REPRESENTATIONS OF A “PROBLEMATIC”REGION

- The Construction of National

and Regional identitiesMadeleine ErikssonPhD studentUmeå UniversitySweden

THE SWEDISH SELF-IMAGENon-nationalistic Equal Modern

Institutional/Cultural racism

Socio- economic differences

= Internal spatial others

THE AREA OF STUDY - NORRLAND

Area: 60% of SwedenPopulation: 1,2 million

Legend

Population

57488 - 100000

100001 - 300000

300001 - 500000

500001 - 1889945

Legend

Population

2695 - 20878

20879 - 49313

49314 - 104512

104513 - 259579

259580 - 750348

NORRLAND

COUNTIES MUNICIPALITIESSource: Statistic Sweden 2005

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

(Re)presentations of Norrland

•Unknown - fiction•Internal colony 1600’s•Sweden’s West Indies - Rich on natural resources•“Civilize” the indigenous population (The Sámi People)•Sweden’s Irish question - Industry close-downs & Rural restructuring•Unemployment - Out-migration 1950’s•Natural population decrease - PROBLEMATIC

VERY Briefly: theoretical points of

departure

• Identity formation is a representational process

• All identities are constructed through the representations of the “other”

• All representations are political…

Said E 1966; Massey D 1994; McDowell L 1999; Van Dijk 2006; Gregory D 1995 etc. etc.

VERY POLITICAL

“People in Stockholm are more intelligent than country bumpkins” (Statement made by a Member of Parliament in 1998)

“The statement made by Anna Kinberg Batra (Member of Parliament) in 1998 was nothing to apologize for; people in Stockholm are more intelligent than people in Norrland.” (Editorial, Dagens Nyheter 2006)

Pistvakt 1996, TV-series, SVT NorrlandsGuld 2003, TV-commercial

POPULARSTEREOTYPES

THE ANALYSIS: REPRESENTATIONS OF NORRLAND IN A SWEDISH LEADING DAILY

NEWSPAPER* • 98 articles 2000-2005• Topics, labeling, grammatical agency(some) RESULTS:• A region in need of financial support• Depopulation • Establishment in Stockholm vs. Norrland• Municipalities and towns rarely specified• Demanding but passive

An Unattractive space*Dagens Nyheter“Independent” Liberal

THE MAKING OF REGIONAL IDENTITIES

• Stockholm – Norrland• Urban – Rural• Modern - Traditional

• Norrland fights back/resists:“We in the North are bothered by the debate concerning regions that draw on the reserves and regions that build up the reserves. It is not correct that Stockholm is contributing to the welfare in Norrland.”(Article by leading politicians from the counties in Norrland)

• And reproduces the representations:“(…) we arrange the biggest protest march anyone

ever seen – we gather outside the place of power (The Parliament in Stockholm)”(Lars Törnman politician, Kiruna Partiet (a local political party from Norrbotten)

http://www.varmland.coop/visit/swe

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SPATIAL INTERNAL

“OTHER”“They are not as ordinary Swedes up there”(Article reflecting on a specific case of sickness benefit)

Lifestyle/”Cultural” differences:• Dependent on subsidies

“But it is not only they the Norrlanders who are paying. As many Stockholmers state; they are also financing the traditional Norrlanders lifestyle.”

• Traditional, Narrow-minded“The fact that young men in Norrland cling to their home is maybe worst for themselves (…) difficult to find a woman and settle down.”

“The girls in Norrland on the other hand, have adopted middleclass ideals. They have expansive plans and are using their education to prepare themselves to move.”

“It is also where in Västerbotten, Norrbotten and Västernorrland the shortage of female citizens is the greatest.”racism (narrow minded)…”Our very own rednecks Norrlanders don’t hesitate (…) the worst thing that could happen is that they will be forbidden to hunt on their own land.” (article concerning the distribution of land between Sámi’s and the Norrlanders (ethnic Swedes))

The ”traditional lifestyle” implies working class and traditional gender roles (among men)

“TRICKS OF METONYMICAL

MAGIC”

• Problematic region – problematic population • Specific traits of parts of Norrland/Stockholm

become one with the entire region • Any person belonging to the population in

Norrland/Stockholm becomes one with that entire population.

• Cultural terms and lifestyle differences (Pred A 2000)

THE DISCOURSE OF INTERNAL ORIENTALISM

• Represent a subordinate section of the state to produce a national identity with desirably characteristics

(Hechter J 1975; Jansson D 2005)

• Internal spatial ”others”: Italy - the South (Moe N 1998), USA – the South (Jansson D 2005), The Celts – Great Britain (Hechter J 1975)

• (Re)produces inequalities and hierarchies of places and people