Guldborg Chemnitz
Guldborg Chemnitz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marie Guldborg Chemnitz 27 January 1919 Qassimiut, Greenland |
| Died | 2003 (aged 83–84) |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
Finn Christoffersen
(m. 1942–1954) |
| Children | 4 |
| Mother | Kathrine Chemnitz |
| Relatives | Lars Chemnitz (brother) |
| Family | Chemnitz family |
| Awards | Order of the Dannebrog, 1987 Nersornaat, 1998 |
Marie Guldborg Chemnitz (27 January 1919 – 2003), known as Guldborg Chemnitz, was a Greenlandic interpreter, politician, and women's rights advocate.[1][2]
Early life and education
Marie Guldborg Chemnitz was born on 27 January 1919 in Qassimiut to Jørgen Niels Peter Chemnitz, an interpreter and member of the Greenland Provincial Council, and Kathrine Chemnitz, a women's rights activist, member of the Greenland Commission and a leading figure in the Union of Greenlandic Women's Associations[a] (APK).[1][3] The eldest of six children, Chemnitz was the elder sister of Jørgen Chemnitz, an interpreter and politician, and Lars Chemnitz, a politician.[3] Through her father Chemnitz was a member of the Greenlandic branch of the Chemnitz family.[4]
In 1934, at the age of 15, she went to Denmark in order to learn Danish.[1] Later returning to Greenland, from 1936 to 1938 Chemnitz studied at the girl's Efterskole in Aasiaat.[1] Through the Committee for the Education of Greenlanders (Komitéen for Grønlænderinders Uddannelse) Chemnitz began studying at a teacher training college in Denmark.[1] However, due to the threat of second world war Chemnitz returned to Greenland in 1939.[1]
Career
In 1948, Chemnitz was appointed as an interpreter to the Legal Expedition (Den juridiske ekspedition), a delegation of three Danish jurists sent by the Greenland Administration to investigate Greenland's legal culture and practices.[1][5][6] Chemnitz also acted as a cultural mediator and research assistant for the jurists.[1] Chemnitz later worked as an interpreter at the High Court of Greenland.[1] From 1951 to 1954 Chemnitz was an elected official of the Nuuk municipal council.[1][7] Chemnitz was elected again in 1983, under the Atassut party.[1]
In 1964, Chemnitz passed the translator exam (Translatøreksamen), making her the first Greenlandic woman to do so.[1] The same year Chemnitz settled in Copenhagen and worked as a translator at the Ministry of Greenland until 1968.[1] Returning to Nuuk, Chemnitz continued her work as a translator at the Secretariat of the Greenland Council until 1972.[1] During 1972 to 1975 Chemnitz was a translator at the Social Research Committee in Copenhagen.[1] Chemnitz briefly worked as a consultant at APK during 1975 to 1976, before becoming the head of secretariat at the Greenland Education Association from 1976 to 1979.[1] From 1979 to 1987, Chemnitz was an interpreter at the High Commissioner of Greenland.[1]
Chemnitz was a chairman of the special Greenland Committee of the Danish Commission of the Status of Women in Society, and was a member of the Danish Equal Status Council.[7] Chemnitz was associated with social research in Greenland and with aiding the understanding between Greenland and Denmark.[7]
Awards
In 1964, Chemnitz was awarded the Antonius Prize (Antoniusprisen) for her work to promote an understanding between Denmark and Greenland.[1]
In 1987, Chemnitz was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and in 1998 was awarded the Nersornaat in silver.[1]
Personal life
On 7 June 1942 Chemnitz married Finn Christoffersen (1915–1990), a sheep farmer, before later divorcing in 1954.[1] Chemnitz and Christoffersen had four children, the youngest of whom died in infancy.[1]
Notes
- ^ Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaanni Arnat peqatigiit Kattuffiat; Danish: De Grønlandske Kvindeforeningers Sammenslutning.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Jessen, Mette-Astrid (22 April 2023). "Guldborg Chemnitz". In Larsen, Jytte (ed.). Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: LEX. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Volquardsen, Ebbe (2023). "Greenland: History and Society". In Henningsen, Bernd (ed.). Nordeuropa. Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium (PDF). Translated by Volquardsen, Ebbe. Baden-Baden, Germany: Rombach Wissenschaft. pp. 217–224. ISBN 978-3848786992. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ a b Petersen, Mariane (22 April 2023). "Kathrine Chemnitz". In Larsen, Jytte (ed.). Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: LEX. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Lidegaard, Mads (24 November 2014). "Chemnitz". In Cedergreen Bech, Svend (ed.). Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish) (3 ed.). Copenhagen, Denmark: LEX. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Bruun, Matias Røjle (10 March 2025). "Den juridiske ekspedition". LEX (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: Danmarks Nationalleksikon. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Bentzon, Agnete Wels (January 1967). "The Structure of the Judicial System and its Function in a Developing Society". Acta Sociologica. 10 (1–2): 121–146. doi:10.1177/000169936701000108. ISSN 0001-6993.
- ^ a b c Dahlsgård, Inga (1980). "Greenland". Women in Denmark Yesterday and Today (in Danish). Translated by French, Geoffrey. Copenhagen: Det Danske Selskab. pp. 284–297. ISBN 8774290363. Retrieved 17 March 2026.