Foreword

1 The subject chosen for the theme of this journal’s seventeenth issue is “World War II in the Nordic Countries,” which has been directed with great skill by our colleague Svein Erling Loras of the University of Oslo. For obvious reasons, it would have been impossible to deal with all countries and all problems. Therefore, we made the choice to focus on topics whose investigation would not only be of interest to readers in Western Europe, who are not necessarily aware of the events of this period in Scandinavia, but would also contribute to ongoing debates among European historians: the fate of oppressed minorities (Nicolas Schwaller), the role of State churches (Torleiv Austad), resistance to the Nazis and their collaborators (Lars Borgersund), forced labour (Hans Otto Frøland and Anders Lervold) and the suffering of soldiers (Ville Kivimäki), often magnified for the First World War and ignored for the Second. The case of Norway was particularly suitable for reflecting on these first four subjects, that of Finland for the last. That is why these two countries are featured in this issue, with a small incursion into Denmark as part of a comparison between the forms of resistance in the Nordic countries occupied by Third Reich troops (Lars Borgersund).

2 We focused as much as possible on innovative approaches, which explains the presence of junior researchers and a doctoral student among the authors. They thus serve as a breath of fresh air in a field long monopolized by academic research that has been rather conservative and concerned above all not to dent national honour—whose defence can generate a number of myths. Truly, it is not easy to admit that ‘official’ Norwegian resistance, although supported by a large part of the population, was not as effective as it could have been because it remained too long on the sidelines; it is also painful to state that thousands of Finnish soldiers, victims of psychiatric disorders, were held responsible for their problem instead of the inhuman combat that was imposed upon them. The role of history is precisely to take critical analysis to its logical conclusions, even if it means running up against conventional wisdom or people’s good conscience.

3 However, investigation into this subject will probably be completed in future issues that address other countries and points of view. Nevertheless, it was necessary to first open the debate before being able to pursue it.

4 The Varia section also has its share of originality. Of course, Lasse Sonne’s study on Nordic Cooperation in the 1960s-1970s is a continuation of the reflections he shared in a previous issue; yet the current article allows us to reflect on the mechanisms that gradually led the Nordic countries to be part of European construction. As for Kristine Mitgaard, she presents the role of a Danish feminist within the Society of Nations. As well as being a study on the networks that contributed to this international forerunner to the UN, her article is also part of women’s history, a very popular field of study in the Nordic countries. As for the contribution by Florian Ferrebeuf, it certainly has a place in this journal, inasmuch as his study of the rise of socialism in East Prussia deals with a territory that is today Lithuanian, namely the Memel region, also called Lithuania Minor.

5 For the rest, in addition to the traditional book reviews, we present both the outstanding career of Régis Boyer, the great French professor and researcher, an eminent Scandinavian specialist, and the large collection he recently bequeathed to the Nordic Library in Paris. Ms. Merete Gerlach-Nielsen, Director of Women’s Coordination at UNESCO, President of the Alliance française in Copenhagen and Danish university scholar, brings it all together with a wonderful tribute to Boyer, a scholar as endearing as he was unusual.

6 Finally, we have the honour of publishing in extenso the dissertation defence of Aladin Larguèche, a promising young French scholar, who has examined the Norwegian intellectual world in the late eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries.

7 We hope that this rich menu will satisfy the palates of our loyal subscribers and friends. Rest assured, in any case, of our unwavering commitment to serving the needs of our scholarly community and to the journal’s excellence. May you also forgive the delay in this issue’s publication, for which we are only partially responsible.

8 The Editors