Mediterranean Borderlands in Göran Schildt’s Ikaros’ hav (1957)

Abstract

This article examines the representation of Mediterranean borderlands in the travelogue Ikaros’ hav (1957; The Sea of Icarus [1959]) by Göran Schildt (1917–2009). The article discusses Schildt’s text through the lens of the borderlands concept developed by Chicana theorist Gloria Anzaldúa. The article shows how the discourse of borders is present in Schildt’s text in various ways, including cultural, ethnic, and religious borders. The disruptive role of borderlands and their effects on identity emerge particularly clearly in Schildt’s text in the way obvious polarizations often associated with borders are blurred and transformed in Ikaros’ hav. This is particularly evident in the episode in which the travelers enter the monastic space of Mount Athos, which challenges their expectations and transforms identities, resulting in blurring and loss of borders.