Kampen om kvinden. Begrebshistoriske perspektiver

In: Women, gender & research, Issue 4, p. 18-32

Abstract

Contesting the concept of Woman: Perspectives from conceptual history.The main argument of this article is that the concept of kvinde (woman) was redefined in the 19th century in Denmark, and that it can be studied alongside other central concepts. Kvinde re-entered the Danish vocabulary as a universal term for woman not bound to social or marital status. Early romanticists such as Adam Oehlenschläger (1779-1850) and N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783-1872) used and disseminated sagas and myths from Old Norse mythology to re-conceptualize the concept of kvinde in romantic poetry. Gradually the concept of kvinde entered other spheres of society. The article seeks to present a framework for further studies, not only in the debates and themes proposed here, but also in relation to other gendered discussions of the 19th century. The article is a preliminary attempt to establish the concept of kvinde in a conceptual framework, arguing that the concept needs to be studied in more depth as central to the discussions of the 19th century