Members of the Afro-Nordic Feminisms Working group participated in a panel at the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (SASS) Conference in Seattle, held this year May 9-12, 2024.

Seattle recently hosted the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (SASS) annual meeting, where the Afro-Nordic Feminisms Working Group, with members from both the US and Scandinavia, gathered to engage in critical discussions on race, racialization, and Blackness in the Nordic countries. This meeting was notably supported by CSSD, for which Working Group members are deeply grateful.

The Working Group’s primary goal was to bring attention to issues often overlooked in these discursive spaces. This year's SASS coincided with the National Nordic Museum's exhibition "Nordic Utopia? African American Artists in the 20th Century." Our panel followed a discussion on the exhibition, sparking a meaningful conversation about the history and contemporary cultures of Blackness in the Nordics.

Additionally, the Afro-Nordic Feminisms had productive dialogues with indigenous scholars focusing on race and racialization in Greenland and Sápmi. These exchanges were invaluable in broadening the scope of the group’s discussions.

Looking ahead, a number of group members will attend a conference in Iceland in October, funded by the University of Iceland, to continue these very important conversations.

Overall, the meeting in Seattle was a significant success, advancing the collective understanding of members of the project and fostering deeper connections within the community.

Prepared by Monica Miller

Edited by Evan Berk