I am a Swedish historian with a Danish twist. My professional turf is Nordic as well as European history from the 1700s onwards, both political, cultural and material/technological. I did my PhD at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, 1998–2002, on concepts of masculinity, power and privacy in Swedish marriage ideology from 1760 to the 1830s. Since then, I have done a lot of teaching and produced a number of books and articles – in Swedish, English and Danish – on secret state surveillance, patriotism/nationalism, royal propaganda, infrastructure, "secrecy", masculinity and the history of communications. Phone: +45 29 41 71 49
Andreas Marklund: Graenselos kommunikation som hab og trussel: Visioner og spaendinger omkring tr... more Andreas Marklund: Graenselos kommunikation som hab og trussel: Visioner og spaendinger omkring transnational kommunikationsinfrastruktur fra 1800-tallets telegrafkabler til den fiberoptiske revolution Artiklen handler om visioner og spaendinger omkring de infrastrukturelle forbindelsespunkter mellem nationalstaten og dens omverden, med fokus pa tre specifikke teknologier – den elektriske telegrafi, radioen og satellitten. Undersogelsen viser, at den transnationale kommunikationsinfrastruktur siden 1850’erne har vaeret genstand for en storladen idealistisk fortaelling, der fremhaever hurtig, interkulturel kommunikation som en smutvej til oplysning, fred og velfaerd. Samtidig har frygten for spionage og propaganda gjort, at de graenseoverskridende kommunikationsstromme ogsa har vaeret formal for hemmelig statslig overvagning og censur, isaer i perioden fra 1. verdenskrig og frem. Et tredje vigtigt tema, som artiklen blotlaegger, er nationalstatens traeben efter infrastrukturel uafhaen...
How do we as historians and cultural researchers handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which si... more How do we as historians and cultural researchers handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which simultaneously is so vague and yet heavily technical? How do we study its complex morphology, which intertwines material and technological elements with cultural, political, sensory, and indeed emotional ones?
Suspekte beskeder. Overvagning af nationale og transnationale informationsstromme i telegrafens t... more Suspekte beskeder. Overvagning af nationale og transnationale informationsstromme i telegrafens tidsalderArtiklen handler om politisk overvagning og censur ved den danske statstelegraf i anden halvdel af det 19. arhundrede. Den viser, at de elektriske informationsstromme i Danmark aldrig har vaeret fuldstaendigt frie og ucensurerede. Da den forste danske telegraflinje abnede for publikum i 1854 var censurregler med henvisning til statens sikkerhed et integreret element af Telegrafvaesenets administrative grundstruktur. Disse regler er ogsa blevet handhaevet af telegrafisterne og deres overordnede, navnlig i perioder hvor det danske samfund har vaeret hjemsogt af politiske spaendinger. Derimod er der ingenting i undersogelsen, der tyder pa en systematisk brug af telegrafisk censur som statsligt overvagningsvaerktoj i Danmark inden udbruddet af forste verdenskrig i 1914.
The Buck, the Fox & the Virtuous Lady Gender-metaphors in Danish and Swedish Propaganda during th... more The Buck, the Fox & the Virtuous Lady Gender-metaphors in Danish and Swedish Propaganda during the Great Northern WarThe article examines the metaphorical imagery of the suffering maiden in domestic war propaganda during the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The source material is made up by ballads and royal decrees of Swedish and Danish origin, primarily stemming from the winter of 1709-1710 when the Swedish province of Scania (Skane) served as the main theatre of war. Although the figure of the maiden had a feminine exterior, the imagery was to all intents and purposes a matter of masculinity. The texts were fashioned by men primarily addressing other men. And the suffering maiden belonged to a larger metaphorical repertoire that served to render meaning and legitimacy to the war in general and male soldiering in particular. By deconstructing the maiden and associated images, the analysis aims to expose the contemporaneous myths of manliness exploited by the propaganda makers. Duri...
DIE FOR DENMARK THE NARRATIVE OF PATRIOTIC SACRIFICE IN DANISH PUBLIC DISCOURSE, 1940-2012 The na... more DIE FOR DENMARK THE NARRATIVE OF PATRIOTIC SACRIFICE IN DANISH PUBLIC DISCOURSE, 1940-2012 The narrative of patriotic sacrifice is a significant element in the formation of national community and identity. Citizens who have perished in wars and conflicts have been utilized as role-models and national martyrs in state propaganda, popular culture and modern mass media. The martyrs of the modern Danish nationstate have chiefly been delivered by the 19th century Schleswig wars and the resistance struggle in 1940-45. These fallen patriots are integrated features of the Danish national repertoire, invoked in memorials and other kinds of state ceremonial, but also in songs, films and national newspapers. The public interest in fallen patriots started to dwindle by the 1960s, yet the narrative of patriotic sacrifice has experienced a renaissance in present day Denmark, as the country’s engagement in Afghanistan and other conflict-zones has resulted in a new generation of martyrs. The narrat...
