A Crack in the Transnational. Relations Between Diaconal Associations in Nordic Countries During World War II

This article examines the relationship between diaconal associations in Nordic countries during the period around World War II. It is based on materials from the archive of Diakonissanstalten in Stockholm, including letters to and from the director of Diakonissanstalten as well as protocols of board meetings, and periodicals from Sweden from the same time. The authors investigate the relations of Diakonissanstalten and other Swedish diaconal associations with diaconal associations in Denmark, Finland and Norway during the lead-up to, throughout and in the aftermath of the second World War, asking: To what extent were Nordic diaconal associations able to maintain their relationship during the war? Were the transnational and ideological goals of diaconia challenged by the war? The article finds that the transnational culture that characterized relations between diaconal associations prior to World War II was affected by events during the war but was restored after the end of the war