By Abigail Tembreull Water Maiden, composed from color pencil, marker, and ink, was created in response to the Copper Country Community Arts Center’s annual Kalevala exhibit. The exhibit boasts fantastical images inspired by the National epic of Finland. The show coincides with Hancock, Michigan’s Heikinpaiva festival, where the area’s remarkably concentrated Finnish heritage and culture …
By Alex Moreno Bowdoin College There were twenty-four of us in the class, and as we pulled up to the first attraction on our bike tour, Norrebro’s BaNanna Park, two girls towards the end of the line decided that the best way to stop was to drag their toes along the concrete. They bumped and …
by Mirha Girt University of Wisconsin–Madison Disney’s recreation of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories, like “The Little Mermaid,” altered their meanings and changed Andersen’s portrayal of women, in particular. Disney’s versions—lighter and often with a happy ending—erase the original passion and anguish that are the backbone of Andersen’s stories. These films lead many people to believe …
By Aidan Neher Carleton College Introduction November 1918, World War I ended. With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the German Empire was replaced with the Weimar Republic. Portions of Germany were gifted to its neighbors, heavy reparations were imposed and democracy was forced.[1] Burdened with war reparations, Germany’s economy worsened, unemployment grew and …
By Johanna Weissing University of Wisconsin–Madison Words, after speech, reach Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern, Can words or music reach The stillness, as a Chinese jar still Moves perpetually in its stillness.1 In any attempt to study and understand a culture, one must take into account the material and artistic products …
By Linnea Rock University of Wisconsin–Madison From before the days of written history, women have endured societal hardships, as in most situations they were deemed subordinate. Thankfully there have been many examples of great women who have found ways to assert themselves in a male-dominated world, a contingency of which had taken root in medieval Scandinavia. …
By Linnea Rock University of Wisconsin–Madison Amidst the entirety of entertainment available and loved today, it is relieving to discover thought-provoking content occasionally exists. Using modern forms of entertainment is a great way to criticize social norms and to inform others about different ideas. This makes it possible for one’s ideas to reach a wide …
By Thomas Malcolm University of Wisconsin–Madison Iceland has an incredibly spotty history in regard to its economy. After Iceland’s latest economic crash of 2008, its name actually began to be associated with crisis and economic disaster.1 This notion, however, is more appropriate than one may come to believe from the crash of 2008 alone. For …
By Benjamin Groth University of Wisconsin–Madison The mid-nineteenth century was, in many ways, a period of pronounced transition in Sweden’s history and bore multifarious paradigm shifts in almost every facet of Swedish society. Of particular note are demographic and infrastructural development; Sweden, like much of Europe at this time, underwent industrialization and institutional reform, though …
By Cori Garrett University of Wisconsin–Madison Scandinavian countries have been global leaders in the race for social equality during the past two and half centuries, through the establishment of universal suffrage for women and the beginning of wage equality in Scandinavia prior to World War II. The granting of equality for women, the largest minority …