The project consept
BACKGROUND
The project
Emigration
Memories
IN AMERICA
The emigrants
Their destination
Work
Daily life
Returning home
IN NORWAY
House and home
Recipes
Words and
phrases
OTHER INFO
Funding
Archive
Links
BACK
Round-trip to America
From the end of the nineteenth century and well into the 1960s people emigrated from this part of Norway to the USA to work – so-called return migration – and in this period Vest-Agder county had the greatest volume of emigration in Norway in relation to its population. What was so special about the emigration from Agder is that many people came back after one or more stays there, and they did not return home empty-handed. They brought new thoughts and ideas with them, along with several tons of belongings. All this led to a strong cultural influence from the west.
The idea behind the Round-trip to America project is that it should focus on the importance of the historical contact between Vest-Agder and America. Another goal is to create an awareness of the traces that accompanied this contact.
Future administrators
Cooperation with future administrators of cultural history has been of significance to Round-trip to America. A large part of the project has therefore been assigned to encouraging ninth-graders in the county to investigate how the contact with America has affected their native area or hometown. Several of the ninth-graders in Vest-Agder are grandchildren of the last generation of those who left from the county for America. Who could be better suited to document their history than these students?
Traditionally, objects and memorabilia from stays in America were put into an “America suitcase”. The ninth-grade students are filling the project’s American suitcase with stories and documentation that relate how the contact with America has affected Vest-Agder.
Organisation
Round-trip to America is run from the Vest-Agder County Museum. The museum was established in 1903 and has 11 employees. Its activities cover the entire cultural history of Vest-Agder, and the museum itself consists of a main building with a number of permanent exhibitions – for example on dress customs, toys, urban history and impulses from abroad during the past 400 years. Vest-Agder County Museum also boasts an open-air museum consisting of more than 40 old buildings from both rural and urban communities in the region. The project manager for Round-trip to America is the ethnologist Siv Ringdal.
Protection of privacy and rights
Consent has been obtained to show photographs and to mention students by name. Consent has also been given for the use of any old or contemporary photographs on this website, as is also the case for any names that are stated. Taking copies of material on these web pages is not allowed without prior permission from the copyright owners.
The project and the travelling exhibition
In the spring and summer of 2004 Round-trip to America visited Kvinesdal Junior High School and Lista Junior High School, and the website was developed. In fall 2004 the project visited Berge Junior High School in Lyngdal and Marnar Junior High School in Marnardal.
The material the students have collected represents unique documentation. In addition to disseminating this information through the website, a travelling exhibition about the project was made in both a Norwegian and an English version.
Read more
Trunk from Kvinesdal
How does a stereoscope work?
The American Lista
The project manager, Siv Ringdal, has been working on the contact between southern Norway and America for several years. Her work has included writing a book about Lista and America.
Read more