„I dette sataniske Evangelium“

• Published in: European Journal of Scandinavian Studies
• Main Author: Nagelstutz, Daniel
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2021
• Subjects: Literature and Literary Theory; Linguistics and Language; Language and Linguistics; Cultural Studies; Greenland; Godthåb; greenlander*; greenlandic; Grönland; inuit
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ejss-2021-2038; https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ejss-2021-2038/xml; https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ejss-2021-2038/pdf

Abstract During the Second World War, a few well-educated Greenlanders from the Danish colonies of Godthåb and Holsteinsborg expressed their sympathy for Nazi Germany. However, the background of the political turmoil within the Greenlandic elite remains largely unknown. This article presents the state of research and previously unknown sources on the Nazi riots in Greenland. In a subsequent step, potential motives for the movement will be discussed. So far, researchers have ruled out that Greenlanders were aware of the true nature of National Socialism. Instead, the scattered pro-German activities along Greenland’s West coast have been played down as spontaneous acts of provocation and mere political calculus. In fact, the Nazis’ ideology and war crimes were well known to the Greenlanders. In addition, German polar researchers made friends with Greenlandic journalists, teachers and catechists after the Nazi seizure of power. Last not least, the article will examine how Danish discrimination against Greenlanders contributed to the Greenlandic chauvinism displayed by a few members of the Inuit elite.