Madeleine Eriksson

(RE)PRODUCING A "PERIPHERAL" REGION - NORTHERN SWEDEN IN THE NEWS

Abstract. Building on theories of internal orientalism, the objective of this study is to show how intra‐national differences are reproduced through influential media representations. By abstracting news representations of Norrland, a large, sparsely populated region in the northernmost part of Sweden, new modes of “internal othering” within Western modernity are put on view. Real and imagined social and economical differences between the “rural North” and the “urban South” are explained in terms of “cultural differences” and “lifestyle” choices. The concept of Norrland is used as an abstract essentialized geographical category and becomes a metonym for a backward and traditional rural space in contrast to equally essentialized urban areas with favoured modern ideals. Specific traits of parts of the region become one with the entire region and the problems of the region become the problems of the people living in the region. I argue that the news representations play a part in the reproduction of a “space of exception”, in that one region is constructed as a traditional and undeveloped space in contrast to an otherwise modern nation. A central argument of this study is that research on identity construction and representations of place is needed to come to grips with issues of uneven regional development within western nations.

Of Berries and Seasonal Work

A growing field of research has paid attention to new forms of labour migration to and within the European Union (EU). This research has been characterized by increased circularity, flexible forms of employment, guest-worker programmes and seasonal work, often undocumented, primarily within the service, agriculture, forestry and construction sectors (Castree et al., 2004; Castles, 2006; McDowell et al., 2007; Neergaard, 2009). For many years, the media has reported on the inhumane work conditions for berry-pickers (mostly from the Isan region in Thailand but alsofrom Vietnam and China) and on repeated conflicts between berry companies and labour migrants in a number of Swedish municipalities. In light of these problems, labour unions and human rights organizations have criticized Sweden’s new 2008 Law on Labor Migration for its failure to secure protection for migrant labour. The rollout of neoliberal immigration policy (Peck and Tickell, 2002) and the rightward political shift in Europe and Sweden has undermined traditional regulatory and safety net regimes. Even so, Sweden still represents itself as a national identity that is based on democracy, citizenship and modernity (Ehn et al., 1993; Pred, 2000).

More than just a job: exploring the meanings of tourism work among Indigenous Sámi tourist entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT In northern Sweden, the positive effects of tourism involvement by Sámi Indigenous people are mostly shown in terms of employment, yet at times have been shown to go beyond economic ones and include other equally important benefits. Only when all components are seen at the same time can we get a true understanding of tourism as a livelihood strategy. This paper uses a sustainable rural livelihoods approach to investigate the different roles and meanings of tourism among Sámi tourist entrepreneurs in northern Sweden. It does so using data from 13 semi-structured interviews with Sámi Indigenous tourist entrepreneurs. The results indicate that there are many goals and objectives tourism jobs serve among Sámi Indigenous people in the Swedish north. For example, the tourism business is at times seen as a more sustainable way of using reindeer. Tourism was also a way for Sámi to express themselves and keep certain traditions alive. Another leading conclusion relates to tourist entrepreneurs as cultural ambassadors for Sámi issues. By presenting factual information about Sámi people, challenging stereotypes and by making others aware of the many hardships reindeer herders face, Sámi tourist entrepreneurs attribute to their work meanings that are social, cultural and even political.

The production of the rural landscape and its labour : the development of supply chain capitalism in the Swedish berry industry

Abstract Increased commercial interest in wild berries in Northern Sweden’s resource periphery has connected places and people to a global berry supply chain that produces goods for world markets. As a part of a wider global food chain, every link in this chain is deeply insecure and partly marked by secrecy and mystification. Contemporary representations of the Norrlandic landscape tend to obscure and hide economic conflicts and power relations connected to resource exploitation and corporate concentration, neglecting workers and local communities. This paper examines how globalization, neoliberal policies and the development of supply chain capitalism drive changes in labour markets and migration policies, which in turn shape/and are shaped by both material and immaterial aspects of the Norrlandic landscape. While many studies of global food chains have focused on abstract patterns of chain governance, business economics and logistics, we analyse the wild berry industry by centring on migrant workers and the production of a distinct spatiality through interconnectedness and historical conjuncture, with a starting point in a particular place in the interior of Norrland. We thereby contribute to a different narrative of the Norrlandic landscape, making visible power and labour relations.