The Northern Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was crucial in shaping modern European thought and society. What characterized the Enlightenment in Norway and the North?
Sorø Academy was one of the centers of the Enlightenment in Denmark-Norway. Illustration from Johann Jacob Bruun, Denmark's Kiøbstæder and Castles, Copenhagen, 1799.
About the group
This group brings together researchers from different historical disciplines to explore the Northern Enlightenment. We focus on the transmission of ideas and practices, texts and people across borders and probe the Northern Enlightenment in a European perspective.
Particular areas of interest are:
- Political thought and political culture
- The public sphere and freedom of speech
- Historical writing, science and literature
Background
The era of the Enlightenment is closely associated with enlightened philosophers, such as Voltaire, David Hume and Immanuel Kant. Internationally today, these philosophers are often invoked in public debates over free speech, the climate crisis and economic inequalities.
As a historical movement of intellectuals and ideas, the Enlightenment has become a conflict zone. Yet, this political use of history mirrors the fact that it is the Enlightenment in France, in Scotland and perhaps in Germany, that is most well-known. The Enlightenment is understood as a small band of philosophers living in Paris or other European metropolises. Figures from the European periphery is seldom seen in these discussions.
In spite of this trend, researchers have for some time now sought to emphasize that the Enlightenment was expressed and appeared differently in different contexts across Europe. Some researchers have begun to talk of a particular Northern or Nordic Enlightenment.