Jørn Brøndal

Research areas

I hold a PhD in US history and am Professor and Chair of the Center for American Studies at SDU. 

In my research, I specialize in US political history and the history of race and ethnicity. I write about the history of reform movements—including the Progressive movement and the Civil Rights Movement—, Midwestern history, the history of migration and ethnicity, and Black history.

I have contributed extensively to the field of Scandinavian-American migration history and played a leading role in introducing a “whiteness” perspective to that area. Likewise, I have contributed to the study of Midwestern history and the Progressive movement, especially how it unfolded in Wisconsin under the leadership of Robert M. La Follette, Sr . Furthermore, I hold an abiding interest in Black history and have written a Danish-language 450-page book focusing on the tension between the U.S. founding ideals and the history of Black Americans from 1776 to 2020. 

Presently, I am working on a Danish-language political history of the United States ca. 1890-2025 with a focus on presidents, politics, populism, and polarization.

Education

1999: PhD degree in US History, University of Copenhagen 
1994: MA (cand. mag.) degree in history, University of Copenhagen

Contact

Jørn Brøndal

Professor of U.S. History and Chair of the Center for American Studies

Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M

Phone: +45 65502190 / cell +45 61861007; email: [email protected]