Swenson Center co-hosts seminar with Swedish Embassy

The seminar “Swedish Footprints in the U.S.—New Perspectives on Swedish-American History” explores new ways of understanding Swedish-American history on Nov. 2.

The seminar is co-arranged by the Embassy of Sweden, the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, Swedish-American Historical Society, American Swedish Institute, The George Washington University Innovation Center and the Nordic Ways project at the George Washington University.

The seminar will bring together leading scholars and librarians from Sweden and the United States who will to discuss new perspectives in a panel discussion. Two topics will be in focus. The first places Swedish-Americans in a larger American context, exploring how they lived side by side with other groups in the new land, competing for land, work, and a place in the social fabric. The second topic deals with the contemporary situation, discussing contemporary migration patterns, where women often play an important role, what it means to be Swedish-American today, and how we remember the migration of Swedes to the US.

There will also be a presentation and discussion of the recently concluded digitization project of the Swedish-American press through which 28 titles are currently available online.

Participants include:

Mr. Jonas Ahlberg, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm
Dr. Johanna Andersson Raeder, University of Stockholm
Professor Dag Blanck, Uppsala University/Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois
Professor Gunlög Fur, Linnaeus University, Växjö
Professor Karen Hansen, Brandeis University, Boston
Mr. Robert Horton, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Adam Hjorthén, Stockholm University/Freie Universität, Berlin
Dr. Erika Jackson, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado
Mr. Torsten Johansson, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm

When:
November 2, 2018, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Where:
George Washington University
Lehman Auditorium
Science and Engineering Hall, Level B1
800 22nd Street, NW

RSVP to:
Mimosa Giamanco mimosa.giamanco@gmail.com
No later than October 31