New German-language anthology on Greenland's culture and society

By Ebbe Volquardsen

International interest in Greenland and the Arctic continues to grow, both in the various research communities and among the general public.

However, few read Danish, which is still the dominant language of publication in cultural and social studies in Greenland. This is one of the reasons why German sociologist Frank Sowa's recently published anthology Greenland: Kontinuitäten und Brüche im Leben der Menschen in der Arktis is a godsend ears. The book, whose subtitle translates loosely as "continuity and breaks in the way of life of Arctic peoples", contains 16 contributions by researchers from Greenland, Denmark and Germany, among others, who each shed light on Greenland's recent social development in their own way. There are sociological, political, anthropological, historical, literary, cultural and art historical analyses.

The wide range of topics spans from the discussion on autonomy and the political development towards increased self-government to representational analyses in literature and art, issues of cultural revitalisation and Greenlandic climate theories. There are also case studies on the criminal justice system, suicide prevention, the Arctic Winter Games, Nuuk's kayaking association, Greenlandic diet, the relationship between town and settlement, and the debate on raw materials.

The book has been in the making for a while, due to the fact that the publication was funded entirely through crowd funding. Therefore, the contributions do not reflect the very latest political and societal developments. Some of the texts are also translations and rewritings of articles previously published in Danish or English. Nevertheless, the anthology provides readers with a valuable overview of what is happening in Greenland today - something that has been lacking in the German-language book market until now.

Of Ilisimatusarfik's researchers, Maria Ackrén, Annemette Nyborg Lauritsen and the undersigned have contributed to the anthology. Of former researchers and affiliates, Birgit Kleist Pedersen, Wolfgang Kahlig, Jens Heinrich and Mark Nutall are among the authors.