ABSTRACT
Shortly after 1905, cultural diplomacy organisations directed at emigrants and expatriates abroad were founded in the Scandinavian countries: the Norse Federation in Norway in 1907, the National Association for the Preservation of Swedishness Abroad in Sweden in 1908 and the Danish World Association in 1912. This chapter explores the relationship between the long-term strategy of strengthening the connections between the homeland and their nationals abroad, as defined by these organisations, and the tactical means employed in achieving these aims. Of special interest is publishing initiatives and the perceived role of journals as constituting the central link between nationals at home and abroad. Transnational journals, printed in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, respectively, were seen as central vehicles to achieve the overarching goal of building transnational communities across borders. National cultural and economic ‘colonies’ abroad could, it was argued, serve as hubs promoting national interests.
