The campus community will have the opportunity to experience the research of visiting scholars during the month of October, as the Scandinavian Studies Department will sponsor two guest lectures open to the public. Professor Kjerstin Moody of the Scandinavian Studies Department will be hosting each speaker in conjunction with her 100 level course.
“I’m excited that both of the scholars [Dr. Banks and Dr. Teitelbaum] will be visiting and leading discussion in my ‘Scandinavian Life and Culture’ class this fall. I feel students in my class will learn so much from them in this setting, but I’m also thrilled that they’ll be giving presentations on their recent scholarship, during the evening in a setting that is open to the whole campus community,” Moody said.
Dr. William Banks from the University of Minnesota will be the first to present his lecture entitled “An Oriental Prince Comes to Karlsbad: Brandes and Clemenceau Encounter the East,” on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in Confer 128.
While Moody noted that Banks’ discussion in her classroom will focus on the influence of Brandes in his promotion of the study of global literature, his public lecture will explore the identity of the mysterious individual encountered in Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary) by Georg Brandes and Georges Clemenceau in 1901 and how the impacts of that encounter shaped their views on colonialism, the European presence in Africa and China, and the relationships between Islam and Christianity.
“[Dr. Banks] clearly is passionate about this project, because it helps to frame Brandes as someone concerned with human beings and dignity across the board in terms of the relevance of every people’s stories,” Moody said.
Moody also described how Brandes has been heralded as a key figure in the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Period through his efforts to promote the study of literature of minorities and marginalized communities.
“I hope for anyone from the campus community who attends Monday evening’s lecture that it would offer them a way to see how the cultural advocacy work of this Danish critic, over a hundred years ago, is still very needed in and relevant to our world today,” Moody said.
On Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Dr. Benjamin Teitelbaum, an ethnomusicologist from the University of Colorado, Boulder will present his lecture entitled “Implicit Whiteness: Music, Right-Wing Radicalism, and Ideologies of Tacit Ethnocentrism in Colorblind Sweden,” in Confer 128. The event has also received support from the Music Department, and will be included in the Fall Music Colloquium Series.
According to Scandinavian Studies Professor Ursula Lindqvist, Teitelbaum’s presentation will reflect his study of the political climate of Sweden as reflected in the nation’s popular music. Lindqvist also noted that Teitelbaum will present a unique perspective, as he was able to gain the trust of musicians who associate with the extreme right movements in Sweden, respectfully approaching the topics and individuals involved.
“I think that he’s also able to give us a very articulate or even-handed view of what the situation is in Sweden today, both politically and culturally,” Lindqvist said.
Lindqvist reflected on the relevance of Teitelbaum’s lecture for the Gustavus community.
“I hope the students will get a more nuanced view and a deeper understanding of the political climate in Sweden and also of Swedish nationalist culture. I think especially in the Midwest where there are a lot of people of Swedish descent, we tend to live in frozen images of Sweden, how Sweden was 50 years ago, a hundred years ago, when our grandparents came over and so on. Sweden is a very different country today, and I think it’s important to understand the kinds of challenges that a small nation faces in an era of globalization and shrinking borders and increased migration,” Lindqvist said.
Senior Scandinavian Studies Major Elizabeth Lutz said she plans to attend both lectures.
“There’s a level of scholarship that’s impressive, in whatever topic the lectures are on and it’s just an educated viewpoint on an event… I like the different perspective they have. It’s still a Western World perspective, but it’s different than America or Britain,” Lutz said.
While the two lectures vary in focus and historical period, Moody and Lindqvist both noted their current relevance.
“If you look at the two lectures, Dr. Teitlebaum’s will deal very much with contemporary Sweden, although I’m sure he’ll historicize it a bit,” Lindqvist said.
For more information on the upcoming events, visit the Scandinavian Studies Department’s blog on the Gustavus website.
-Libby Larson