This bachelor thesis will, through a method study, make an overlook of hypothetical movement patterns and travel routes in northern Sweden between Mesolithic sites/settlements.The common interpretation of the early movement patterns of northern Sweden has been heavily based on waterways as travel routes. With the building of dams along the major rivers in northern Sweden since 1940s many sites have been found along these rivers. This thesis will explore alternative routes based on least cost path analyses and movement patterns over land.Through data of topographic elevation and the Least Cost Path tool through QGIS, hypothetical connections will appear between the sites. The hypothetical travel routes will be tested with data from the cultural register of Sweden to find sites with similar dating near the routes. Through this thesis connections between sites over a large area will test if people moved through these hypothetical routes.

Studien behandlar förekomsten av skadesvampar i ett förändrat klimat. För regionen norra Norrlands kustland har lokala klimatscenarion framtagits och resultatet av dessa har analyserats tillsammans med vetenskaplig litteratur angående utvalda svampars levnadsvillkor. Syftet har varit att kartlägga kunskapsläget och att skapa en bild av framtidens utmaningar. Resultaten visar ett varmare och fuktigare klimat som på många sätt gynnar valda skadesvampar. Resultatet visar även en komplexitet i svampars livscykler som gör analysen till en informerande uppskattning av framtiden. För mer exakta prediktioner skulle en annan modellering och andra utvärderingsmetoder behöva användas.

Our thesis project consists of three architectural interventions: The Mushroom, The Gnat and The Snake, fitting into a vision of a Swedish forest managed in a more sustainable way. A future in which the practice of clear-felling has been abandoned in favor of alternative methods falling under the umbrella term Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). As the biological aspects of forestry is not our area of expertise, we have investigated what this reorganization at large would mean for the Swedish landscape, economy and society. Where it becomes a question for architecture. When the timber industry looses its hegemony over the forest, the forest becomes available to different uses. For life and recreation, and for the production of forest goods other than timber, such as wild game meat, berries, and mushrooms. These activities are able to take place within the same space as forestry, thereby overcoming the spatial separation of functions we see today. Our interventions work by docking onto different points of today’s logistics flow, in order to later replace them. They take into account more of the different values and users of the forest which we have identified. The project follows the flow of goods from the forest as they make their way towards the larger markets. The Mushroom is an outpost in the middle of the productive forest which supplies the surrounding area with the necessary infrastructure in order to extract goods from it, doubling as a recreational dwelling. One of these can be placed every 30 km. The Gnat is a tower structure containing multiple different functions ranging from marking the pick-up spot for the harvested timber, functioning as a hunting tower, shelter and storage. Many of them are placed along forest roads. The Snake is a local processing plant managing small-scale refinement of the goods of the forest close to their site of harvest, thus channeling some of the economical flow back to the communities living of the forest. Together they form a complete series of infrastructure demonstrating how we could organize the future Swedish forest.

The dominant discourse often presents green growth as a solution to the ongoing environmental and climate crisis. However, it exists an unclear understanding of what green growth means in various contexts. This thesis aims to explore re-industrialization in Northern Sweden as an example of green growth, focusing on understanding the meaning and spatial implications of green growth within the context of Norrland. Tworesearch questions are put forward to study the framing of the re-industrialization and how it reproduces Norrland as space and place. 68 Swedish media articles from 2010 to 2023 covering different geographical scales were selected and processed with a qualitative content analysis method, using framing theory. The results show that reindustrialization in Norrland is framed in plural ways, emphasizing growth and development opportunities as well as concerns for Indigenous rights, human well-being, and justice. The dominant framing reinforces Norrland´s subordination to growth centers, while alternative framings highlight a broader understanding of the region’s multifaceted dimensions, raising questions about equitable distribution and the spatial power dynamics of green growth, moving the discussion away from urban-rural dichotomies. The study contributes to an understanding of the spatial implications of green growth in Norrland, challenging rural-urban dichotomies and highlighting contested values.

The northern province of Sweden has in both literature and film been depictured as something foreign and mythical, unlike the rest of the country. It has been my purpose to show in this essay that the systematic categorization of Norrland and its literature reveals multiple criteria known to define the colonial era. By reading the novel Stallo by author Stefan Spjut with postcolonial structures in mind I aim to show how the author uses Swedish mythology and through the presence of The Other criticizes colonial structures in place to this day. By examining the gothic atmosphere I intend to indicate how the trolls in the novel figures as both a horror element as well as a representation of nature itself. It is my belief that the author by further reinforcing the mythological in relation to Norrland addresses the problem at hand. That Norrland is still to this day a colony within its own country. / I Norrland kan ingen höra dig skrika. Det är så det norrländska landskapet har framställts inom både litteratur och film i Sverige. Norrland har genom åren gestaltas som något avlägset och mystiskt, nästintill främmande. Helt olikt resterande delar av landet. Det är min avsikt att visa hur den systematiska kategoriseringen av Norrland och dess litteratur avslöjar flera av de kriterier som per definition beskriver kolonism. Genom en postkolonial läsning av spänningsromanen Stallo (2012), av författaren Stefan Spjut, söker jag visa hur författaren genom svensk folklore och genom en övernaturlig närvaro kan kritisera koloniala strukturer.

