Artistic Research Project Colors in Sweden’s White History
How can the voices of “free blacks” from St. Barthélemy 200 years ago change the representation of Swedish identity? This is one of the key questions for Nina Mangalanayagam, a researcher and artist at HDK-Valand, who will take part in a seminar at the Stockholm City Museum on March 26.
As part of her research project, Colouring in Sweden: revealing hybridity in a Swedish past, Nina Mangalanayagam investigates historical narratives from Swedes of mixed backgrounds that have not previously been visible in Swedish history.
The central case study focuses on St. Barthélemy and examines the children of Swedish men and so-called ‘free black’ women on the island during Swedish rule.
"I’m interested in stories that challenge our historiography and homogeneous Swedish self-image. I have one white and one black parent myself, and I’m looking for these hybrid stories that can provide a more diversified picture of Swedishness. How can their lives help us examine whose history we’re telling?" says Nina
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In dialogue with historians
In the past ten years, researchers have become increasingly interested in Sweden’s colonial heritage. Nina Mangalanayagam approaches the research field as an artist.
"I don’t have a formal historical education, but I conduct my research in dialogue with historians, including Fredrik Thomasson at Uppsala University. He has found ways to track these people through court records and ownership documents. I build on what he has discovered and create a visual narrative of their lives through video, AI, and photography. As an artist, I don’t have to follow the same frameworks as a historian, but I can bring these lives to life through speculation and fiction," she says.
The project focuses on the women’s position, a history that is even more invisible than the men’s. Nina Mangalanayagam is about halfway through the project and notes that there is more material about black women than she originally thought. If you know where to look.
"Sweden’s colonial archives are the archives of white men. It has been written from their perspective and sometimes hide aspects they did not want or were unable to see. So, it’s a matter of looking at it from different angles," she explains.
Not a homogeneous and ‘white’ country
For over 200 years, Sweden has had a self-image as a homogeneous and ‘white’ country, something which is often reused in political rhetoric. Through her research, Nina Mangalanayagam wants to show that the reality is much more complex.
"We need to understand our history in order to influence our present because things tend to repeat themselves. Sweden actually has a history full of multifaceted, heterogeneous stories, intertwined cultures, and identities. My hope is that these kinds of stories can help those who identify as non-white to find a sense of community in Sweden and discuss their own history," she says.
Want to know more?
On March 26, Nina Mangalanayagam and Maja Hagerman, author and filmmaker, artistic lecturer in image production at Dalarna University, will take part in a conversation about historical traces of colonization and racism in our dark corners and crevices at the Stockholm City Museum.
Read more: https://stadsmuseet.stockholm/aktuellt/kalendarium/2025/03/historia-vi-helst-vill-glomma/