Tinka, another Dane writing in English, comments on the discussion of English vs. Danish language blogs too (see previous post). She wrote her comment independently of me, at approximately the same time, which is also interesting itself. Did we naturally as English-writing Danes take offense of the apparent marginalisation of us? Are we less Danish in our content because we write in English: do we comment less on specifically Danish subjects, such as life in Copenhagen, Danish politics, Danish culture, Danish music - topics which would naturally be easier to write about in Danish because they relate to "local phrasings" as well (I mean how do you translate a nickname like Anders Fjog Rasmussen into English etc)? Definitely our choice of academic subject (the study of literature in various forms) drives us towards thinking (in) English, since there is very little substantial theory on Literary Theory written in Danish - and since our peers are likely to be non Danes rather than Danes (at least those on the net at the time being)? But does an orientation towards "international subjects" imply that the way we think about things or define ourselves is less Danish? Actually I do not think so. We are raised within a Danish discourse of what "danskhed" (Danish-ness) is and of what is the proper way to think academically - we come with a frame of mind which makes us just a little bit different from our neighbouring country colleagues (sweet Torill in her last mail refers to me as a classic Danish humanist) and I think we all subconsciously note the differences in approaches, in ways of thinking, however small they may be between the Danes and the Norwegians for instance.

Note that in a comment in BlogonBlog, Jill refers to another Norwegian who thinks of Jill and Torill as two good Norwegian bloggers without questioning the language they write in at all.

I might address an international audience, but that does not prevent me from thinking locally. And thinking locally is not just a question of being situated at a specific longitude, but of being situated in a specific discourse on how to think, of what to say and what not to say and when to do it, both academically and in general. It is this "locality" in combination with my individual approach to things which gives this blog its own unique voice. It would not be the same if it was not Danish.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 14:32