Migrasjon, nettverk og dannelsen av norske utopiske samfunn i USA i 1850-årene

Sammendrag

Five hundred years ago, Thomas More published Utopia, a book that illustrated the perfect society and which has become a strong force in Western culture. It reflected the existence of radical ideas of social reform based on the principles of millennial hopes for heavenly paradise. From the seventeenth century on America became a point of attraction for several groups, religious and secular, who wanted to establish ideal societies on the new continent. There they could cultivate their beliefs based on their worldview. During the antebellum period Norwegian immigrants also were involved in the establishment of religious and secular communal communities based on utopian worldviews. This is a presentation of premises behind the creation of two Norwegian settlements outside the general pattern of Norwegian immigration. These include the establishment of the Ephraim congregation established by Norwegian Moravians in Ephraim, Door County, Wisconsin and the Oleana colony in Potter County, Pennsylvania in 1850 and 1852, respectively. In this study the development of the two communities will be discussed, both with roots in Europe that were transplanted to American soil in various manners. Oleana was based on secular principles established by renowned violinist Ole Bull and based on his influence from communal utopians. The settlement in Ephraim, on the other hand, was originally founded by Hans Otto Tank and based on the religious teachings of the pietistic Moravian Church.