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Apr. 4, 2005 Volume 29, Issue 30 |
Nordic nation, Midwest ag topics of books
Sweden and Midwestern agriculture are the very different topics of two books written by two MSU historians.
Dr. Dennis Nordin, lecturer in the Department of History, and Dr. Roy V. Scott, emeritus professor of history, collaborated on “From Prairie Farmer to Entrepreneur: The Transformation of Midwestern Agriculture,” which was published in March by Indiana University Press.
Nordin also wrote “A Swedish Dilemma: A Liberal European Nation’s Struggle with Racism and Xenophobia, 1990-2000,” that comes out some time this spring. It will be published by the University Press of America.
“From Prairie Farmer…” examines agriculture in the Midwest during an important change in technology, management and life on the farm. The book's view of the change—replacing the closely knit family farm with large corporate agricultural enterprises—is described in an Indiana University Press publication as “a richly detailed account of one of the great transformations in American life.”
Nordin’s “Swedish Dilemma” examines the European country’s negative reactions to a growing number of minorities in its midst. The book looks at the deep roots of xenophobia in the Nordic nation, as well as the consequences of governmental inactivity to deal with the situation.
Nordin holds a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn., and master’s and doctoral degrees from Mississippi State. He joined the MSU faculty in 2001 after a brief stint here in the ’60s.
Scott, who retired in 1998, was named a Giles Distinguished Professor in 1987. He joined the MSU faculty in 1960 and is the author, co-author or editor of numerous books on the agrarian movement, railroads and economic development, and agricultural extension. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Illinois.