Peter Forsskal: Thoughts on Civil Liberty
 
About
 
  The Peter Forsskal Project is composed of the following people:
   
   
 
David Goldberg  
David Goldberg
 
David Goldberg co-ordinates Project Forsskal; is a founding member of the International Media Lawyers Association; and has worked for the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland since 1984. He is a Senior Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School. From 2007 - 2013, he was an Associate Research Fellow, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University. He has also taught at the University of Glasgow (1971 -2000), Glasgow Caledonian University and Stirling University. In 2011, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts etc., and gained a Ph.D by prior publication (GCU).
     
     
Helena Jaderblom  
Helena Jaderblom
 
Helena Jaderblom is the President of the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court (September 2018). She was formerly a judge at the European Court of Human Rights and chair of the Council of Europe's group of experts working on the elaboration of the Council''s Convention on Access to Official Documents.
 
 
 
     
Gunilla Jonsson  
Gunilla Jonsson
 
Born 1941. Employed in Kungl. Library, the National Library of Sweden, from 1971 until retirement in 2006. Has worked in preservation, especially rare books and historical collections and with retrospective bibliography. Later on in charge of the Swedish retrospective bibliography 1700-1829, then of the reference services of the library. 1996-2006 One of the deputy directors of the Library and head of the Department for Collection development & Documentation, Which comprised legal deposit and acquisitions as well as the national bibliography and other Cataloging activities. Has published a number of articles on bibliography and on the history of the book, in Swedish as well as in foreign publications.
     
     
Natalie Lantz  
Natalie Lantz
 
Natalie Lantz is a translator with Rabbinical and Modern Hebrew as her field of expertise. Her educational background encompasses Semitic Philology, Biblical Studies and Jewish Studies from Uppsala University, The Hebrew University and Paideia - The European Institute for Jewish Studies.
 
Natalie initiates panel discussions and research seminars in Literature, Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible Exegesis. She is thereby committed to create joint projects between the scholarly world and various spheres of society.
 
 
     
     
Ere Nokkala  
Ere Nokkala
 

Ere Nokkala holds a PhD in History and Civilization (European University Institute, Florence). He is a University Researcher at the University of Helsinki. Nokkala‘s main research interests are in eighteenth-century German and Swedish intellectual history ...and has just published  From Natural Law to Political Economy: J.H.G. von Justi on State, Commerce and International Order. He is the translator of Forsskål’s Tankar om borgerliga Friheten into Finnish. Nokkala’s publications include ‘World's First Freedom of Writing and of the Press Ordinance as History of Political Thought’, in: The Legacy of Peter Forsskål: 250 Years of Freedom of Expression.  (Eds. Ulla Carlsson, David Goldberg) Gothenburg: University of Gothenburg: Nordicom, 2017, p. 39 - 52  and  Ere Nokkala: 'Peter Forsskål: The Freedom to Write and the Principle of Public Access to Official Documents', in:  Press Freedom 250 Years: Freedom of the Press and Public Access to Official Documents in Sweden and Finland - A Living Heritage from 1766 . (Eds. Kristina Örtenhed, Bertill Wennberg) Stockholm: Sveriges Riksdag, 2017, p. 61 - 76. 

     
   
Jonas Nordin  
Jonas Nordin
 
Jonas Nordin is professor of book and library history at Lund University. He was employed at Kungliga biblioteket/The National Library of Sweden 2007–2018. Nordin specializes in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century political and cultural history and has done extensive research on the Swedish Age of Liberty.
 
 
 
     
     
  Gunnar Persson † 2011
   
  "One of the leading contemporary Swedish academics on the Freedom of the Press law" (Ulf Oberg).
  See:
  http://juridikbloggen.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/till-minnet-av-jur-dr-gunnar-persson/
  and
  http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/medier-kan-ostraffat-fortala-ett-foretag_6672562.svd
   
     
     
Marjatta Rautiala   Marjatta  Rautiala
   
 
Born in Helsinki 1941. She has a MSc degree (zoology, botany) from University of Helsinki and has graduated in library studies as well. Her long-time work as librarian in the Botanical library of the same university has contributed to her growing interest in the history of biology as well as in literature related to the subject. Peter Forsskål has fascinated her since the early nineties. After partaking in a historically oriented British excursion to Yemen in 1992, in the footsteps of Forsskål, her interest in him and the Arabian journey has continued and grown deeper. She has published some articles on Forsskål, mostly in Finnish, continuing after retirement in 2005. She has been a founding member of EBHL (European Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Group) 1994-2004. She is also a long-time member of The Society for the History of Natural History. 
     
