Om utvandringen, dess betydelse och orsaker Föredrag, hållet i Stockholm den 25 och den 28 November samt i Upsala den 3 December 1881

In this thoughtful lecture series the author examines Sweden’s steady stream of emigrants to North America, treating the phenomenon not as a fleeting curiosity but as a defining social current. Drawing on recent census figures and personal observations from the late 1860s onward, he outlines the sheer scale of the out‑migration—tens of thousands leaving each year—and asks whether it signals a healthy adaptation or a chronic malaise within Swedish society. He also reflects on the public debate of his time, addressing misunderstandings published in the press and inviting scholarly critique of his modest yet earnest analysis.

Listeners will hear a clear, measured assessment of the economic hardships, demographic pressures, and cultural aspirations that propel people to seek new lives abroad. The speaker balances statistical detail with human‑focused speculation, offering a glimpse into the hopes and anxieties that shaped the decision to cross the Atlantic. While acknowledging the limits of his own research, he presents a compelling framework for understanding emigration’s role in the nation’s evolving identity.