Publikationer

Research | Forskning

In this paper I analyse historical interpretations and elements of the coloniality of power and gender in the historiography of Greenland. I discuss new uses and methods of analysis looking to describe historical documents without reinforcing the Eurocentric view within them. Moreover, I employ Prot… In this paper I analyse historical interpretations and elements of the coloniality of power and gender in the historiography of Greenland. I discuss new uses and methods of analysis looking to describe historical documents without reinforcing the Eurocentric view within them. Moreover, I employ Protestant church’s historical registers of marriages of various Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq and Aasiaat) to explore issues of gender inequality during the colonial period seeking to disentangle modern presumptions of colonial gender relations in Greenland. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Seminal literature has documented broadly the living conditions of Mexican workers before the Revolution of 1910. Various authors argue that a continuous deterioration of real wages in the preceding years of the Mexican revolution contributed to the social unrest that lead to the armed conflict. Yet… Seminal literature has documented broadly the living conditions of Mexican workers before the Revolution of 1910. Various authors argue that a continuous deterioration of real wages in the preceding years of the Mexican revolution contributed to the social unrest that lead to the armed conflict. Yet, most of the quantitative evidence has focused on aggregate estimates overlooking the regional wage dynamics. Through regional historical data, this article reevaluates quantitatively the patterns of Mexican regional real wages providing new estimates for the period 1877-c.1910. The analysis reveals that a divergent pattern between sectors and regions emerged during these years. However, the study also shows that in general, locally-adjusted regional real wages remained relatively stable throughout the period. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

This paper examines the long-run fiscal sustainability of the colonial finances of Spanish America. Using econometric tests of intertemporal stability and a macroeconomic budget constraint framework, the analysis revisits how the long-run fiscal dynamics of the colonial treasuries adjusted for infla… This paper examines the long-run fiscal sustainability of the colonial finances of Spanish America. Using econometric tests of intertemporal stability and a macroeconomic budget constraint framework, the analysis revisits how the long-run fiscal dynamics of the colonial treasuries adjusted for inflation changed over time. Findings suggest that in spite of historical breakpoints associated to major financial difficulties during wartime, in general the treasuries achieved sustainable fiscal balances. However, there was a shifting pattern of fiscal sustainability between the treasuries across the colonial period. Læs mere

Research | Forskning

The Danish colonial project in Greenland during the nineteenth century has been subject to a polarizing debate in the current Danish and Greenlandic public sphere. On the one hand, there are observers depicting the colonial administration as a benevolent and socially-inclusive, whereas others regard… The Danish colonial project in Greenland during the nineteenth century has been subject to a polarizing debate in the current Danish and Greenlandic public sphere. On the one hand, there are observers depicting the colonial administration as a benevolent and socially-inclusive, whereas others regard it as a socially-exclusive regime. Using a newly collected dataset of Protestant mission’s marriage registers from four West Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq and Aasiaat) this paper investigates empirically the hypothesis whether Greenlanders experienced an upward intergenerational occupational mobility over the colonial period. The analysis identifies fathers and sons (grooms) occupational attainment to document quantitatively how the structure of the labor market changed over time. We discuss how the colonial labor market became a key ladder for social mobility after the introduction of administrative reforms and a new institutional agenda in the second half of the nineteenth century. We add to the literature by providing further evidence on the link between historical social mobility and the emergence of inclusive institutions in an arctic indigenous society. Læs mere

Research | Forskning

During the early-modern period, women in Western European countries began to marry at an older age. This historical observation is known as the (Western) European Marriage Pattern (EMP). As a result, the position and agency of women arose by enhancing human capital formation and by encouraging women… During the early-modern period, women in Western European countries began to marry at an older age. This historical observation is known as the (Western) European Marriage Pattern (EMP). As a result, the position and agency of women arose by enhancing human capital formation and by encouraging women and girls access to wage labor. These developments coincided with the arrival of Christian missionaries to colonized areas and the diffusion of European cultural traits. Only a few historical studies have found whether the characteristics of the EMP ‘traveled’ outside of North-Western Europe. While existing literature on this phenomenon has typically focused on European countries and peripheries, regions in the Arctic have been neglected. This paper uses the Protestant church’s historical records of marriages of various Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq, and Aasiaat) to explore whether the marriage patterns in colonial Greenland exhibited characteristics of the EMP. It discusses how the gender division of society changed with the creation of the Danish trade monopoly and how the subsequent development of colonial labor markets may have affected the marriage decisions of Greenlandic women. It concludes analyzing the potential underlying mechanisms and causes of the existence (or absence) of the EMP in colonial Greenland. Læs mere