Swedish-American Borderlands: An Interdisciplinary Research Network

At SINAS, a research profile has developed around the study of Swedish-American relations, in both historical and contemporary perspectives. As Sweden's only academic institution dedicated to the study and teaching of North America, SINAS provides an ideal platform for this inquiry.

Since 2016, SINAS has hosted the international research network Swedish-American Borderlands. The network explores Swedish-American relations over the past centuries. The relationships between Sweden and the United States are multifaceted and exist on many levels. Within American studies, the study of borderlands is a major theme that often takes its point of departure in the U.S.-Mexican border. To speak of "Swedish-American borderlands" may seem surprising, but we to want call attention to the non-geographical proximity that exists between the two countries. We are interested in examining real and imaginary relationships that cross, challenge, and redefine different notions of Swedish-American borders, as well as the effects that these notions have had on both countries. Our hope is that the concept of borderlands can be used to reconceptualize relations between Sweden and the United States. It is intended to be a malleable tool of analysis.

The precise definition of a Swedish-American borderland depends on the individual scholar, on the topics of study, and on the specific theoretical perspectives that are adopted. Some keywords to illustrate the nature of the relationships include cross-cultural influences and contact zones, mutualities and differences, cooperation and conflicts, power relations and asymmetries. Swedish-American borderlands exist in different social spheres and empirical areas, including, but not limited to, politics, migration, popular culture, literature, art, business, military cooperation, and technological development. Examples of possible topics include encounters in colonial North America, migration of individuals and ideas, the role of both popular and "high" culture in different guises, political relations, and social media interactions and cooperation surrounding global terrorist surveillance.

Results of the network's work have, for example, been published in Swedish-American Borderlands: New Histories of Transatlantic Relations, edited by Dag Blanck and Adam Hjorthén (University of Minnesota Press, 2021). If you are interested in learning more about the network, you are welcome to contact Adam Hjorthén or Dag Blanck.