The Nordic History Book Award was presented for the third time at the 31st Congress of Nordic Historians in Reykjavík. This prestigious award, established in 2017 by the Committee of Nordic Historians, celebrates outstanding historical research that spans the Nordic region.
This year’s winner is the anthology Forced Migrants in Nordic Histories, published in this year by Helsinki University Press. Edited by Johanna Leinonen, Miika Tervonen, Hans Otto Frøland, Christhard Hoffmann, Seija Jalagin, Heidi Vad Jønson, and Malin Thor Tureby, the book brings together 14 articles by 23 researchers. It explores the long and complex history of forced migration in the Nordic countries, focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries.
The award committee praised the book for its genuinely Nordic scope, scholarly excellence, and timely relevance. It offers the first comparative overview of how forced migrants — refugees, deportees, evacuees, and others — have been regulated, remembered, and represented across the region. The book also highlights the importance of transnational perspectives and Nordic regional research collaboration.
The award committee consisted of Professors Louis Clerc (University of Turku), Merethe Roos (University of South-Eastern Norway), and Guðmundur Hálfdanarson (University of Iceland), who chaired the selection process.