Abstract
In this introductory chapter we chart colonial aspirations and projects of early modern Scandinavian kingdoms and discuss political and economic thinking that fuelled and justified these projects. We situate Danish and Swedish colonial venture, ideology and economic concerns that stood behind the global expansion in the context of contemporary European thinking and politics.
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Notes
- 1.
Great Nicobar Island was called New Denmark and the Crown with the help of the staff from the Tranquebar fort tried to establish a settlement colony on the island. Five attempts ended with the same result: majority of settlers died from tropical diseases, the so-called Nicobar fever, within few months after arrival to the island. Colonisation plans were given up in 1847 (Madsen 1983:186–189).
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Naum, M., Nordin, J.M. (2013). Introduction: Situating Scandinavian Colonialism. In: Naum, M., Nordin, J. (eds) Scandinavian Colonialism and the Rise of Modernity. Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology, vol 37. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6202-6_1
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