JANKEN MYRDAL
The Douring Saga
A story of academic immigration
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HISTORISKA SERIEN 24
Myrdal, Janken. 2009 . The Douring Saga. A story of academic immigration. \7ith contributions by Gabriel Söderberg. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien
(KVHAA), Handlingar Historisha
serien 24.
Stockholm 2010.253 pp.
Abstract
Folke Dovring was a medieval historian in Sweden who tried around 1950 to introduce
new ideas about history based on statistical analysis and history from below, publishing
two books on medieval agrarian history that still remain important. His attempts, however, were made in vain. In 1953 he left Sweden for an international career, devoting
himself to the study of the agrarian history of Europe in the 20th century, and in I 960
he became a tenured professor of Agricultural Economics at the Universiry of lllinois,
U.S.A.
Some major societal processes can be studied through the biography of Dovring.
One involves European conservatism in the academic world. The second important
process Dovring took part in was the expansion of American higher education. Dovring was one of the many scholars who Ieft Europe in the 1950s to join the dynamic
American academic community. tff{hen Dovring later shifted his focus from agrarian
history to take up more political quesdons in the 1970s such
ronmental care his position became more isolated.
as
the oil crisis and envi-
Key word;
Agrarian history, history of the Middle Ages, academic confict, higher education
in the U.S., Universiry of Illinois, land economics, waste of resources.
@ 2010 The authors and
rsBN 978,91
-7
KVHAA, Stockholm
402-395-4
ISSN 0083-6788
Publisher
Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien,
(KVFIAA, The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters,
History and Antiquities),
Vox5622, SE-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden,
http //www.vitterhetsakad. se
eddy.se ab, Box 1310, SE-621 24Yisby, Sweden,
:
Distribution
//vitterhetsakad. bokorder. se
Folke and Karin Dovringt home in Urbana, Illinois (1960-)
hmp
Cover photo
Cover Design
Graphic Design
Photos
Print
:
Lars Paulsrud
Bitte Granlund, Happy Book
Private (Karin Dovring)
Motala GrafiskaAB, Motala, Sweden 2010
Contents
Preface
by Dereh Boh
7
Introduction
9
cHAprER 1. Childhood and the father (1916*1934)
I9
cHAprER 2. Medievali st (1934-1951)
7J
cHAprER 3. On the academic battlefield (1951-1953)
55
cHAprER 4.Years ofhardship and success (circa1953-1969)
88
cHAprER 5. Involvement in the expansion of higher education
(r960-1987)
110
cHAprER 6. Economist in America (1960-1987)
r37
cHAprER 7. A Reform program for America (1971-1998)
r47
cHAPTER 8. Living has an end
r65
AppnNorx 1. Bibliography
17r
AppeNorx 2. Ranking of universities
189
AppeNrrx 3. Dovringt impact
194
AppENorx 4. Dovring
fu Gabriel
as
social reformer and economist
Söderberg
200
ApprNorx 5. On light and shadows
by Gabriel Söderberg
235
Contents 5