Bad Heritage: The American Viking Fantasy, from the Nineteenth Century to Now ...
Here's a key paragraph: "This chapter will be an exploration of the heritage function of Vikings in America. It will look at their presumptive whiteness, from the early nineteenth century, through the real mania for all things Viking in the mid to late nineteenth century, and on to present...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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unknown
2014
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17613/dkhkm-p5k41 https://works.hcommons.org/doi/10.17613/dkhkm-p5k41 |
| Summary: | Here's a key paragraph: "This chapter will be an exploration of the heritage function of Vikings in America. It will look at their presumptive whiteness, from the early nineteenth century, through the real mania for all things Viking in the mid to late nineteenth century, and on to present day fascinations with the Norse in popular music, neo-Norse religion, and white supremacy. As I will demonstrate, a fantasized whiteness is at the core of much of the American Viking fantasy: Historic Newfoundland is no anomaly. Witness, for example, a recent Newfoundland and Labrador Tourist board television commercial, featuring a set of light-skinned children frolicking amid the reconstructions of turf houses, whose voiceover concludes with "their journey ended [here]…the place your journey will begin" (L'anse Aux Meadows). The Vikings provide a break, starting (Canadian) history, but also ending it, by establishing a bond that collapses the distinction between past to present. My central concern will be with how this ... |
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