Vol. 31 No. 1 (2026): Queering National Histories

WHILE THE NORDIC COUNTRIES are frequently characterized as progressive and LGBTQ+-affirming societies, insiders recognize the substantial historical and contemporary disparities between metropolitan centres such as Copenhagen or Stockholm and the peripheral regions. This special issue examines queer lives and histories situated within political, power-relational, and cartographical peripheries. Two contributions present methodological examples for the queering of national literary canons and national myths through queer historical research. Four papers offer analyses of recent institutional initiatives to
reframe national historical narratives from the perspectives of sexual and gender minorities through memory institutions and commemorative events in Finland, Iceland, and Norway. This special issue is a contribution to queer historiography in national contexts where such scholarship has been notably limited, and to provide critical insights into how national histories can be queered both on narrative levels and through queer practices.

Cover art: The ABC Queers by Bianco Casco