ABSTRACT
Between 1843 and 2015, 14 complete translations of the Qurʾān into the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian languages were published. This chapter maps the history of translations of the Qurʾān in Scandinavia with a view to their various forms and functions. The translations are analyzed in terms of (1) the agency of the translator with or without institutional housing; (2) the intertextuality of the translated text and its presentation; and (3) the social and historical context of the translation at the time of production as well as in its reception. Common to all translations is that they situate the Qurʾān historically and theologically, and that the translations thus primarily have a documentary function. However, the translations fulfill a variety of other, more instrumental functions, such as claiming interpretational or scholarly authority, communicating with specific audiences, enabling spiritual or aesthetic experiences, or forming communal identities.
