Colonialism in Greenland: Tradition, Governance and Legacy (Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies)

This book explores how the Danish authorities governed the colonized population in Greenland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Two competing narratives of colonialism dominate in Greenland as well as Denmark. One narrative portrays the Danish colonial project as ruthless and brutal extraction of a vulnerable indigenousness people; the other narrative emphasizes almost exclusively the benevolent aspects of Danish rule in Greenland. Rather than siding with one of these narratives, this book investigates actual practices of colonial governance in Greenland with an outlook to the extensive international scholarship on colonialism and post-colonialism. The chapters address the intimate connections between the establishment of an ethnographic discourse and the colonial techniques of governance in Greenland. Thereby the book provides important nuances to the understanding of the historical relationship between Denmark and Greenland and links this historical trajectory to the present negotiations of Greenlandic identity. Colonialism in Greenland 4 Contents 6 List of Figures 7 List of Tables 8 1 Introduction 9 The Relationship Between Denmark and Greenland 10 Danish Exceptionalism 11 Notes 14 2 Ethnography, Time, and the Idealization of Tradition 16 Beyond Voice: Eskimo-Orientalism and the Colonial Project 16 Early Depictions of Inuit and Greenlanders: Civilized and Corrupted 19 The Anthropological Time-Portals 21 Ethnographic Discourse 24 The Women’s Boat Expedition and the True Greenlanders 28 Time, Space, and Cultural Ideals 31 Notes 35 3 Invoking Tradition as a Governance Strategy: Danish Colonial Policies in the Late Nineteenth Century 39 Ethnographic Discourse and the Rebirth of Tradition 40 Nineteenth-Century Greenland 41 Bringing Back Tradition: Hunters, Shepherds, and the Establishment of Local Boards 43 Combining Traditions with a New Social Landscape 47 Lists and Designations to Further Colonial Aims 49 Other Means to Preserve Traditional Practices 50 Colonial Governmentality and Tradition 55 The Specificity of the Colonial Project in Greenland 56 Notes 57 4 Achieving a Correct Blend: Tradition, Modernization, and the Formation of Identity 61 Intermarriage and Mixed Children as Tools and Targets of Colonial Governance 62 Modernization and Tradition among the Greenlandic Elite 65 Two Lives, Lived Differently 67 Achieving a Correct Blend 69 Notes 74 5 Diagnosing Vulnerability 78 Colonial Medicine 78 Medicine and Medical Experts in Greenland 80 Diagnosing the Greenlanders’ Vulnerability 81 Mental Disturbances in Greenland During the Colonial Era 82 Nangiarneq: Dizziness and Anxiety in a Kayak 84 First Theories: The Greenlanders’ Consumption of Coffee and Tobacco 85 Neurasthenia 87 Arctic Neurasthenia 88 Neurasthenia Across Metropole and Colony: Class, Gender, and the Primitive 90 Race, Mind, and the Complexities of Modern Life 92 Notes 95 6 Shame and Crime: The Effects and Afterlife of Tradition 100 Law and Order in Greenland: A Culture-based Penal System? 100 Ethnography and Punishment in Greenland 102 Peter Gundel: Intellectual and Criminal 104 Gundel Before the Mixed Courts of Justice 104 Gundel’s Complaint 106 A Childish Disposition—First Draft of a Penal Code 108 Stalled Implementation of the Penal Code 110 New Charges Against Gundel 110 Too Heavy an Armor––Second Draft for a Penal Code 111 “You Ought to Bear Your Shame in Silence” 113 The Juridical Expedition to Greenland 114 Shame and Crime: The Effects and Afterlife of Tradition 116 Notes 117 7 Toward a Postcolonial Greenland: Culture, Identity, and Colonial Legacy 123 From Sealing to Fishing: The Push for Equal Opportunities 123 Visions of a Modern Greenland: The Second Half of the Twentieth Century 126 The Reappearance of Ethnographic Discourse 128 Colonialism as the Evil Twin of Modernity? 131 Shame, Pride, and the Colonial Past 132 Politics, Language, and Reconciliation 136 The Reconciliation Commission 137 Industrial Development and the Understanding of Identity 139 Vulnerability and Colonial Legacy 141 Notes 144 8 Afterword 149 Notes 151 Bibliography 152 Index 167 Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Introduction (Søren Rud)....Pages 1-7 Ethnography, Time, and the Idealization of Tradition (Søren Rud)....Pages 9-31 Invoking Tradition as a Governance Strategy: Danish Colonial Policies in the Late Nineteenth Century (Søren Rud)....Pages 33-54 Achieving a Correct Blend: Tradition, Modernization, and the Formation of Identity (Søren Rud)....Pages 55-71 Diagnosing Vulnerability (Søren Rud)....Pages 73-94 Shame and Crime: The Effects and Afterlife of Tradition (Søren Rud)....Pages 95-117 Toward a Postcolonial Greenland: Culture, Identity, and Colonial Legacy (Søren Rud)....Pages 119-144 Afterword (Søren Rud)....Pages 145-147 Back Matter ....Pages 149-170 Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Introduction -- 2. Ethnography, Time, And The Idealization Of Tradition -- 3. Invoking Tradition As A Governance Strategy: Danish Colonial Policies In The Late Nineteenth Century -- 4. Achieving A Correct Blend: Tradition, Modernization, And The Formation Of Identity -- 5. Diagnosing Vulnerability -- 6. Shame And Crime: The Effects And Afterlife Of Tradition -- 7. Toward A Postcolonial Greenland: Culture, Identity, And Colonial Legacy -- 8. Afterword. Søren Rud. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.