Historians appointed to study of Greenland-Denmark relationship
Greenland and Denmark are moving forward on the joint study into their countries’ past relationship with the appointment of two historians to the research leadership team this month.
Daniel Thorleifsen, who has served as the director of Greenland’s National Museum & Archives since 2005, previously held the position of head of institute at Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland.
Tenna Jensen has headed the University of Greenland’s Centre for Arctic Welfare since 2021 and been a senior researcher at the Center for Public Health in Greenland and University of Southern Denmark since 2022.
“We look forward to the launch of the historical study with the appointment of the research leadership team,” Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s Minister of Independence and Foreign Affairs, said in a statement Feb. 20.
“The knowledge of our language, our history and research is present in the research leadership team and has been a part of our society during the period that the study will shed light on.”
Study areas include settlement shutdowns, foster family experiment
The investigation into the historical relations between Denmark and Greenland was first announced by Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in 2022.
The study will span from World War II to the present day, and examine the key political decisions, events, and actions that affected the Greenlandic population, shaped Greenland’s development, and influenced its relationship with Denmark.
Areas the researchers will explore include the shutting down of Inuit settlements and the relocation of Greenlandic children to foster families in Denmark during the 1950s.
Denmark is providing 45 million DMK ($8.9 million CDN) to the Government of Greenland for the research project, which will be carried out by the University of Greenland.
“With Daniel Thorleifsen and Tenna Jensen, we have a strong team with solid roots in Greenland and broad experience in managing major research projects and research dissemination,” Christina Egelund, Greenland’s Minister of Education & Research, said.
“I look forward to the important work of the study now getting underway”.
The study will last five years and the final report will be available in Greenlandic and Danish.
The project’s start date is still to be determined.
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