A small separate fatherland of our own

Regional history writing and regional identity on islands in the Baltic Sea

Bibliographic Data

ID12873574
AuthorsJostein Holmen (0000-0003-2449-4888, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume9
Issue1
Pages135-154
Publication date2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueIsland Studies Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1715-2593 • E-ISSN: 1715-2593
PublisherIsland Studies Journal (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.24043/isj.298
OpenAlexW2129354364
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited10

Gotland, Åland, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Bornholm are five islands in the Baltic Sea which constitute, or have until recently constituted, provinces or counties. Combining perspectives from the fields of island studies and history, this article investigates how regional history writing has contributed to the formation of regional identity on each island since the year 1800. The special geographic situation of the islands – somewhat secluded from the mainland but also connected to important waterways – has provided their inhabitants with shared historical experiences. Due to varying geographic and historical circumstances, the relationship between regional and national identity is however different on each island. While regional history writing has often aimed at integrating the island into the nation state, it has on Åland in the 20th century been used to portray its inhabitants as a separate nation

Art · Baltic sea · Fatherland · Geography · Identity (music · Political science · Arctic and Russian Policy Studies · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Law · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Geology · Oceanography

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