Susanne Stenbacka

Mapping gendered ruralities

Abstract The conventional picture of gender relations in rural places is that of a traditional, masculine social fabric. In this article, we challenge this understanding of the rural. Using three methodological approaches (quantitative, discursive and narrative), we test the hypothesis that there is an ongoing femininization of the rural, which is concealed by society’s focus on the masculine rural. We conclude that each method can give important, but not necessarily sufficient, information to answer such a process-orientated question. This methodological triangulation demonstrates the complexity of gendered rural spaces. The quantitative (map-based) analysis shows a gendered geography, the media analysis unpacks how gender is spatialized and the interviews show how space is gendered. Abstrakt När landsbygden ska belysas med ett genusperspektiv innebär det vanligen ett fokus på traditionellt manliga miljöer och aktiviteter. I denna artikel utmanar vi denna ensidiga förståelse. Genom att använda tre skilda metodologiska angreppssätt - kvantitativa, diskursiva och narrativa - testar vi hypotesen att det pågår en femininisering av landsbygden och det rurala. Vi argumenterar för att varje metod kan ge viktig men inte tillräcklig information för att belysa en sådan processinriktad problematik. Trianguleringsmetoden avtäcker den komplexitet som kännetecknar könsmärkningen av det rurala. Kvantitativa analyser avtäcker geografiska mönster och variationer, mediaanalysen visar hur genus konstrueras rumsligt och intervjuerna belyser hur platser påhängs specifika genusrelationer

“The Rural” Intervening in the Lives of Internal and International Migrants: Migrants, Biographies and Translocal Practices

In the 1990s, parts of the Swedish countryside experienced an inflow of people with an urban background. This counter-urbanisation movement was explained both by outside effects, such as an increase in opportunities to live far away from work and to commute, and inside effects, such as values and a desire for another way of life. In the beginning of the 21st century, rural areas in Sweden are receiving new groups of migrants with an international background. This chapter discusses the rural as a space for living and explores how the rural is given meaning, with the basis being these two migration movements: voluntary internal migration and international refugee migration. The chapter compares the values and experiences of the two migrant groups and argues that merging the migrants’ perspectives will make a more progressive understanding of rural space possible. Moreover, the chapter asks how we can understand the translocal networks involving rural and urban places in a globalised world, and what needs these linkages fulfil. Lastly, the chapter suggests the need to regard “the rural” as an actor intervening in and affecting the lives of the migrants.

Insights into Transforming Regional Gender Relations—A Call for Space-Sensitive Dialogue to Enhance Regional Learning

Abstract The European Union (EU) constitutes a space that offers a wealth of opportunities for regional learning. This article addresses how the learning process takes place in an interregional project and how contextual factors affect the learning process. The work presented here draws upon theories on regional learning and the dissemination of management ideas, as well as taking agency and structure components into account. The internal project arenas are investigated in order to shed light on the learning process and how spatial relations play a critical role. A conclusion is that the learning process within EU financed projects will gain from developing the practice of reflection and space-sensitive dialogues. One challenge to be dealt with is the relationship between the metamessage of the project, and local variations and various gender narratives.

How to improve regional and local planning by applying a gender-sensitive analysis: examples from Sweden

ABSTRACT How to improve regional and local planning by applying a gender-sensitive analysis: examples from Sweden. Regional Studies. Regional development projects normally have gender-equality objectives, as these are recognized as one of the cornerstones of regional development. The success of gender-equality objectives is often analyzed by counting the number of men and women taking part in the projects. However, the extent to which this will enhance regional development is unclear and regional agents at a range of organizational levels express uncertainty about the most effective objectives and implementation measures. This paper proposes a way to assess the gender situation at the local level and, thus, to help enhance gender equality.

The making of the gourmet restaurateur – masculine ideology, identity and performance

ABSTRACT In recent decades, there has been growing interest in renowned gourmet restaurants, and increased awareness about how food is prepared, presented and served. A small and select group of chefs have thereby gained prestigious positions and high-profile images as restaurateurs. Most of these restaurateurs are men. The research question this article sets out to study is: How is the identity and ideology of masculinity imbued into the subjectivity and representations of gourmet restaurateurs? The selection of data sources means that our geographical focus is on Stockholm, Sweden’s main urban region. The methodological approach of this article to employ empirical material from interviews and media articles reveals how this masculine discourse is attained through a particular interplay of subjects (the chefs and entrepreneurs) and representations (the media). The focus of this article has included a quite exclusive category of a few restaurants and restaurateurs, which may have implications on the findings pointing to a homogenous profile of the ideals of the gourmet chefs. The results point out that the micro-spaces of gourmet restaurants’ kitchens and dining rooms can be understood as nurseries for ‘nostalgic and conservative masculinities’.

Creating and challenging gendered spatialities: how space affects gender contracts

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the spatial component of gender relations through an analysis of contemporary gender relations in rural Sweden. We use the concept of local gender contracts, analysing their nature and transformation in various contexts. When gendered practices are analysed at local level, negotiations about the gendering of everyday practices become visible. The focus is on analysing the (informal) strategies in such negotiations and how people act and react in relation to them. The results point to two alternative strategies. Women and men either adapt to the mainstream gender contract of the region, and adhere to it regardless of changes in society’s demands, or challenge existing norms, practices and representations in their public and/or private lives, according to changes in local conditions. The local context is thus active in reproducing and maintaining, as well as transforming, gender relations and thereby reshaping the gender contract.

Indigenous Tourism and Processes of Resilience – About Communicative Strategies among Tourism Workers in Québec

ABSTRACT Tourism is a well-known way of life for an increasing portion of the worlds indigenous communities, and it has taken tortuous paths and undergone changes in approach and meaning. Indigenous tourism is examined here within the theoretical framework of resilience, focusing on development, communication and justification. Men and women and their perspectives on space, time and spatial relations are the crucial agents in these processes. Based on an empirical study in Québec, Canada, we show that the impact of indigenous tourism includes networks within the local community at the regional and national levels, as well as translocal networks and relationships. Communicative processes are essential for achieving resilience, communicating identity within families and the community, and giving a voice to a political project. We argue that indigenous tourism works on several geographical levels and that these levels intersect and have the potential to increase resilience if they interact. Our study supplements resilience development theory by highlighting the need to consider communities as parts of networks. It also contributes to the field of tourism research by emphasising communication on several levels.