A Study of Three Norwegian American Newspapers in Northwestern : MinnesotaEthnic Identity and the Motivations behind Political Debate 1890 -1894

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the political experience of Norwegian Americans in northwestern Minnesota between 1890 and 1894. More specifically, it explores the relative importance of ethnic identity in the public political debate in three politically divergent Norwegian-language newspapers. This study argues that specific cultural, economic, political and social developments in northwestern Minnesota can explain the development and public expression of a hybrid ethnic identity specific to that region. A variety of perceptions of this identity distinctively characterized the political discourse in the press at the time. Many Norwegian Americans, conditioned by experiences both in Norway and America, exploited politically what they recognized as usable parts of their common ethnic heritage to express their political dissatisfaction and expectations, to enhance feelings of ethnic unity, to rally political support, and to besmirch enemies. This thesis demonstrate that perceptions of ethnic identity, although not the most central topic of political debate, played a significant role in the public political discourse in northwestern Minnesota between 1890 and 1894.