Gendered Issues and Voices in Public Discourses on Industrial Development in Northern Norway

Source at https://journals.brandonu.ca/jrcd/index.This article deals with gender and industrial developments in the northernmost part of Norway, where there are growing opportunities within the mining, oil and gas industries. Large companies move into the region for shorter or longer periods of time, leading to restructuring and change in these rural areas. These industries are typically male-dominated, and many of the workers coming to the region as part of such developments are men. The purpose of the study is to examine local public discourses on industry development in Northern Norway during a time of industrial restructuring. Using approaches from media studies and discourse analysis, I examine local public discourses to see to what extent they are ‘gender conscious’ in that they present concerns regarding gendered consequences of industrial restructuring processes, and also to see who speaks—in terms of gender—on the issues brought forth. I find that gendered issues linked to industrial restructurings in Northern Norway are not addressed in the public discourses and also that men, to a higher degree than women, speak on issues of industry development. Overall, gender does not seem to be a relevant topic, and with this, issues of gender are symbolically defined as irrelevant to understandings of industry development. I claim the invisibility of gender issues and the imbalance of men’s and women’s voices (re)produces a lack of awareness of gender in industry development and is part of creating an understanding of Northern Norway as a place where men are a better fit for industry developments than women

Contextual sites of acknowledgement? Kven heritage and contemporary identity articulation processes

It is more than 20 years since Kvens were recognized as a national minority in Norway, yet there is still a need for acknowledgement of Kven culture and heritage. This article discusses contemporary processes of identity articulation related to Kven heritage. Based on interviews with people who relate to a key Kven place in Varanger, we discuss people’s identity articulation processes in different contexts. Specifically, three contextual sites for identity articulation processes are discussed in detail: family, public institutions and discourse, and multicultural society. We maintain that the family site has a pivotal role when it comes to heritage and identity articulation processes, but it can also be a source of pain and struggle. Public discourse and institutions such as media, museums and schools can provide authoritative acknowledgement of identity, but they come with a risk of reducing nuances in identity articulation processes. Within multicultural sites it can be a struggle to find room for people’s ethnic complexities. Across contextual sites, finding support for identity articulation processes is key to acknowledgement of Kven heritage

The Meaning of the Feminist T-Shirt: Social Media, Postmodern Aesthetics, and the Potential for Sociopolitical Change

This article examines the potential for political or social change as part of postmodern cultural expression in consumer culture. Throughout the article, I discuss the way sociopolitical messages, circulating in contemporary culture, represent an interesting element in terms of their intertextual referencing and postmodern blurring. Postmodern aesthetic features merge commodifying, resistive, and identifying processes, which can enable sociopolitical messages to spread into new arenas of resistance and fly under the radar, so to speak. In particular, I claim that new forms of engagement in social media communication produce an alternative venue for politics—one created by neoliberalism itself. I explain that sociopolitical messages presented via postmodern aesthetics in consumer culture, particularly when circulated using social media, can function counter-hegemonically, even while using hegemonic structures to gain commercial success. With this, the potential for change can come about; power lies in the hands (or social media accounts) of consumers.

Tuulessa - I vinden

Ønsket om å formidle forskning av kvensk kulturarv på en ny måte har resultert i vandreutstillinga Tuulessa – I vinden

The Meaning of the Feminist T-Shirt: Social Media, Postmodern Aesthetics, and the Potential for Sociopolitical Change

This article examines the potential for political or social change as part of postmodern cultural expression in consumer culture. Throughout the article, I discuss the way sociopolitical messages, circulating in contemporary culture, represent an interesting element in terms of their intertextual referencing and postmodern blurring. Postmodern aesthetic features merge commodifying, resistive, and identifying processes, which can enable sociopolitical messages to spread into new arenas of resistance and fly under the radar, so to speak. In particular, I claim that new forms of engagement in social media communication produce an alternative venue for politics—one created by neoliberalism itself. I explain that sociopolitical messages presented via postmodern aesthetics in consumer culture, particularly when circulated using social media, can function counter-hegemonically, even while using hegemonic structures to gain commercial success. With this, the potential for change can come about; power lies in the hands (or social media accounts) of consumers

Nature Articulations in Norwegian Advertising Discourse: A Depoliticized Discourse of Climate Change

This article deals with how nature is articulated in public discourse, and more specifically how humans’ relationship to nature is constructed via such articulations. Based on critical cultural analyses of ads presented in a Norwegian context, the article claims articulations of nature serve to a depoliticization of nature, which silence social differences and reduce environmental politics to individual moral action. Several rhetorical patterns of particular relevance to the articulation of nature are discussed, pointing out how disparate, sometimes conflicting, understandings of nature are rhetorically configured and aligned in ways that benefit a global market economy. There is a discursive distancing of nature and everyday life, even as nature remains valorized and very much central to national identity. This constrains citizens’ political engagement and undermines understandings of how to govern nature

Amas mu Vuordá? Eamiálbmotjienaid vuhtii váldin Disney Jikŋon 2 filmma muitalusa huksemis.

