Why are historians suddenly looking at #Sweden’s colonial past?
▻http://africasacountry.com/why-are-historians-suddenly-looking-at-swedens-colonialist-past
It is, to a surprisingly large extent, a story that’s been going on since the Second World War. Sweden–it is said–is different from the rest of Europe. After all, “The world’s conscience” (as newspapers in the West would usually describe Sweden in shorthand) had never been properly colonialist. As historian #Gunlög_Fur explains: “Colonialism was defined as control over other territories, and Sweden, it could claim, was a marginal player at most. It was made believable internationally that Sweden was not part of any mechanisms of oppression, and it could avoid being seen as a colonial power. Instead, Sweden saw itself as the moral equivalent of a great power, building up its sympathy with the marginalised and (...)
#HISTORY #colonialism #David_Nilsson #Fredrik_Thomasson #St._Barthelémy