“PURE MANLINESS”: THE COLONIAL PROJECT AND AFRICA'S IMAGE IN NINETEENTH CENTURY ICELAND

Abstract

Iceland did not participate directly in the nineteenth century colonial project, but the interwoven racial, gendered, and nationalistic ideologies associated with the colonial project were very much a part of Icelandic identity as shaped by nationalist and imperialist discourses in Europe. This article focuses on representations of Africa in nineteenth century Iceland, claiming that the Icelandic discussions of Africa were not so much concerned with the continent itself, but through descriptions of the exploration and colonization of Africa, European masculinities were affirmed and Icelanders “natural” location within that category. This was particularly important at times when Iceland was seeking independence and acceptance as a “white” European country. I stress these nineteenth century texts as gendered testimonies that show the interaction of various poles of identity, being written by white, Icelandic men and originating from a marginal country within Europe.

Key Words:

• Africa
• Iceland
• colonialism
• Nordic
• identity

The discussion is based on my project “Images of Africa in Iceland,” which was funded by RANNÍS (The Icelandic Centre for Research), the Research Fund of the University of Iceland, and the Assistance Fund of the University of Iceland. I thank Helga Björnsdóttir, Jim Rice, and anonymous reviewers for useful comments on earlier drafts.

Notes

1. As pointed out by GuÐmundur Hálfdánarson, the Icelandic student community in Copenhagen was influenced by various Romantic nationalistic ideals, which fit well with their strong pride in Icelandic culture and which had been apparent even prior to Romanticism gaining currency in Europe (2000: 90).

2. Skírnir's publication continues to the present day, although the content and format of the journal are completely different. The modern day articles consist of historical and scholarly investigations of specific issues.

3. Obviously, images of Africa in the nineteenth century changed throughout the century. My research did not, however, emphasize these changes or compare representations from different years in this period. The reasons for this are twofold: First, nineteenth century representations are just one time period that I have focused on; second, the fact that texts addressing Africa in Skírnir are quite scarce makes it somewhat difficult for the purposes of comparison.

4. In Icelandic, “Vér munum nú í stuttu máli skýra nokkuÐ frá landaleit og ferÐum um þessa heimsálfu, sem um allan aldr hefur veriÐ hulin aÐ miklu leyti fyrir sjónum manna, enda þótt hún sé talin meÐ hinum forna heimi.”

5. In Icelandic, “Hinn voldugi soldán af Sokoto, Alíu, tók Barth meÐ virtum og vinsemdum, og hét honum vernd sinni, af því ferÐ hans væri stofnuÐ til mannheilla, aÐ tengja samaband viÐ fjarlægar þjóÐir.”

6. Ali was a part of the FulBe ethnic groups who ruled a large part of West Africa during this time.

7. In Icelandic, “Ó, þann auÐ og yndi, sem listin skapar! Ó, þá örbyggÐ einnar þjóÐar, ef hún enginn málverk á eÐa listamyndir! Listirnar eru skærasti spegill þjóÐarinna, hvaÐ menning þeirra snertir, andlegt atgjörfi og skapseinkunnir. Listirnar og listaverkin eru aldini hins þroskaÐa þjóÐlífs og menningar.”