Greenland and the Faroe Islands: Denmark’s autonomous territories from postcolonial perspectives

Abstract

In July 2021 Greenlanders will be commemorating the 300th anniversary of Danish colonization. The anniversary has come at a time when the world is facing a wave of reflections on the injustices of colonialism. The article aims to contribute to this discussion and frame the history of Greenlandic dependence on Denmark, considering contemporary political development. For comparison, the authors refer to the Faroe Islands as an additional autonomous territory of the Danish realm. Greenland was a colony until 1953 and acquired autonomy in 1979, while the Faroe Islands have never been considered a colony and gained autonomy more than 30 years earlier (1948). To find further similarities and differences in the postcolonial realities in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, the authors compare both countries, using concepts from literature on postcolonialism. Their findings reveal that the number of differences between Greenlandic and Faroese postcolonial realities outweigh the discussed similarities. The authors conclude that the consequences of coloniality are more serious in Greenland. Furthermore, given Greenland's important strategic location in the Arctic region, Greenlanders should be more wary of world powers exploiting their country for economic profit.