ABSTRACT Monarchy and nationalism are embedded in a complex relationship, and many of Europe’s ru... more ABSTRACT Monarchy and nationalism are embedded in a complex relationship, and many of Europe’s ruling dynasties crumbled in the nationalist upsurge of the modern era. Yet, the Danish royal house managed to get through the upheavals and gradually turned into a national rallying point. The article explores this historical development, focusing on the interplay between monarchy and media from 1933 to 1945, when the process of mediatization prompted a merging of royalist and egalitarian narratives of the nation.
Andreas Marklund: Graenselos kommunikation som hab og trussel: Visioner og spaendinger omkring tr... more Andreas Marklund: Graenselos kommunikation som hab og trussel: Visioner og spaendinger omkring transnational kommunikationsinfrastruktur fra 1800-tallets telegrafkabler til den fiberoptiske revolution Artiklen handler om visioner og spaendinger omkring de infrastrukturelle forbindelsespunkter mellem nationalstaten og dens omverden, med fokus pa tre specifikke teknologier – den elektriske telegrafi, radioen og satellitten. Undersogelsen viser, at den transnationale kommunikationsinfrastruktur siden 1850’erne har vaeret genstand for en storladen idealistisk fortaelling, der fremhaever hurtig, interkulturel kommunikation som en smutvej til oplysning, fred og velfaerd. Samtidig har frygten for spionage og propaganda gjort, at de graenseoverskridende kommunikationsstromme ogsa har vaeret formal for hemmelig statslig overvagning og censur, isaer i perioden fra 1. verdenskrig og frem. Et tredje vigtigt tema, som artiklen blotlaegger, er nationalstatens traeben efter infrastrukturel uafhaen...
How do we as historians and cultural researchers handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which si... more How do we as historians and cultural researchers handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which simultaneously is so vague and yet heavily technical? How do we study its complex morphology, which intertwines material and technological elements with cultural, political, sensory, and indeed emotional ones?
Suspekte beskeder. Overvagning af nationale og transnationale informationsstromme i telegrafens t... more Suspekte beskeder. Overvagning af nationale og transnationale informationsstromme i telegrafens tidsalderArtiklen handler om politisk overvagning og censur ved den danske statstelegraf i anden halvdel af det 19. arhundrede. Den viser, at de elektriske informationsstromme i Danmark aldrig har vaeret fuldstaendigt frie og ucensurerede. Da den forste danske telegraflinje abnede for publikum i 1854 var censurregler med henvisning til statens sikkerhed et integreret element af Telegrafvaesenets administrative grundstruktur. Disse regler er ogsa blevet handhaevet af telegrafisterne og deres overordnede, navnlig i perioder hvor det danske samfund har vaeret hjemsogt af politiske spaendinger. Derimod er der ingenting i undersogelsen, der tyder pa en systematisk brug af telegrafisk censur som statsligt overvagningsvaerktoj i Danmark inden udbruddet af forste verdenskrig i 1914.
The Buck, the Fox & the Virtuous Lady Gender-metaphors in Danish and Swedish Propaganda during th... more The Buck, the Fox & the Virtuous Lady Gender-metaphors in Danish and Swedish Propaganda during the Great Northern WarThe article examines the metaphorical imagery of the suffering maiden in domestic war propaganda during the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The source material is made up by ballads and royal decrees of Swedish and Danish origin, primarily stemming from the winter of 1709-1710 when the Swedish province of Scania (Skane) served as the main theatre of war. Although the figure of the maiden had a feminine exterior, the imagery was to all intents and purposes a matter of masculinity. The texts were fashioned by men primarily addressing other men. And the suffering maiden belonged to a larger metaphorical repertoire that served to render meaning and legitimacy to the war in general and male soldiering in particular. By deconstructing the maiden and associated images, the analysis aims to expose the contemporaneous myths of manliness exploited by the propaganda makers. Duri...
DIE FOR DENMARK THE NARRATIVE OF PATRIOTIC SACRIFICE IN DANISH PUBLIC DISCOURSE, 1940-2012 The na... more DIE FOR DENMARK THE NARRATIVE OF PATRIOTIC SACRIFICE IN DANISH PUBLIC DISCOURSE, 1940-2012 The narrative of patriotic sacrifice is a significant element in the formation of national community and identity. Citizens who have perished in wars and conflicts have been utilized as role-models and national martyrs in state propaganda, popular culture and modern mass media. The martyrs of the modern Danish nationstate have chiefly been delivered by the 19th century Schleswig wars and the resistance struggle in 1940-45. These fallen patriots are integrated features of the Danish national repertoire, invoked in memorials and other kinds of state ceremonial, but also in songs, films and national newspapers. The public interest in fallen patriots started to dwindle by the 1960s, yet the narrative of patriotic sacrifice has experienced a renaissance in present day Denmark, as the country’s engagement in Afghanistan and other conflict-zones has resulted in a new generation of martyrs. The narrat...
