SINAS Research Seminar: "‘The Lumber Business’: The Nordic dimension of AFL-FTUC’s strategies and operations, 1944-57"
- Date: 24 March 2025, 15:15–17:00
- Location: English Park, 16-1044
- Type: Seminar
- Lecturer: Byron Rom-Jensen and Eirik Wig Sundvall
- Organiser: Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS)
- Contact person: Christin Mays
On Monday, March 24th, Byron Rom-Jensen (Postdoctoral researcher, University of Oslo) och Eirik Wig Sundvall (Associate Professor, University of Oslo) will present the work-in-progress text "‘The Lumber Business’: The Nordic dimension of AFL-FTUC’s strategies and operations, 1944-57" at the SINAS Research Seminar.
Abstract: When Irving Brown traveled to Europe in 1945 to initiate the AFL’s international crusade against Soviet Communism, it was on behalf of a poorly funded labor federation with few international partners. He soon concluded that ‘our best friends in Europe’ were to be found in the Scandinavian labor movement. In the coming years, as Brown’s network grew, finances improved and international tensions rose, Scandinavian labor leaders proved to be invaluable partners for the AFL, as connectors, advisors and facilitators. This article resituates the Nordics as a critical network dimension of American labor’s Cold War in Europe.
The seminar will take place in person (English Park campus, room 16-1044) and on Zoom. The text will be available one week before the seminar.