https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=163 Publications de Auteurs Thomas Mohnike fr 0 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=663 When studying the history of geographical imaginations of the North, scholars often note that in spite of the wealth of cultural, artistic and societal contexts that are analysed, the same sets of elements representing the North can be found in constantly evolving combinations. In order to understand the sign system that is the North in social knowledge, the present article argues that we should change perspective and start by observing the smallest parts of the system, describing their nature and their ability to connect with other units of discourse. I propose to call these smallest units of discourse ‘mythemes of social knowledge’, and the laws determining the possibilities to combine mythemes at a certain moment in time their ‘discursive grammar’. This approach allows us to understand the perceived stability not as a historical fact per se, but as an effect of family resemblance between mythemes changing through use and cultural circulation, and it permits to trace the history and geography of these transformations. In spite of the apparent simplicity of the approach, it proves to be quite complex as soon as we want to describe the changing repertoire of mythemes of the North in cultural circulation because of the number of sources and mythemes that should be considered. It requires data management that goes beyond traditional pen–and–paper analysis. It demands the use of relational databases, best informed by digital text retrieval with tools still to be developed. The last part of the article investigates the challenges and possible solutions for the sketched problem and presents first experimental results. It also shows that digital analysis not only allows us to handle the apparent complexity, but also helps to avoid the arbitrary definitions of individual mythemes because it forces us to work in a counterintuitive fashion, by objectivizing intuitive knowledge. mer., 01 oct. 2025 11:00:19 +0200 jeu., 22 janv. 2026 11:31:58 +0100 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=663 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=569 The article proposes an introduction to the reception of Nordic myths in France and in the French–speaking world since the Middle Ages. This heterogeneous and complex reception has been constructed, depending on the milieu, period or region, in between fascination, rejection and exoticism. It testifies to an international histoire croisée and multiple discourses of belonging and otherness. Its ambiguous course, composed of tensions, ruptures, and discontinuities, distinguishes it from other reception histories and gives it a specificity that—apart from studies on Mallet—has often been neglected in international research. The terms attached to these mythological stories (Scandinavian/Nordic/Germanic/Northern/Viking) reflect different periods of reception as well as the evolution of their understanding. Based on the analysis of the frequency of use of these terms, we propose to outline the history of this reception by describing the following topics and stages: medieval narratives (chronicles, annals, histories); the role of Paris as the place where the Gesta danorum was printed; French intellectual circles in the modern period; the Enlightenment; the long academic and artistic 19th century; the First and Second World Wars; and finally, the 20th and early 21st centuries. While, under the cover of this historical journey, this study introduces the different milieus, the regional specificities, and the issues specific to the Francophone reception, its goal is above all to underline the role and the richness of this reception and to offer new avenues for research. L’article propose une introduction à la réception des mythes nordiques en France et dans le monde francophone depuis le Moyen-Âge. Cette réception hétérogène et complexe se construit, en fonction des milieux, périodes ou régions, entre fascination, rejet, et exotisme. Elle témoigne d’une histoire croisée internationale et de multiples discours d’appartenances et d’altérités. Son parcours ambigu composé de tensions, ruptures, discontinuités, la distingue des autres histoires de réception et lui apporte une spécificité qui – en dehors des études sur Mallet – a souvent été négligée dans la recherche internationale. Les termes attachés à ces récits mythologiques (scandinave/nordique/germanique/du Nord/Viking) reflètent différentes périodes de réception ainsi que l’évolution de leur compréhension. À partir de l’analyse de l’usage de ces termes, nous proposons de structurer l’histoire de cette réception à travers, notamment : les récits médiévaux (chroniques, annales, histoires) ; le rôle de Paris comme lieu d’impression de la Gesta danorum ; les cercles intellectuels français de l’époque moderne ; le siècle des Lumières ; le long xixe siècle académique et artistique ; la Première et la Seconde Guerre mondiale ; et enfin, le xxe siècle et le début du xxie siècle. Si sous couvert de ce parcours historique cette étude introduit les différents milieux, les spécificités régionales, et les enjeux propres à la réception francophone, son but est avant tout de souligner le rôle et la richesse de cette réception et d’offrir de nouvelles pistes de recherches. lun., 29 sept. 2025 15:26:51 +0200 jeu., 22 janv. 2026 11:24:58 +0100 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=569 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=409 La situation des études scandinaves est fragile. Trop peu d’étudiants en master, trop peu de doctorants – répondons-nous encore aujourd’hui aux questions qui nous sont posées ? Les études scandinaves sont certes un enfant de la germanistique du xixe siècle, mais en tant que discipline, elles sont aujourd’hui encore marquées de manière décisive par leur développement structurel en tant qu’études littéraires dans les années 1970 et 1980. Les enseignants et les étudiants cherchaient alors dans la littérature et au-delà à comprendre les cultures et les sociétés scandinaves, en particulier l’État-providence social-démocrate, et à faire l’expérience de la nature intacte. Mais aujourd’hui, l’imprimé n’est plus le média de référence, la Scandinavie sociale-démocrate n’existe plus et la nature, qui a façonné l’image du Nord, est également menacée au plus haut point. Quelles questions, méthodes et approches devraient donc structurer notre recherche et notre enseignement aujourd’hui ? À partir d’un court récit de voyage scandinave, fait en 2022, cet essai cherche des réponses optimistes, notamment dans les humanités numériques et la formation d’une conscience historique, même si de nombreuses questions restent ouvertes. The situation of Scandinavian studies is fragile. Too few Master’s students, too few doctoral students—are we still answering the questions we’re being asked today? Scandinavian Studies may be a child of nineteenth-century German Studies, but as a discipline it is still decisively shaped by its structural development as a literary study in the 1970s and 1980s. Teachers and students then sought in literature and beyond to understand Scandinavian cultures and societies, particularly the social-democratic welfare state, and to experience unspoiled nature. But today, print is no longer the medium of reference, social-democratic Scandinavia no longer exists, and nature, which has shaped the image of the North, is also under the greatest threat. So what questions, methods and approaches should structure our research and courses today? Based on a short account of a Scandinavian journey made in 2022, this essay seeks optimistic answers, notably in the digital humanities and the formation of a historical consciousness, even if many questions remain open. mer., 24 sept. 2025 09:38:56 +0200 mer., 03 déc. 2025 14:43:00 +0100 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=409 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=161 ven., 19 sept. 2025 17:01:11 +0200 mer., 03 déc. 2025 15:35:19 +0100 https://www.ouvroir.fr/deshima/index.php?id=161