Voices of Authority: New Publication on Archives, Administrative History and Society in the West Nordic Countries

The contributors and editors come from Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland and have worked for many years as archivists at leading archival institutions in their respective countries. Each article is therefore grounded in extensive professional expertise and practical experience in archival work. The contributions examine significant aspects of the administrative history of the West Nordic countries. Because many of these topics have not previously been studied and published in this manner, the articles also present new knowledge on specific aspects of the administrative history of the North Atlantic region. As such, the volume will serve as a valuable resource for anyone intending to research and write about the history of the West Nordic countries using archival sources.

The collection is the result of two longstanding initiatives. The first is the West Nordic Archives Conference (VNAK), which is held every three years on a rotating basis in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. Archivists from the three countries meet to discuss professional issues, including archival science, archival research, and administrative history. The themes explored in this volume have been presented and discussed in various forms at these conferences over the years. The authors subsequently continued their work on the individual topics and now present the final results in the form of scholarly articles.

The second initiative that influenced the development of the book was the 2007 anthology Nordatlanten og Troperne (The North Atlantic and the Danish Colonies in the Tropics). Most of the authors contributing to the present volume were also involved in that publication, which formed part of a larger Danish research project entitled Kilder til dansk forvaltningshistorie (Sources for Danish Administrative History). During that project, numerous editorial and authors’ meetings were held to discuss archival sources relating to the administrative history of the countries concerned.

This anthology is not intended to provide a comprehensive account of the history of public administration in the three North Atlantic countries. Rather, its purpose is to introduce selected administrative institutions, their origins, development, functions, and archives. The aim is to give interested readers, particularly archive users, insight into how certain administrative bodies, authorities, and public offices have evolved in these countries, what responsibilities they have been entrusted with over time, and consequently what kinds of historical information researchers and archive users can expect to find in their records.

In the photo from left: Sámal Tróndur Finnsson Johansen, Kristjana Kristinsdóttir, Vivi Noahsen og Hrefna Róbertsdóttir.

Vivi Noahsen and Hrefna Róbertsdóttir