   
David Shaw  
David Shaw
 
David Shaw is a specialist in the history of the book in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.
He is a former President of the Bibliographical Society (London) and former Secretary of the
Consortium of European Research Libraries. His academic career was spent at the University of Kent
(Canterbury) where he is currently Honorary Senior Research Fellow. In 2004, he was made DLitt (Cantuar) in recognition of his work as Editor-in-Chief of the Cathedral Libraries Catalogue for over 20 years and for bringing successfully to completion work begun in 1943.

www.djshaw.co.uk
     

Thomas von Vegesack

 

Thomas von Vegesack

 
Thomas von Vegesack was publisher at Norstedts 1968-94, Chair of the Swedish PEN 1978-87 and Chairman of Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN 1987-93. He published a series of books about expression, among others, Taste of Freedom: Public-opinion formation in Sweden 1755- 1830/ Smak för frihet: Opinionsbildningen i Sverige 1755- 1830.

2012 - Obituary

     
     
  George H Cummings
   
 
George was born in New Jersey, USA, but has spent most of his life in Glasgow. He has a BA Honours (2.1) Degree in Humanities, a BA Degree (with Distinction) in Business, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Information Technology Management. George worked for the University of Glasgow, Newpoint Publishing (London), MI Technologies Ltd, Biggart Baillie Soliticitors and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) before starting his own businesses and working freelance. George is the webmaster for peterforsskal.info and should be the first point of contact for any technical enquiries regarding this website. His own website can be found here.
   
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Carl Gustaf Spangenberg
 
Carl Gustaf Spangenberg, Uppsala, has passed away after a period of illness, barely three weeks before his 70th birthday. The closest relatives are wife Ulla-Karin and daughter Clara.

Carl Gustaf Spangenberg, Uppsala, has passed away after a period of illness, barely three weeks before his 70th birthday. The closest relatives are his wife Ulla-Karin and daughter Clara.
Carl Gustaf Spangenberg spent his first six years in Manhattan but grew up in Västergötland. His interest in literature and life issues arose early. In his teens he was a guide at Heidenstams Överralid and was able to tell about meetings with Pär Lagerkvist and Kate Bang. He described himself as "a 15-year-old gentleman in a suit and waistcoat".

In 1971 he came to Uppsala to study theology. From the beginning, he devoted himself to student union issues and quickly became a member of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Theology. He later became the chair of the Uppsala Student Union. In the 1980s he changed his path to law, became a director of studies and eventually became a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Uppsala University. In all contexts, Carl Gustaf's presence was characterized by ideas and projects, and he was a driving force behind the reform of the law curriculum in Uppsala in 1992.

As a teacher, Carl Gustaf was outstanding, the lectures were legendary, the course evaluations overwhelming. As course director he internationalized and contextualized the legal history course. Even outside the faculty he made impressions, among other things as a long-time member of the Uppsala University academic senate, and with innovative courses such as Core curriculum and European Studies. He was often asked to comment on attacks on freedom of speech and started the annual symposium on Peter Forsskål.

Carl Gustaf had a positive outlook on life. As we wrote in the 2019 Friends Book to Carl Gustaf: “To see the big thing in the seemingly small, to vent life's crucial issues in a pause between lectures with a colleague on the stairs of the University main building, to let a frozen flower in the Linneus Garden capture the students' interest in comparative legal history, during thousands of lunch dates nurture a gigantic network that spans its threads across all corners of science and the world. "

His last time was difficult. Still, until his last days, he discussed politics and literature with a never-ending string of visitors. Humanism, humanity and freedom characterized his view of life and academia. A well-liked colleague, teacher and friend for more than 30 years leaves behind a large void but also many bright memories.

 
Marianne Dahlén
Mats Kumlien
 
 
Below is the link to an article Carl Gustaf Spangenberg published in Swedish in 2009.
It was written to be included in the Uppsala University 2009 programme for the annual event for installation of new professors. The subject matter is about the publication of Thoughts on Civil Liberty and Forsskal's interrogation by the Chancellry/Kanslicollegium.
 
https://www.uu.se/digitalAssets/53/a_53113-f_ProfInst_2009_web.pdf
 
 
 
The Forsskål Room - Uppsala Universitet    
     
 
 
The Forsskål Room* set up by the late Carl Gustaf Spangenberg, Campus area Munken, Uppsala Universitet - a seminar room with a view overlooking the river Fyrisån in Uppsala and now updated with latest tech for seminars and meetings.
 
*Note on the portrait of Peter Forsskål:

The portrait visible in the photograph is full-size reproduction. The original is right now in the University's climitaized storage. It is among those 18th century paintings that now will be attended by the University's conservator. The University is carrying out an overview of a selection of the 18th century collection.

Information from:

Mikael Ahlund
Museum Director
Keeper of the Art Collection
PhD, Associate Professor

GUSTAVIANUM, Uppsala University Museum

     
 
 
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