The recording of February’s monthly UHI Archaeology Institute research seminar, looking at archaeology and history’s use by right-wing political parties in Scandinavia.
In History and Nationalism: The Sweden Democrats’ and the Danish People’s Party’s use of historical narratives Julia Håkansson, from Malmö University, outlines her research into the contemporary political uses of history in Sweden and Denmark.
The Sweden Democrats and the Danish People’s Party have left their mark on politics over the last few decades.
A strategy they both share is the use of historical narratives to present their countries’ “golden age”, subsequent decline and potential final fall from grace. These can be divided into four main themes, consisting of myths of origin, defeats and conquests, friends and enemies, and stories of the democratic society.
History, as well as archaeology, play important parts in these narratives, tying together depictions of their past, present and futures.
