On the Founding of the Society

Abstract

Anniversaries come in all sorts: some are occasions for reflecting on accomplishments and a job well done, others for questioning what might be improved or the direction in which new goals may lead. Anniversaries may also celebrate relatively short periods-five, ten, or fifteen years-or significantly longer periods. They may involve individuals, small groups, or a notably larger number of people. During 2011, an anniversary commemorating various noteworthy accomplishments by a society that now numbers in die hundreds will be observed in numerous ways. year 1911 not only saw the first meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study in Chicago on die 26 and 27 of May, but also in the following month the publication of the first modest issue of the journal Scandinavian Studies, which ran a mere twenty-four pages. began with a prefatory note quoting a letter sent to Scandinavian scholars throughout the country: It is proposed to hold a meeting of those interested in Scandinavian study in this country for the purpose of organizing a Scandinavian Philological Society or a Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Stud)' (3). Although efforts have been made over the years to change the name of the Society, it is worth noting that the name it now bears was proposed at die founding and has remained with the Society ever since. One can only wonder whether that hearty band of scholars' commitment to the study of Nordic cultures could ever have anticipated, on the one hand, the growth and the vitality of the society they organized or, on the other, the fact that die journal that carried die letter inviting membership in the society, die program of the first meeting in Chicago, and one article reporting on the study of topics relating to the Nordic region would ever become one of the preeminent scholarly journals in the discipline, published on a quarterly basis with issues going not only to North American scholars but also to the scholarly community extending throughout Europe and into Asia. Subscribers include individuals whose scholarly commitment is to the Nordic region, more casual readers with a marked fondness for Scandinavia, university libraries from the largest and most distinguished to those of smaller institutions with ties to the Nordic homeland of many of the students, community libraries where interest in the culture of northern Europe is particularly keen, and large commercial subscription agencies that are very quick to inquire about an issue whose appearance is even slightly delayed. One wonders whether they could have imagined that the journal would not only publish articles and reviews of scholarly distinction but also special issues on Bellman, Dinesen, dissemination of medical care, folklore, die influence of the small Nordic countries on European politics, the role of women's literature in contemporary Nordic culture, and the first issue in a scholarly journal devoted exclusively to Sami to name only a few of the more recent endeavors. Different types of publications seem to have been in the forefront of die minds of at least some of the participants in that first meeting. A committee on translation was appointed including among others Lee M. Hollander and Henry G. Leach. Three series of publications were also announced: Series I: Studies in Scandinavian Philology and Literature; Series II Proceedings of die Society (including short papers); and Series III: Translations. publications of the Society during the early years were on an ad hoc basis: the volumes often encompassed multiple years, and thus the current issue-volume 83--does not correspond with the hundredth anniversary of the first issue. Anniversaries, though, are not just occasions to celebrate past achievements, but perhaps more importantly are also moments that offer auspicious occasions for looking toward the future. first article of the constitution of the Society adopted on May 27,1911 reads, The object of the society shall be to promote research in the languages, literature and culture of the Scandinavian North and to advance their study in North America (10). …