The chapter adds a historical perspective
to the present debate on development and modernity in Greenland. It invites the readers back to the time when Greenland was a Danish
colony, with the intention of offering insight into how Greenlandic and
Danish players at the time dealt with the issue of the modernization of
Greenland. The focus of analysis is Mathias Storch’s Strejflys over
Grønland (Gleams of light over Greenland) from 1930. This book was
written by a Greenlander in Danish, as a response to a Danish publication,
Sophie Petersen’s Grønland i hverdag og fest (Greenland in everyday life
and celebrations) from 1928. Petersen’s book reflected contemporary
points of view and perceptions in the Danish discourse on Greenland in
religious circles and among people who had previously worked in
Greenland. Storch’s book reflected perceptions in Greenlandic society, as these were also expressed in the two Greenlandic newspapers, Atuagagdliutit
and Avangnâmioq. The texts draw a clear picture of the contemporary Greenlanders' self-perception as co-authors of modernity, not passive receivers (or victims) of modernity.