113 episodes
A Flatpack History of Sweden A Flatpack History of Sweden
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- History
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5.0 • 69 Ratings
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We chronologically chart Swedish history in a light-hearted and conversational way. Each episode we continue the narrative and talk about the relevant period in question. Vikings included!
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1. Welcome!
Welcome to A Flatpack History of Sweden! In this perhaps too long introductory episode, we say hello to our new podcast, explain the format and give a brief lowdown on what we are going to be talking about on our journey through Swedish history!
Update: We have just re-released the first 8 episodes of the podcast, so people can enjoy the first episodes with an improved sound quality! We give a longer explanation at the start of the episode. -
S1. Swedish Civilian Dog Tags
Surprise! This is our first special episode, breaking the chronological order to talk about an interesting historical object we found in our flat recently. Sweden issued civilian dog tags to all new born citizens for 50 years between 1960 and 2010. But why? We look into it and also have a brief chat about the history of dog tags in general.
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2. Stone Age Swedes - After The Ice
We kick off our podcast with a look at how Sweden physically formed after the last ice age. We meet the first people to move in after this change and see how they lived during the Paleolithic and Mesolithic Ages. Expect Mammoths, hunter-gatherers and a very special lady - Bäckaskogskvinnan!
Please do follow us on Twitter on too! @FlatpackSweden -
S2. Swedish Urban Bomb Shelters
We're taking a break from our usual chronological journey and instead visit a historical site in our own home. In what could be seen as part two of our special episode about dog tags, we continue to look at Sweden's preparations for war in the 20th century. Just like with the dog tags, we found that we're living with a reminder of history, namely a bomb shelter in our own basement! We go to have a look and explore the background as to why there were so many shelters built in Sweden.
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3. Stones, Farming and Goats
We continue investigating the Stone Age in Sweden, this time focusing on the Neolithic period. We find out how farming was developed, why so much fire was involved and touch on the amazing graves and burial chambers we will focus on more next time around.
Please do follow us on Twitter on @FlatpackSweden and give us a like and a follow on Facebook too!
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S3. Intelligent Speech - Sweden during WWII
Surprise! It's not time for a regular episode this week, but instead we're bringing you an extra special episode. Back in April we had the pleasure of giving a talk at the Intelligent Speech Conference 2021. This is the recording of said talk, plus a brand new intro and outro that we've recorded specially.
In our talk we look at how and why Sweden, unlike all of its neighbours, escaped invasion during the Second World War. We discover how one natural resource can make all the difference, and how the decisions of a few politicians on one fateful weekend echoed throughout history. Last but not least, we have a quick look at how Sweden was affected by the war, even though it wasn't invaded. Beware of accidental bombings!
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable journey through Scandinavian history
This show’s co-hosts provide a fun and enjoyable overview of the history of Sweden, starting in the mists of prehistory and (eventually) going up to the modern era. They bring some levity even to rather grim periods of history, and always put things into the proper perspective. I also love their “Swedish Phrase of the Week” feature, as someone who is trying to learn some Swedish on Duolingo. Thanks Chris and Asa, I look forward to future episodes!
Saludos desde de Chicago a Suecia
I live in Chicago , I work for a company that has recently merged with a Swedish company. I have the opportunity to travel to Sweden and work on a daily basis with Swedes on video conference . I wanted to learn more about their culture and History to understand them better. I am a history buff so luckily I found this podcast . I have enjoyed it very much . Asa and Chris do an excellent job making the podcast informative and fun. I have even tried using the Swedish phrase of the week in meetings (English translation) , they look at me strangely but they can tell I am trying to pick up some Swedish culture even if it is still in English. Chicago does not have as many Swedes as Minneapolis but it does have a historically Swedish neighborhood called Andersonville . Although originally named after a Norwegian , Swedish immigrants in late 1800 and early 1900 would start their American life their . Neighborhood still houses the Swedish American Museum. I started listening to podcast late but hoping to catch up to it live soon .
Informative and well-paced
I’m a complete novice to Swedish history and in only 5 episodes in, but I must say this is very well-paced and informative, and a great balance between fairly deep dives (esp. compared to other Scandinavian and/or Nordic history podcasts I’ve found) and light chat between a couple of intelligent, personable hosts. Looking forward to the rest of it!