Greenland views itself as being on the way to sovereignty. This image -- and the tensions involved in it -- structure the triangular relation between the EU, Greenland and Denmark. The central Other of Greenland has for a couple of centuries been Denmark, the colonial overlord. The national identity discourses of Greenland and Denmark both idealise national homogeneity. A central condition for a continuation of Rigsfaellesskabet, the community of the realm including Greenland and Denmark, is the idea that Greenland still needs external assistance in its development towards independence -- and that this idea can be formulated in a way which does not infantilise Greenland metaphorically. As part of the post-colonial diversification of Greenlands dependency, the bilateral relation between Denmark and Greenland has gradually been opened up to involve other others. Meanwhile, a discourse prognosticates that climate change is opening up the Arctic to minerals extraction and commerce. In these circumstances, the triangular relation with the EU is played out as a series of rhetorical and practical sovereignty games, in Nuuk, Copenhagen and Brussels. Particularly, a number of strategies are employed to minimise the apparent role of Denmark for the Greenlandic relations to the EU.

Book Information
ISBN 9788763545020
Author Ulrik Pram Gad
Format Paperback
Page Count 152
Imprint Museum Tusculanum Press
Publisher Museum Tusculanum Press
Weight(grams) 298g