Greenlandic Studies caught up in geopolitical tensions: »It makes me anxious«

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had its work cut out for it ever since the US president Donald Trump, around Christmas, declared that American »ownership and control over Greenland is an absolute necessity«.

When Trump’s son, Trump Jr., took the family’s private jet to the Greenlandic capital Nuuk two weeks later, it only added fuel to the diplomatic crisis.

But something that, for many in Denmark, feels like a plot from a thriller is, for many Greenlanders, a concerning reality. It raises questions about independence, freedom, and the significance of a homeland.

These thoughts and questions resonate at the North Atlantic House in Copenhagen. It is the home of Greenlandic and Arctic Studies at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), where several lecturers and many of the 14 students have Greenlandic backgrounds.

The spring semester had just started when the University Post visits the place, and it is clear that the ongoing conflict is on everyone’s minds—both academically and personally.

»Of course, this is something we talk about. Both during breaks and in class. I just attended a lecture where we discussed the discourse surrounding Greenland in the current debate and how it is portrayed in the media,« says 24-year-old Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer.

She was born and raised in Denmark with a Danish mother and a Greenlandic father. Throughout her childhood, she did not think much about her Greenlandic heritage, but as she grew older, it became more significant to her.

»The Greenlandic part of me became more important. But when I am in Greenland, I also become aware of how Danish I am—both because of my appearance and my language. So in a way, I feel more Danish in Greenland than I do in Denmark,« says Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer.

As part of her studies, she is learning Greenlandic, but she does not speak the language fluently. Unlike her sister, she does not have the same traditional Greenlandic features, such as dark hair, she explains.

The nutcase from America

The current conflict over Greenland’s future weighs heavily on Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer’s mind, especially because her older sister and other family members live in Greenland.

»It can be difficult to deal with, and I do worry and feel uneasy about how this will all turn out. Several members of my family have expressed that it is frightening how much attention Greenland is receiving—especially from Trump—because he is such an unpredictable man,« she says.

Her sister lives with her husband and child in Greenland’s second-largest city, Sisimiut, about 300 kilometres north of Nuuk. Her husband is Chinese, and the couple is considering whether to move to Denmark, China, or stay in Greenland.

»They have no interest in becoming American citizens, so they are discussing their options if this situation continues,« says Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer.

She herself arrived in Nuuk just a few days after Trump Jr. had handed out red MAGA caps and dollar bills in the Greenlandic capital.

»People mostly talked about him as a nutcase. In Sisimiut, I spoke with a shop owner who joked that by the next time I visit, they might have become American citizens. It was said in jest, but with an underlying concern. That was how many people expressed themselves—perhaps because it makes it a little easier to talk about if you joke about it,« she says.

Questions about Greenland’s future have created internal divisions among the Greenlandic population regarding the direction the country should take. Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer also feels this conflict within herself.

»There is a tendency for many to believe that you have to choose between being Danish or Greenlandic. In reality, I feel both Danish and Greenlandic. But the discourse right now is very much one against the other, and I find that difficult to navigate because I want to be both,« she says.

Reality reshapes the curriculum

It is not just Trump that has brought in major foreign policy issues to the small study programme. Greenland has in recent years become increasingly important on the international stage. This is largely due to Russian and Chinese military build-ups in the Arctic, climate change opening up new shipping routes in the Arctic Ocean, and valuable raw materials in the Greenland underground.

The international focus has set off a growing interest in the field’s researchers and students, and recent developments will naturally be incorporated into the teaching this semester. This is according to Frank Sejersen, associate professor and programme director of Greenlandic and Arctic Studies.

»Everything currently happening in this field needs to be brought into our teaching and placed within a theoretical framework. Trump’s statements have fueled Greenlandic aspirations for independence, and questions and dilemmas about independence are, in many ways, central to the study of indigenous peoples,« he says.

The programme is also in the process of developing a new curriculum that will allow the current political realities in Greenland to be integrated even more into teaching.

»We also want to engage in larger practical collaborations with stakeholders who have an interest in Greenland. We can serve as their think tank, expanding our own network and hopefully becoming an even bigger player in the community working on Greenlandic issues,« says Frank Sejersen.

According to Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer, the current focus on Greenland could also give more momentum to the study programme, even if it, in her viewpoint, comes from a bleak place.

