Nordic cooperative projects
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) undertakes active cooperation with researchers, teaching institutes and research financiers in the neighbouring Nordic countries. Consequently, scientific expertise from the Nordic countries is always represented in RJ’s review panels. Furthermore, there is extensive cooperation and exchange of experiences with cultural and research foundations, primarily in Finland and Norway.
RJ’s support includes the Swedish involvement in Märkesåret 1809 with contributions to certain exhibitions and book projects. Here, Professor Torkel Jansson’s book “Finland’s and Sweden’s Common Nineteenth Century”, was published by Atlantis Publishing Company 2009, must be mentioned. Read more about Märkesåret on its official website.
The Nordic cooperation has also included several larger co-financed research programmes in which RJ has played an active role. Included here is the contribution to research on Norway and Sweden after 1814 and the Union’s resolution in 1905, which was presented in the large two-volume work, Sweden and Norway During 200 years (Nya Doxa) – written by Bo Stråth and Francis Sejersted.
Another result of the so-called Projekt 1905 is the anthologies Goda grannar eller morska motståndare? Sverige och Norge från 1814 till idag och 1905 – unionsupplösningens år. Nya perspektiv på ett svensk-norskt drama (Carlssons Bokförlag). (Good neighbours or bold adveraries? Sweden and Norway from 1814 until the present and 1905 – the year of the union’s resolution. New perspectives in a Swedish- Norwegian drama (Carlsson’s Publishing Company)), edited by Torbjörn Nilsson and Øystein Sørensen. This research cooperation between Norway and Sweden yielded a large number of papers and several master’s theses and doctor’s theses.
Projekt 1905 has later been evaluated by historian Torbjörn Eng, PhD CBEES, Södertörn University.
Projekt 1905 also led to a Swedish cooperation project between RJ, Uppsala University and the Riksdag, namely the publication of the previously unprinted, secret protocols from the Riksdag and the committee work from the dramatic summer of 1905. The publication resulted in two thick volumes edited by Evert Vedung and Margareta Brundin: Unionsupplösningens riksdagar: 1905 speglat i protokoll, anteckningar, dagböcker (The resolution of the Union’s parliaments: 1905 reflected in protocols, notes and diaries).
Another important research contribution was the Humanistic Social Sciences programme Swedish in Finland - Finnish in Sweden. The programme was established following an initiative from the Swedish literary society in Finland, which succeeded in mobilising more than SEK 45 million from governmental and private financiers in both countries. From the Swedish side, RJ and the former HSFR contributed close to SEK 11 million each. The programme was undertaken during 2000-2003 and consisted of seventeen projects which were selected amongst hard competition. Over 100 researchers were involved. In addition to the customary academic context, the research has been summarised in four extensive anthologies published by Atlantis Publishing Company.
As a consequence of the above mentioned programmes, RJ has taken the initiative for a new and more broadly planned research programme, which focuses on different aspects of the reorganisation which took place in the Nordic countries and Baltic area in connection with the Napoleonic Wars. The programme has the title The Nordic Spaces. it is about the formation of states, societies and regions, cultural meetings as well as ideas and identity creation in northern Europe after 1800. It is supported by RJ, the Estonian Research Council, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, NordForsk, The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, The Swedish Cultural Foundation and The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies. The programme was initiated in the fall of 2007 and nine projects in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Norway and Denmark are being financed. See more on the website.
Updated 2011.