Editor's Note

Abstract

vi E D I T O R ’ S N O T E This special issue of Norwegian-­American Studies focuses on war in the twentieth century. As the image on the front cover attests, war has many consequences, many of them devastating on both individual and collective levels. While operational tactics and battles are central to the history of war, this issue delves deeper into the social facets of war. It explores the varied effects war had on Norwegian-­ American individuals and communities, and details the ways in which they responded to the shifting circumstances in which they found themselves. World War Two anchors this volume. As war broke out in Europe in 1939, Norwegian Americans eagerly consumed news of the German invasion of Poland and the Russian war with Finland, termed the Winter War. Terje Joranger and Daron Olson compare urban and rural Norwegian-­ American newspapers’ treatment of these events leading up to World War Two in the opening article,“Those Distant Wars: Norwegian-­ American Attitudes Towards Poles and Finns, 1939-­ 1940.” Of course, the German occupation of Norway was of central importance to Norwegian Americans, and it loomed large over the actions and attitudes of Norwegian-­ American communities across the United States throughout the 1940s. Ann Legreid’s piece “Campaigns on the Homefront: Norwegian-­ American Farmers and Workers Mobilized for War” offers an overview of the many activities Norwegian Americans engaged in to support both the United States and Norway during World War Two. Though the Midwest was a natural home to many of these activities , Norwegian Americans throughout the United States felt the consequences of the war. Hans-­ Petter Grav provides an in-­ depth analysis of how the war led Norwegian Americans in the Pacific Northwest to seek solace and purpose in their American and Norwegian identities in his contribution, “Our Values Are in Danger: vii Norwegian-­ American Responses to World War II in the Pacific Northwest.” The final article in the issue examines the postwar period. Siv Ringdal shows how the transatlantic flows of people, goods, and ideas prior to, during, and following the German occupation of Norway affected young, unmarried women migrants’ experiences in “Dressing up in Post War America: Dreams, Experiences and Embodiment among Female, Norwegian Migrants in New York, 1945-­ 1955.” These scholarly articles are framed by additional content related to the subject of war in the twentieth century. The Photograph Feature opens the issue by introducing us to the Camp Little Norway Club that was created in Chicago in 1941 to aid Norway’s armed forces. In the Works in Progress, Kyle Ward and Odd Lovoll inform us of their book project on the 99th battalion -­an ethnic Norwegian-­ American unit created by the United States military in World War Two. The volume concludes with our Notes from the Field, which highlights over 25 archival collections in the United States related to the subject of Norwegian Americans and war in the twentieth century. Each of these features reveals the breadth and depth of Norwegian-­ American involvement in the wars of the twentieth century. My hope is that this issue will bring additional attention to the study of Norwegian-­ American life in the twentieth century. As evidenced in this volume, long into the post-­ World-­ War-­ Two period, Norwegian Americans felt a dual sense of connection to the United States and to Norway. War offers us a lens through which to view this subject as well as the entwined histories of gender, everyday life, identities, organizations, migration, ethnicity, and more. —­ Anna M. Peterson, Associate Professor of History at Luther College ...