The Arctic region of the North Atlantic has recently become increasingly important in terms of both security policy and economics. There are different interrelated reasons for this, ranging from the unpredictability of American foreign policy to the already apparent and foreseeable consequences of climate change, which are altering access to the region and thus its strategic importance. The panel discussion will focus on Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. How have the discourses within these societies changed? What challenges do the three countries face in terms of their cultural and political self-understandings? While questions about the future shape of the Danish Realm in Greenland and the Faroe Islands have become highly topical, Iceland is discussing the referendum expected to take place in 2027, which will deal with the resumption of EU accession negotiations. The panel will be introduced by three short keynote speeches on the various regional perspectives. Following the discussion among the three experts, the audience will also have the opportunity to pose questions.
The panelists are:
Tobias Etzold
Tobias Etzold is a political scientist with a focus on International Relations and European Studies, specializing in Northern European politics. Based in Oslo, he currently works as a freelance senior researcher. Previous professional positions include the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) in Oslo. Etzold mainly works on the foreign, security, and European policies of the Nordic countries, Nordic-German relations, as well as cooperation and security in the Baltic Sea region and the Arctic.
Theresa Kohlbeck Jakobsen
Theresa Kohlbeck Jakobsen has a background in Scandinavian Studies as well as European Ethnology and is currently working on their doctorate. Their cross-disciplinary thesis analyses the interdependence of family and fishery representations in Faroese novels from the early to mid-20th century, examining their significance in the discourse on Faroese identity formation. Theresa's interests include (ocean) politics of the North Atlantic region as well as arts-based science communication. They are also active as a translator from Faroese to German.
Ebbe Volquardsen
Ebbe Volquardsen is a cultural and political scientist working in the field of political education at an adult education centre near Frankfurt am Main. Until 2025, he was Associate Professor of Cultural History at Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland in Nuuk. His research focuses on Scandinavian and global colonial history, Danish–Greenlandic relations, cultures and politics of memory, and postcolonial entanglements.
The discussion will be moderated by Charlotte Steinert, M.A. (International Research Training Group “Baltic Peripeties”).