Civilizing the “Uncivilized”: The Fight against Tuberculosis in Northern Norway at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

Ryymin, Teemu

doi:10.1080/08003830701661779

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Before the war, public health policy in Finnmark had been aligned with the official minority policy aiming at Norwegianization of the Sami and the Kven minorities. In order to benefit from health promotion, for instance in the fight against tuberculosis, linguistic and cultural change among the minorities Á in effect, assimilation Á was seen as necessary (Ryymin, 2007). The official ideology gradually changed toward acknowledgement of cultural plurality in the 1950s, but was there an opening for a linguistic or cultural particularization of the universalistic health policies?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effecting Equality: Norwegian Health Policy in Finnmark, 1945–1970s

Ryymin¹,

Andresen

2009

Acta Borealia

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At the heart of ''the Nordic model of welfare'' is a strong will for national integration and social equality between citizens and regions. It is commonly held that that ''ethnic homogeneity'' is one explanatory factor behind the Nordic model of welfare. On the contrary, we claim that it is the political will to treat the population as homogeneous that influenced the creation of the model, not any factual ethnic homogeneity (which is, after all, a historical fiction, also in the Nordic context). Thus, the pursuit of integration and the strive for regional equality have challenged local autonomy and cultural diversity while at the same time underpinned arguments for a regionalization of politics and, to some extent, for ethnic particularization. Drawn between a strong state and local authority, universalism and particularization, welfare and health policies have reshaped the relationship between center and peripheries and between the majority and ethnic minorities.The integration of the county of Finnmark into the national system of institutionalized welfare in Norway after World War II constitutes a good case to investigate not only the will, but also the ability, for national integration and equalization along the dimensions of centreÁperiphery and majorityÁminority relations, not only because of the county's position furthest to the north, but also because it held the largest minority populations. This article examines Norwegian policies to establish and effect equality between Finnmark and other regions in the field of health care facilities from 1945 until the 1970s, and the attempts to establish equal access to health services between the Sámi minority and the Norwegian majority population in Finnmark. It sheds light upon how the immanent conflict between the ideals of a national, universal welfare policy and particular measures in favor of the Sámi was conceived in the period. (The authors expected multi-culturality to be clearly visible in the sources. It was, but only with regard to one minority group, the Sámi. The Kvens were not discussed by the policy-makers in the period.) Furthermore, it has been argued that in the shaping and implementation of Norwegian health policies in the first years after World War II, primacy was given to expert knowledge. A particular point of interest in this article is how this primacy manifested itself in the choices of political strategies of universalism and particularism within the field of health policy in this particular geographical setting.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effecting Equality: Norwegian Health Policy in Finnmark, 1945–1970s

Ryymin¹,

Andresen

2009

Acta Borealia

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“…26–27) and opened up for strong interventions in individuals’ freedom and signalled that the disease was no longer a private matter but something that concerned the whole nation (Blom, 1998, p. 15). The law required all doctors to report tuberculosis, and the authorities could force an infected person to be hospitalised (Blom, p. 1998, p. 14; Ryymin, 2007, p. 146). The government also issued a special law on cleanliness in churches in 1910, in which information measures are mentioned in paragraph 6:Information will be posted at conspicuous places, and especially at church entrances, encouraging churchgoers not to spit on the church floor or on the stairs.…”

Section: The Norwegian Campaignmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The governmental control function regarded especially the Sami population, which is defined as indigenous in official documents today. The traditional areas of the Samis (and Kven) in the North were acknowledged as a national problem, with twice as many infected as the national average in 1907 (Ryymin, 2007, p. 146). The general state policy at the time was to integrate this northernmost part more firmly into the national state and to assimilate the ethnic groups into the supposedly superior Norwegian culture (Ryymin, 2007).…”

Section: The Norwegian Campaignmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The traditional areas of the Samis (and Kven) in the North were acknowledged as a national problem, with twice as many infected as the national average in 1907 (Ryymin, 2007, p. 146). The general state policy at the time was to integrate this northernmost part more firmly into the national state and to assimilate the ethnic groups into the supposedly superior Norwegian culture (Ryymin, 2007). It was said that the Sami population had to become Norwegians to be able to take part in the new knowledge and become modern people (Nielsen, 2011, p. 177).…”

Section: The Norwegian Campaignmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The specific implicit intents in this article is mainly derived from established historical knowledge, where the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Organisation wanted suffrage (Melby, 2000, p. 90, 2001, p. 39; Folkvord, 2013, p. 149; Bjørnar, 2001, p. 64; Moksnes, 1984, p. 196), The Medical Association wanted to mark their societal value and position in society (Blom, 1999, p. 236; Rogstad, 1996, pp. 111–113), and the Norwegian government wanted to control and assimilate the Sami population (Ryymin, 2007).…”

Section: Different Strategic Intentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The first modern health communication campaign in Europe: explicit and implicit strategic intents

Dahlen

2024

CCIJ

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PurposeThe main aim of this article is to broaden the notion of strategic intent in public relations. It also develops an understanding of the social value of what can be defined as the first modern health communication campaign in Europe based on strategic intents and the development of modernity.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on both historical research and empirical material from the Norwegian tuberculosis campaign from 1889 up to 1913, when Norwegian women achieved suffrage. The campaign is analysed in the framework of modernity and social theory. The literature on lobbying and social movements is also used to develop a theoretical framework for the notion of strategic intent.FindingsThe study shows that strategic intent can be divided into two layers: (1) the implicit strategic intent is the real purpose behind the communication efforts, whereas (2) the explicit intent is found directly in the communication efforts. The explicit intent may be presented as a solution for the good of society at the right political moment, giving an organisation the possibility to mobilise for long-term social changes, in which could be the implicit intent.Originality/valueThe distinction between explicit and implicit strategic intent broadens our understanding on how to make long-term social changes as well as how social and political changes occur in modern societies. The article also gives a historical account of what is here defined as the first modern health communication campaign in Europe and its social value.

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Modernity and the development of PR in Norway: Influences and interactions

Dahlen

2019

Public Relations Review

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Civilizing the “Uncivilized”: The Fight against Tuberculosis in Northern Norway at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

Cited by 4 publications

References 3 publications

Effecting Equality: Norwegian Health Policy in Finnmark, 1945–1970s

Effecting Equality: Norwegian Health Policy in Finnmark, 1945–1970s

The first modern health communication campaign in Europe: explicit and implicit strategic intents

Modernity and the development of PR in Norway: Influences and interactions

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