the reactions of Scandinavians to
Australian assimilation pressures. I argue that the Scandinavian foreign-language press transcended initial goals of reconnecting migrants to their countries of origin,
and instead was critically influential in attempting to ethnicise a united Scandinavian-Australian identity. As an informational vehicle of first-generation migrants, Norden enabled isolated Scandinavians to reconnect on grounds of shared heritage and receive relevant news based on their individual circumstances, tailored to them in their own vernacular languages. It also gave a fragmented segment of
Australia’s immigrant population a much-needed sense of direction and purpose. While fostering this united sense of community was, in itself, insufficient to guarantee migrant identity, Norden’s continual enunciation of its readership’s
uncertain status within Australian society – especially through the airing of grievances and stories of societal friction – worked together with other political,
economic and social exclusionary factors to drive expressions of a ‘Scandinavian-Australian’ migrant group identity forward.

Norden acted as a powerful symbol of pan-Scandinavian unity at a time when homeland nationalist sentiments threatened to fragment migrants into separate Swedish, Danish and Norwegian groups, and destroy a united readership. While the
individual nationalisation of migrant churches, clubs and societies limited the efficacy of pan-Scandinavian co-operation in Australia, this thesis argues that migrant newspapers required an inclusive pan-Scandinavian readership for economic and social survival. It is here that Norden’s real significance is evident. In reestablishing networks of belonging and encouraging socially constructed migrant groups to exist within a framework of dominant British-Australian society, Norden
was indirectly combating assimilation pressures felt by its first-generation readership through the continuation of shared heritage, languages, and pan-Scandinavian
cultural pursuits. In rallying a readership to its united cause, Norden ensured its own survival for as long as the migrant community’s sense of ethnic identity lasted.

KeywordsNorden; Scandinavian-Australian newspaper; migrant newspaper; pan-Scandinavian unity
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020470211. Migrant cultural studies
470212. Multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural studies
430302. Australian history
Byline AffiliationsStudent Management Division
Permalink -

https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q2y2z/-vi-er-alle-australiere-the-migrant-newspaper-norden-and-its-promotion-of-pan-scandinavian-unity-within-australia-1896-1940

Download files


Published Version
Emmerson_2014_whole.pdf
File access level: Anyone

  • 1992
    total views
  • 2161
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 5
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Mis/Understanding Jens Lyng: Revisiting the Racialised Studies of an Early Twentieth-Century Historian
Emmerson, Mark. 2024. "Mis/Understanding Jens Lyng: Revisiting the Racialised Studies of an Early Twentieth-Century Historian." Australian Historical Studies. 55 (3), pp. 464-484. https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2023.2287507
Inquiry-based learning as an adaptive signature pedagogy in international relations
Carniel, Jessica, Emmerson, Mark and Gehrmann, Richard. 2024. "Inquiry-based learning as an adaptive signature pedagogy in international relations." International Studies Perspectives. 25 (3), pp. 308-324. https://doi.org/10.1093/isp/ekad015
A Readership of Convenience: Macro-National Cooperation within the Scandinavian-Australian Newspaper Norden, 1896–1940
Emmerson, Mark. 2023. "A Readership of Convenience: Macro-National Cooperation within the Scandinavian-Australian Newspaper Norden, 1896–1940." Journal of Australian Studies. 47 (3), pp. 462-477. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2023.2197006
The Learning Centre: Supporting student success
Kek, Megan, Padro, Fernando, Kimmins, Lindy, Frederiks, Anita, Ayriss, Peter, Emmerson, Mark, Thangavelu, Anbarasu, Dickson, Bronwen, McCarthy, Elizabeth, Devi, Aruna, Eacersall, Douglas and Atwell, Brenda. 2016. "The Learning Centre: Supporting student success." Learning and Teaching Celebration. Toowoomba, Australia 2016 Toowoomba, Australia.
Meet-Up Program: Peer learning for success
Kimmins, Lindy, Eacersall, Douglas, Devi, Aruna, Kek, Megan, Frederiks, Anita, Emmerson, Mark, Thangavelu, Eddie, Dickson, Bronwen and McCarthy, Elizabeth. 2016. "Meet-Up Program: Peer learning for success." Learning and Teaching Celebration. Toowoomba, Australia 2016 Toowoomba, Australia.
Academic Integrity Working Group Report
Hay, Catherine, Sherwin, Leonie, Dowe, Amelia, Eacersall, Douglas, Emmerson, Mark and Thangavelu, Anbarasu. 2017. Academic Integrity Working Group Report. Toowoomba, Australia. University of Southern Queensland.
North/South: the Great European divide
Emmerson, Mark. 2017. "North/South: the Great European divide." Journal of Contemporary European Studies. 25 (2), pp. 281-283. https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2017.1291880
Anders Breivik and the Rise of Islamophobia
Emmerson, Mark. 2015. "Anders Breivik and the Rise of Islamophobia." Journal of Contemporary European Studies. 23 (4), pp. 553-555. https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2015.1067449
Communicating 'Success' with Research Students: Institutional Responsibilities in Encouraging a Culture of Research Higher Degree Completions
Emmerson, Mark. 2019. "Communicating 'Success' with Research Students: Institutional Responsibilities in Encouraging a Culture of Research Higher Degree Completions." Machin, Tanya M., Clara, Marc and Danaher, Patrick Alan (ed.) Traversing the Doctorate Reflections and Strategies from Students, Supervisors and Administrators. Cham, Switzerland. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 57-73
Too remote, too primitive and too expensive: Scandinavian settlers in colonial Queensland
Emmerson, Mark. 2015. "Too remote, too primitive and too expensive: Scandinavian settlers in colonial Queensland." Queensland Historical Atlas. 3 March 2015.
Incognita: The invention and discovery of Terra Australis by G.A. Mawer
Emmerson, Mark. 2015. "Incognita: The invention and discovery of Terra Australis by G.A. Mawer." Queensland Review. 22 (2), pp. 210-211. https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2015.23
Gold, ink, and bitter disappointment: Swedish journalist Corfitz Cronqvist in Australasia, 1857-95
Emmerson, Mark. 2013. "Gold, ink, and bitter disappointment: Swedish journalist Corfitz Cronqvist in Australasia, 1857-95." Melbourne Historical Journal. 41, pp. 65-81.
Behind the 'Big Man': uncovering hidden migrant networks within Scandinavian-Australian sources
Emmerson, Mark. 2010. "Behind the 'Big Man': uncovering hidden migrant networks within Scandinavian-Australian sources." Hayes, Anna and Mason, Robert (ed.) Migrant Security 2010: Citizenship and Social Inclusion in a Transnational Era. Toowoomba, Australia 15 - 16 Jul 2010 Toowoomba, Australia.