ABSTRACT Monarchy and nationalism are embedded in a complex relationship, and many of Europe’s ru... more ABSTRACT Monarchy and nationalism are embedded in a complex relationship, and many of Europe’s ruling dynasties crumbled in the nationalist upsurge of the modern era. Yet, the Danish royal house managed to get through the upheavals and gradually turned into a national rallying point. The article explores this historical development, focusing on the interplay between monarchy and media from 1933 to 1945, when the process of mediatization prompted a merging of royalist and egalitarian narratives of the nation.
This article explores the significance of the Danish flag in the formation of national identities... more This article explores the significance of the Danish flag in the formation of national identities during World War II and the immediate post-war period. During this dark and tumultuous period of Danish history, the flag was claimed by different groups with very different agendas, which in turn engendered differing conceptions of Denmark and Danishness. Three different themes are investigated in the article. The first regards the flag as a symbol of national continuity and endurance. From this angle, the flag functioned as a living, corporeal piece of history, which signalled that old Denmark would prevail, in spite of the crisis at hand. The second theme investigates the coupling of the flag with democracy during the 1943 elections. This event was hailed by the government as a major national celebration, with nationwide flagging for the democratic values of Denmark. At the same time, the elections were criticized as ‘un-national’, both by home-grown Nazis and the resistance movement. The third section dwells on the notion of martyrdom for the flag. This form of Danishness was not connected to peace-loving democracy, but woven into a martial discourse of sacrifice, honour and masculine heroism. Public worship of martyrdom was particularly intense in the early post-war era, when the flag was used to link ordinary Danes to the fallen heroes of the resistance movement. Thus, it was not the democratic spirit of 1943 that was celebrated after Liberation, but the martyrdom of fallen male resistance fighters, whose blood was evoked as the foundation of the re-born nation. The national memory of post-war Denmark, thereby, was based on the notion of a united people, who had stood firm and even been willing to die for the honour of their ancient flag.
Deploying empirical studies spanning from early Imperial China to the present day, 17 scholars fr... more Deploying empirical studies spanning from early Imperial China to the present day, 17 scholars from across the globe explore the history of surveillance with special attention to the mechanisms of power that impel the concept of surveillance in society. By delving into a broad range of historical periods and contexts, the book sheds new light on surveillance as a societal phenomenon, offering 10 in-depth, applied analyses that revolve around two main questions:
• Who are the central actors in the history of surveillance?
• What kinds of phenomena have been deemed eligible for surveillance, for example, information flows, political movements, border-crossing trade, interacting with foreign states, workplace relations, gender relations, and sexuality?
Monograph in Danish on the history of surveillance in a macro-perspective from the early modern p... more Monograph in Danish on the history of surveillance in a macro-perspective from the early modern period to the digital age. Special focus on Danish and Swedish conditions.
Monograph in Swedish on the history of surveillance in a macro-perspective, from the early modern... more Monograph in Swedish on the history of surveillance in a macro-perspective, from the early modern period to the digital age. Special focus on Swedish on Danish conditions.
How does one handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which seems, simultaneously, so vague and ye... more How does one handle a concept like ‘infrastructure’, which seems, simultaneously, so vague and yet heavily technical?
In this international research volume, nine historians and cultural researchers from different academic institutions delve into the historical dimensions of infrastructural development. The interplay of infrastructures with society and its dominant political ideas and cultural beliefs is at the core of the analyses.
A wide range of topics and historical contexts are covered by the book, from nineteenth-century railroads and territorial identities, and the sonic features of pneumatic tube systems, to privacy and security issues in relation to modern telecommunications, and the materiality of satellite television at the end of the Cold War.
Compact Swedish macro-history from the early 1500s to the present day (in Swedish):
När Gusta... more Compact Swedish macro-history from the early 1500s to the present day (in Swedish):
När Gustav Vasa valdes till kung 1523 lades grunden till det moderna Sverige. Sedan följer 500 år av utveckling: nya landskap tillkommer, gränserna öppnas för influenser utifrån, ett flöde av människor berikar landet. Författarna vågar ta steget fullt ut i sin moderna skildring. När blev Sverige Sverige? Varför känner vi oss som svenskar? Hur har man sett på svenskhet under seklernas gång?
