Gender Equal Forerunners? Images and Imaginings of the Nordic Countries in the International Women’s Suffrage Movement 1904-1914

Abstract

This thesis analyses the images and imaginings made of the Nordics within the forum of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) between 1904 and 1914. The project aims to uncover not only which images and imaginings were made, but also the lasting impact of these images on the Nordic nations in relation to the status of women. As the Nordic nations are perpetuated as a heaven for women, this thesis aims to explore when and how these images were first constructed in order to tell the origin story of the ‘policy of engagement’ which the Nordic nations – especially Norway – exercise today.