Greenland's history told from within
The highly topical book, "Greenland – A Journey from the Earliest Times to a Modern Society", centers the voices of Greenlanders themselves in their own history.
At a time when the world's eyes are closely following developments in Greenland, a book about Greenland's long history has been published. The authors, Bo Lidegaard, Jens Heinrich, and Mira Maria Jo Kleist, all have strong personal and professional ties to Greenland. Their deep connection to the country and its people inspired them to collectively write this book, which stems from a shared desire to tell Greenland's history from the inside out - conveyed through Greenlandic eyes.
The book focuses on the pivotal events and topics that have shaped both the country and the Greenlanders we know today. To highlight the Greenlandic people's own perspective on history, the three authors have, as far as possible, used sources written by people with a direct connection to Greenland, either as residents or Greenlanders themselves. This approach is crucial to the book's premise and authenticity. The authors have striven to understand the mindsets and dreams for Greenland's future of that time, rather than interpreting them from a contemporary or external perspective.
During the work on the book, Mira Maria Jo Kleist particularly highlights one source that made a deep impression: the Greenlandic newspaper Atuagagdliutit, or Grønlandsposten as it is called in Danish. The old newspaper stretches far back in time and provides a fascinating insight into what occupied people in Greenland many decades ago. "It has been both fun and educational to delve into," says Kleist.
Even more interesting is that the past not only reveals specific events but also that many of the discussions and challenges of that time are strikingly similar to those prevalent today. History repeats itself – or rather, certain fundamental themes persist. The desire for increased competencies, more responsibility, and better education are focal points that have permeated Greenland's history for more than 150 years and remain highly relevant today.
"Greenland - A Journey from the Earliest Times to a Modern Society" thus succeeds in making Greenlanders the protagonists of their own, often complex, history. As the authors note, writing a book about Greenland's history while one of its most crucial chapters is being written in real-time is a particular challenge. Precisely for this reason, knowledge of this internally told history is crucial to understanding what is happening in Greenland right now, and what the future will bring.
The book is published by Egmont's publishing house Lindhardt and Ringhof.