In 2019, Disney released the animated film Frozen 2 and included depictions of Indigenous Sámi peoples, landscapes, and lifeways. Communication scholars have critiqued relationships between Disney and Indigenous cultures. However, with Frozen 2 Sámi consultants initiated a new mode of collaboration with Disney to combat cultural appropriation, linguistic erasure, and misrepresentations. This resulted in almost unanimously positive media praise by Sámi individuals and communities in Scandinavia. By drawing upon an Indigenous listening methodology, we articulate ways Sámi communities discuss the degree to which Disney’s Frozen 2/Jikŋon 2 is a transformative agent (or not) in treatment of Indigenous communities in film.Jagis 2019 Disney almmustahtii animerejuvvon guhkes filmma Frozen 2, masa lei váldán mielde Sámi álbmoga, sin duovdagiid ja eallinvugiid govvemiid. Kommunikašuvnna dutkit leat guhká kritiseren Disney vuogi giehtadallat eamiálbmogiid kultuvrraid. Frozen 2 dahkama oktavuođas sámi ráđđeaddiid joavku álggahii guittotge ođđalágan vuogi bargat ovttas Disneyin. Ovttasbarggu ulbmilin lei dáistalit kultuvrralaš rievideami ja giela jávkama vuostá ja njulget dan boastto gova, man vuosttas Frozen attii sápmelaččain. Ovttasbargu oaččui goasii ovttamielalaš rámi medias sihke ovttaskas sámi olbmuin ja sámi servošiin. Geavahemiin vuogádaga, mainna gullat eamiálbmogiid mii buktit ovdan sámi servošiid oainnuid das, man olu Disney Frozen/Jikŋon 2 rievdada (dahje ii rievdat) dan mo eamiálbmotvuohta ja eamiálbmotservvodagat čájehuvvojit filmmas. Sámiid ulbmilin ovttasbarggu álggaheamis lei buktit sámi áššiid oidnosii, lasihit iežaset álbmoga olbmuid bargovejolašvuođaid, ja dahkat sámegielat Disneyfilmma skeaŋkan sámi mánáide

Tuning ourselves into place: Enhancing multivocality with video

This article addresses the methodological aspects of a multi-voiced, collaborative ethnographic research process, in particular how video can enhance and amplify this research endeavour. The authors illustrate and discuss how experimental filmic methodologies can help to capture processes of becoming in a collaborative research endeavour, both enabling the development and production of diverse empirical materials and enhancing the multivocality of research practices. Using explorations of the National Tourist Route towards Havøysund in northern Norway as our empirical context, we reflect on diverse engagements along the process, such as becoming aware how the camcorder becomes a member in the research team. The filmed material forms an entanglement where our explorations along the route, our cultural practices related to the northern landscape and diverse disciplinary practices come together. We address three main ways video contributed to our research process and the creation of research materials. First, we highlight how video enables the creation of empirical traces that can be used as research materials. Second, we explore how video can work for mobilisation of multivocal dialogues. Finally, we point out that video opens the way for integration of the sensual into the research process

Yhđessä – Sammen om kvenske virkeligheter: Situering og akademisk ansvarlighet i forskningsprosessen

This article discusses methodological aspects of an ongoing research project on Kven worldings. The work is inspired by Donna Haraway’s perspectives on situated research. A metalogue, where the authors share reflections and discuss their maneuvers as researchers, makes visible some of the ontological and epistemological troubles the researchers are facing related to the philosophical research approach, what kind of knowledge the researchers are in position to produce, and what it can mean to be allies with the Kven communities to/from which the research speaks. The article supports critical transgressive research, as part of a diverse and broad opposition to injustice. Via the building of alliances and relations, and a critical consciousness around situatedness, the authors argue for a collaborative effort to develop knowledge. I denne artikkelen diskuteres metodologiske aspekter ved et pågående forskningsprosjekt om kvenske virkeligheter. Arbeidet er inspirert av Donna Haraways perspektiver om situert forskning. Gjennom en metalog, der forfatterne deler refleksjoner og diskusjoner om manøvreringer, synliggjøres noen av de ontologiske og epistemologiske flokene forskerne står i, som dreier seg om den vitenskapsfilosofiske inngangen forskningen tar, hvilken kunnskap forskerne står i posisjon til å produsere, og hva det kan bety å bygge allianser med aktører i det kvenske feltet forskningen snakker til og fra. Artikkelen fremmer transgressiv forskning, som del av en kollektiv og mangfoldig motstand mot ulike former av urettferdighet. Gjennom allianse- og relasjonsbygging og kritisk bevissthet rundt egen situering, argumenterer forfatterne for en kollektiv innsats for kunnskapen som produsere

Arctic Tourism in Times of Change

The report presents findings from a workshop where researchers, students, tourism industry representatives, policy makers and entrepreneurs from the Arctic discussed the challenges of overtourism, the impact of COVID-19 and visions for restarting tourism. A key for sustainable management of tourism is that actors are aware that they are part of a wide ranging tourism system that affects how they can tackle ensuing crisis or challenges such as overtourism and undertourism. The COVID-19 hit tourism hard across the Arctic although there are also regional differences. The pandemic revealed the vulnerability of the tourism product and opened a space for reconsidering tourism growth and the negative impacts of tourism on climate, biodiversity and communities. The report argues for the need to build tourism based on tourism-community collaboration