Alva Myrdal (1902-1986) remains one of the most well-known
and respected Swedish personalities in international affairs. As Sweden's
ambassador to India in the mid-1950s she acquired at an early time deep
insights in international development issues. During the following two decades
she was intensely involved in nuclear disarmament and arms control matters,
both as ambassador and member of the Swedish Cabinet.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. Her momentous book "The Game of
Disarmament" is still required reading for anyone interested in the field. In
the spring of 2002 an international academic conference at Uppsala University
focused on the many sides of Alva Myrdal's work. This volume brings together
five accounts on her role in international affairs.
Two build on personal experiences (Maj-Britt Theorin and Jan Prawitz), two on
new documentation from archives (Sondra Herman and Stellan Andersson) while
one is a general analysis of Myrdal's approach to disarmament (Peter
Wallensteen). Together these contributions provide a testimony to a remarkable
achievement in fields, until that time, largely closed to women.