American Studies in Sweden: Navigating an Archipelagic Field

Abstract

This essay sets out to map the teaching of American studies in Sweden. Since American studies is not a degree-awarding disci-pline in Sweden, this is not a straightforward task. The first part of the essay discusses American studies as it looks at the only center of higher educa-tion in Sweden that identifies it as a subject, the Swedish Insti-tute for North American Studies at Uppsala University. In the second part we look at the field in a broader sense, identifying courses about North America currently available at Swedish universities, and surveying their subjects and topics. Together, the two parts outline the con-tours of a field of teaching that, we suggest, is best described as archipelagic. The essay con-cludes with a discussion of the possibilities and challenges for American studies teaching in Sweden and offers some thoughts and suggestions for the future, arguing for increased teacher and institutional coop-eration, and the need to estab-lish American studies as a de-gree-awarding discipline.

Keywords

• Higher education
• teaching
• North American studies
• area studies
• Sweden