Projects & Grants
| Postcolonial analyses of Greenland and the Faroe Islands and their state-building potential | |
|---|---|
| Project Id | SGS09/PřF/2020 |
| Main solver | Mgr. Adam Kočí, Ph.D. |
| Period | 1/2020 - 12/2020 |
| Provider | Specifický VŠ výzkum |
| State | finished |
| Anotation | The Kingdom of Denmark is the only Northern European country with long-term possession of overseas colonies and dependent territories. Tropical colonies were sold until 1917. Then, Denmark presence imprinted especially into the history of the countries in the North-East Atlantic. In 1944, Iceland acquired independence and created a precedent for possible independence of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Nowadays, both countries are self-governing territories of the Danish realm and their autonomy gradually strengthens. However, both have a completely different historical relationship with Denmark. The Faroe Islands have been formally equivalent part of Denmark since 1849 and have never been considered a colony. On the other hand, Greenland lost its colonial status in 1953. Still, throughout the (post)colonial history, Inuit and Faroese were victims of many wrongdoings. However, the official apologize of the Danish representatives is still unspoken, the critical reflection of the colonial past is missing in the Danish society, and it is not even part of the educational curriculum. The used postcolonial approach seeks to reveal voices and opinions of an (ex)colonized society, which have been previously excluded from public debate. The research compares the political, historical and socio-economic consequences of the Danish influence in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. In postcolonial theories, the research tries to applicate the famous Said's Orientalism theory to the case of Greenland: "Arctic Orientalism". Then the research analyzes Greenlandic and Faroese way to autonomy. In conclusion, the research evaluates whether we can expect their independence. The research is based on premises that the period of post-colonialism in Greenland is paradoxically connected by the growing Danish influence. Similarly, the Faroese political scene is still affected by the heritage of the Danish present. However, the current relationship is beneficial for all parts of the Kingdom. |
