Thomas Rasmussen is especially interested in depictions found in satirical magazines as their significant role in shaping public discourse – in his opinion – is often underestimated.
Satirical magazines were also the centre of attention when he did his master at the Centre for Ibsen Studies in Oslo. In his master project he showed that Danish satirical magazines through their depictions of Henrik Ibsen and his plays generated reactions in the public that have influenced the legacy of Ibsen and many of his plays – without the satirical magazines ever being recognized for their impact on the public opinion on Ibsen.
Thomas Rasmussen hopes his doctoral thesis will help understanding the public discourses that shaped the building of a new independent Norway and new Norwegian national identity after the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. He especially hopes to add new perspectives to the Norwegian occupation of a part of North-eastern Greenland in 1931 which resulted in a dispute with Denmark that ended in the Permanent Court of International Justice in Haag – who ultimately ruled in favour of Denmark in 1933.