Biography of a Swedish Field-Marshall and "honnête home" - and forgotten national icon - from th... more Biography of a Swedish Field-Marshall and "honnête home" - and forgotten national icon - from the country's so-called "Age of Greatness" (in Swedish):
Livet igenom kämpade greve Magnus Stenbock för återupprättelsen av sitt fläckade familjenamn. Äran sökte han på slagfälten i Europa och han levde bland soldater med värjan i hand. Själv betraktade han sig dock som mycket mer än en krigsman och militär. Han var en honnête homme och drömde om konsten och kärleken. Slaget vid Helsingborg den 28 februari 1710 gjorde honom till hjälte och han hyllades som en av tidens stora krigshjältar. Men Stenbocks internationella renommé solkades kraftigt efter att han lagt staden Altona i Holstein i ruiner. Han slutade sina dagar i mörker och ensamhet som krigsfånge i Danmark.
Re-written book version of doctoral dissertation (Swedish):
I äldre dagars Sverige var den ide... more Re-written book version of doctoral dissertation (Swedish):
I äldre dagars Sverige var den ideala manligheten intimt förknippad med äktenskapet. Den gifte mannen, husbonden, tilldelades ett hus — ett rike i riket — där han uppbar makt och myndighet över hustru, barn och tjänstefolk. Hur legitimerades husbondens ämbete? Vilka plikter åvilade husbonden och var drogs gränsen mellan goda och dåliga äkta män?
Denna bok handlar om manlighets- och äktenskapsideal under decennierna kring sekelskiftet 1800. Detta var en tid då både folkkulturen och det politiska landskapet genomgick djupgående förändringar. Bland annat stöptes det kungliga enväldet om till en konstitutionell monarki. Hur påverkades husbonderollen och den äktenskapliga manligheten av den pågående samhällsomvandlingen?
I hans hus är en kulturhistorisk studie av ”Det goda äktenskapet”. Genom analyser av historiska äktenskapsmål kartläggs centrala teman i den svenska manlighetens historia. Det handlar om makt och våld, arbete och försörjning, sex och kärlek, lastbarhet, ohälsa och kroppslig spänst.
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Doctoral Dissertation by Andreas Marklund
Papers by Andreas Marklund
• Who are the central actors in the history of surveillance?
• What kinds of phenomena have been deemed eligible for surveillance, for example, information flows, political movements, border-crossing trade, interacting with foreign states, workplace relations, gender relations, and sexuality?
In this international research volume, nine historians and cultural researchers from different academic institutions delve into the historical dimensions of infrastructural development. The interplay of infrastructures with society and its dominant political ideas and cultural beliefs is at the core of the analyses.
A wide range of topics and historical contexts are covered by the book, from nineteenth-century railroads and territorial identities, and the sonic features of pneumatic tube systems, to privacy and security issues in relation to modern telecommunications, and the materiality of satellite television at the end of the Cold War.
När Gustav Vasa valdes till kung 1523 lades grunden till det moderna Sverige. Sedan följer 500 år av utveckling: nya landskap tillkommer, gränserna öppnas för influenser utifrån, ett flöde av människor berikar landet. Författarna vågar ta steget fullt ut i sin moderna skildring. När blev Sverige Sverige? Varför känner vi oss som svenskar? Hur har man sett på svenskhet under seklernas gång?
Livet igenom kämpade greve Magnus Stenbock för återupprättelsen av sitt fläckade familjenamn. Äran sökte han på slagfälten i Europa och han levde bland soldater med värjan i hand. Själv betraktade han sig dock som mycket mer än en krigsman och militär. Han var en honnête homme och drömde om konsten och kärleken. Slaget vid Helsingborg den 28 februari 1710 gjorde honom till hjälte och han hyllades som en av tidens stora krigshjältar. Men Stenbocks internationella renommé solkades kraftigt efter att han lagt staden Altona i Holstein i ruiner. Han slutade sina dagar i mörker och ensamhet som krigsfånge i Danmark.
I äldre dagars Sverige var den ideala manligheten intimt förknippad med äktenskapet. Den gifte mannen, husbonden, tilldelades ett hus — ett rike i riket — där han uppbar makt och myndighet över hustru, barn och tjänstefolk. Hur legitimerades husbondens ämbete? Vilka plikter åvilade husbonden och var drogs gränsen mellan goda och dåliga äkta män?
Denna bok handlar om manlighets- och äktenskapsideal under decennierna kring sekelskiftet 1800. Detta var en tid då både folkkulturen och det politiska landskapet genomgick djupgående förändringar. Bland annat stöptes det kungliga enväldet om till en konstitutionell monarki. Hur påverkades husbonderollen och den äktenskapliga manligheten av den pågående samhällsomvandlingen?
I hans hus är en kulturhistorisk studie av ”Det goda äktenskapet”. Genom analyser av historiska äktenskapsmål kartläggs centrala teman i den svenska manlighetens historia. Det handlar om makt och våld, arbete och försörjning, sex och kärlek, lastbarhet, ohälsa och kroppslig spänst.