Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät - Nordeuropa-Institut – Skandinavistik und Nordeuropa-Studien

© Dörte Linke

In the Nordic countries, crafts – ranging from textile work to woodworking – have historically been, and continue to be, very important elements of cultural heritage. Crafts have played a vital role in shaping cultures and social processes across the Nordic countries. Despite their significance, however, they have received relatively little scholarly attention within Scandinavian Studies to date.

Craft practices offer new and promising fields of research as well as a productive lens through which numerous research areas and questions can be explored and reframed. The range of possible topics is extensive and only a few can be named here. One focus could be the extent to which crafts influence and represent cultural narratives, as well as the roles crafts have played both historically and in the present day. In literary studies, for example, new insights can be gained when works such as Henrik Ibsen’s dramas are analyzed through the lens of craft practices.

Craft practices can also shape social processes and movements, as can be seen in their entanglement with emancipation movements and nation-building processes in the Nordic countries. Moreover, alternative epistemologies are connected to craft; this is evident both in Sámi craft practices and in the role of textiles and other forms of manual craft in memory culture and cultural heritage. In contemporary contexts, this raises important questions about the role of materiality and craft in textual and knowledge spaces. Moreover, new technological developments raise questions about the significance of manual work for cultural contexts, for example in the field of education.

© Dörte Linke

This network seeks to bring together scholars from Germany, the Nordic countries, and beyond whose research engages with topics related to craft practices. Its aim is to bring together existing knowledge and foster interdisciplinary academic exchange through regular workshops on these topics. In addition, a mailing list will be maintained to facilitate the communication of news and developments in this field of research.

If you want to subscribe to the mailing list, please contact Dr. Dörte Linke or use this link:
https://sympa.cms.hu-berlin.de/sympa/info/craftsinscandinavianculture.nordeuropa-institut

Conference: Textile Crafts in Scandinavian Cultures, September 2027, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Please find the CfP here: https://www.ni.hu-berlin.de/de/projekte/handarbeiten/call-for-papers_conference_textile-crafts_berlin__hu_2027.pdf

The research database collects information on passages in Scandinavian literature that address craft practices or are otherwise connected to this theme, whether through direct references to craft practices or through the use of craft-related language, imagery, and metaphors. The aim is to provide a comprehensive database of craft practices in Scandinavian literature that can be searched according to specific criteria for individual research purposes.

The entries are transferred to the Zotero database and include precise bibliographic details about the respective text, as well as information about the content of the specific passage. Tags enable users to search the entries according to specific criteria.

You can find the database here:
https://www.zotero.org/groups/5399697/handarbeitenskandilitteratur/library

The research database is a collaborative project and depends on the contributions of researchers and other interested readers. If you come across relevant passages in Scandinavian literature, we warmly invite you to share them with us. By bringing together contributions from different researchers, the database can continue to grow as a resource for research on handicrafts and craft in Scandinavian literature.

You can submit a text passage using the form available here:
Submission form – (in german) (English version follows)

For any questions, feel free to contact:
handarbeiten.nordeuropa@hu-berlin.de