From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes Norwegian sociologist and political scientist Stein Ringen. He talks to Ann Morgan about his book The Story of Scandinavia.
In The Story of Scandinavia, Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture.
Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.
The brand we now know as “Scandinavia” is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity.
What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
This talk took place on 1st February 2024 at 1pm.
Listen to the podcast:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Watch the video:
(Live video footage on YouTube from the event begins at 3:20).
.
◆ Buy the book:
The Story of Scandinavia: From the Vikings to Social Democracy
£25.00
STANFORDS TRAVEL WRITERS FESTIVAL
Travel the world through a series of talks from authors as the world-famous independent map and travel bookshop brings you the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show, London, Olympia.