»Of course, it’s great that we’re getting attention and that people are starting to notice that we exist, because we tend to be forgotten at UCPH since we are such a small programme. There is also talk about pushing a bit and using this momentum to attract more students. But at the same time, this conversation also highlights just how little focus there was on Greenland before all of this took off,« says Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer.

»Kayak wogs«

The limited attention Danes paid to Greenland before Trump is something Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer recognizes.

»Most people don’t know very much. But I also think that those who approach me usually have a genuine desire to learn more about Greenland. And ignorance doesn’t necessarily come from a bad place, but it is often what leads to ignorant remarks,« she says.

A study by the Danish Institute for Human Rights has shown that four out of five Greenlandic students in Denmark experience prejudice and discrimination.

Recently, when Trump expressed his desire for American control over Greenland, he also criticised Denmark’s treatment of Greenlanders, arguing that they are regarded as second-class citizens.

Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer has also personally experienced discrimination and racism because of her Greenlandic heritage.

»Comments with words like ‘drunk as a Greenlander’ if you’re at a party or that I should wear more fur. Small remarks that may be meant as jokes, but that are unpleasant to hear,« she says.

In high school, she participated in a volleyball tournament where her team was named ‘The Kayak Wogs’.

»I don’t know if it was because I’m Greenlandic, but it definitely wasn’t nice, and it made me withdraw a little because I didn’t want to be part of that,« says Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer.

Looking at the research, Frank Sejersen describes it as »shocking« how little Danes in general know about Greenland.

»That’s why I also believe Danmark has work to do in terms of rethinking its relationship with Greenland, however this relationship turns out, but also in expanding our knowledge base and actively working to eradicate the stereotypes we have maintained for so many years,« says Frank Sejersen.

Eternal ties between Denmark and Greenland

The question of Greenland’s future has become the central theme of the Greenlandic parliamentary election, which will take place on 11 March .

Despite Trump’s numerous claims that most Greenlanders want to become American citizens, a new poll conducted by Verian for Berlingske and the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq shows that only a very small minority supports becoming part of the United States.

The current debate has also led Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer to reflect more on Greenland’s future. She hopes that, in time, Greenland will become independent.

»But I think it’s something that will take longer if we want to maintain the same welfare system. And I also hope there will still be some form of cooperation with Denmark after independence. There are so many of us who, like me, have ties to both countries,« she says.

Frank Sejersen also believes that Denmark and Greenland will remain connected regardless of what the future holds.

»We will always have shared histories. And that is not something you can simply shake off,« he says.

He is convinced that within a few years, Greenland will hold a referendum on independence. However, this does not necessarily mean that Greenland will become independent right away or completely withdraw from the Danish commonwealth of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland.

»Such a referendum can be structured in many ways. And it is something that Greenlanders themselves will have to decide following the independence debate that will continue in the coming years,« he says.

Do you see a realistic scenario in which Greenland ends up under American control, as Trump envisions?

»I won’t pretend to understand Trump—he is a mystery. But Denmark has received significant support from various NATO and EU countries, all of which emphasize the importance of territorial sovereignty and the right to self-determination. And that is precisely what he is radically challenging. But what he actually means by it, we simply don’t know,« he says.

The fragile conversation about the future

With his call for US control over Greenland, it is as if the US president has, according to Frank Sejersen, burst a bubble in the Danish commonwealth. It is a longstanding and growing issue: the lack of understanding and interest from Denmark in maintaining and developing its relationship with Greenland.

»This has been a wake-up call for Denmark, reminding us that we need to take Greenland seriously because we have not been attentivc. In the renewed conversation that Denmark must now have with Greenland, economists, military and legal experts will all be important. But just as crucial will be historical understanding, cultural traditions, and the deeper societal relations between Greenland and global players — and that is what we specialize in here,« he says.

Louise Nuka Strøbæk Lützer also believes that discussions about the relationship with Denmark and Greenland’s future position in international politics must take place in a respectful manner.

»I hope we can continue to make space for all voices—both on the international stage and within our small study programme. We students are very different; we have Danes, Greenlanders, and those of us in between. So my hope is that we can maintain a positive and productive dialogue, and that all of this won’t divide us.«