In March of 2017, Northvolt announced at a press conference in Skellefteå that they had received the green light on their factory Northvolt Ett, a lithium-ion battery factory running on 100 per cent renewable energy. The industrial establishment has meant a great increase in population and a consequent increase in demand for housing and services. Skellefteå kommun (municipality), located along the Baltic Sea coast, has had a long history of population- and demographic decline. Northvolt is the first among many similar industrial strides in Northern Sweden (Norrland) promoted by the provincial government, the state, and the European Union. The establishment of Northvolt is part of a larger vision for the entirety of Norrland, a move towards reindustrialisation and urbanisation - all in the name of sustainable development. This thesis aims to examine the role of spatial visions in policy within the multilevel governance system in the matter of urbanisation and green industrialisation. A study into the prevailing discourse into the development in Norrland and Skellefteå in light of historical and realistic conditions through a thorough theoretical- and empirical investigation into what the establishment of a large employer entails for the local community. Through a qualitative content analysis of seven policy documents from all levels of governance; transnational, state, region, and municipality, accompanied by a set of four interviews with local municipal politicians this thesis will test the two hypotheses formulated to be accepted or rejected: I. Policy documents on supra-municipal level are not in line with local, realistic-, and historical conditions for Norrland, II. The current discourse does not highlight the contingent risks the large-scale industrial investment means for the local community The performed study shows that the green reindustrialisation in Norrland, as promoted by the Swedish government and the European Union, is one of the most ambitious visions for the future in modern day. The conclusion is that there is a disconnect between visions on municipal and supra-municipal level, in addition there is no sense of risk in the development at hand. / I mars 2017 meddelade Northvolt vid en presskonferens i Skellefteå att de fått grönt ljus på sin fabrik Northvolt Ett, en toppmodern litiumjonbatteri-fabrik som drivs på 100 procent förnybar energi. Industrietableringen har inneburit en stor befolkningsökning och en därav ökad efterfrågan på bostäder och tjänster. Skellefteå kommun har en lång historia av befolknings- och demografisk nedgång. Etableringen av Northvolt är den första av många liknande industriella framsteg i Norrland som främjas av regionen, staten och EU. Northvolt är en del av en större vision för hela Norrland, ett steg mot återindustrialisering och urbanisering – allt i hållbar utvecklings tecken. Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur geografiska visioner ger sig tillkänna i policy inom flernivåstyrningssystemet i fråga om urbanisering och grön industrialisering. Genom en studie av den rådande diskursen kring utvecklingen i Norrland och Skellefteå i ljuset av historiska och realistiska förhållanden genom en grundlig teoretisk- och empirisk undersökning av vad etableringen av en stor arbetsgivare innebär för lokalsamhället. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av sju policydokument från alla styrelsenivåer; transnationella, staten, regionen och kommunen tillsammans med fyra intervjuer med politiker på kommunal nivå kommer denna uppsats att testa de två hypoteser som formulerats att antingen accepteras eller förkastas: I. Policydokument på överkommunal nivå är inte i linje med lokala, realistiska och historiska förutsättningar för Norrland, II. Den aktuella diskursen belyser inte de betingade riskerna de storskaliga industriella investeringarna innebär för lokalsamhället. Den genomförda studien visar att den gröna återindustrialiseringen av landsbygden i norra Sverige, som främjas av den svenska regeringen och EU, är en av de mest ambitiösa framtidsvisionerna i modern tid. Slutsatsen är att det råder en viss skillnad mellan visionen på kommunal- och överkommunal nivå, dessutom finns det ingen risk medvetenhet i den aktuella utvecklingen.

This study will present an analysis regarding regions effect on crime in rural areas. Thefour regional crime prevention organizations: police, the Swedish National Council forCrime Prevention (BRÅ), the county administrative board (länsstyrelse) and regions(regioner), all have a direct or indirect relation with handling crime in rural areas and/orhow it can be prevented. Through the lens of regional crime prevention, using previousresearch and interviews, the study tries to create the first reflections regarding howcrime prevention efforts in rural areas can be presented in the region’s context.Region’s new assignments, finalized in 2019, has had a distinct impact on all parts ofregional politics in Sweden. The inquisitive nature of the study is a telling sign that thisis uncharted ground in the Swedish context, and maybe the rest of Scandinavia andEurope. Because of this, the study creates an effort in explaining parts of regional crimeprevention in a rural context to consider the regions’ place within it.The study presents crime-related issues in rural areas, how the region’s processes forregional development function and a discussion regarding motivations surroundingcrime preventions place within regional development and regions. The study formulatesan attempt at a new framework of holistic dependency for crime in rural areas. Thisframework is dependent on four different recommendations, the topics of which canbe relevant for continued analysis and development regarding handling crime in ruralareas in the regional context. The four recommendations for rural crime prevention inthe regional context are: 1. Clarify whether the regional development strategy can include crime preventioninterventions based on identified crime prevention themes in regionaldevelopment, especially themes around more effective use of civil society as acrime prevention actor. 2. Investigate whether specific regions can change their responsibilities towards thestate to create better strategies based on their unique characteristics. 3. Clarify the crime prevention networks which regions take part in and how theycan be better used to prevent crime in Norrland's sparsely populated areas. 4. Interview all regional development directors and coordinators to develop thecase study presented / Denna studie kommer att presentera en analys av regioners effekt på brottslighet pålandsbygden. De fyra regionala brottsförebyggande organisationerna: polis,Brottsförebyggande Rådet (BRÅ), Länsstyrelsen och Regioner, har alla en direkt ellerindirekt relation till hantering av brottslighet på landsbygden och/eller hur det kanförebyggas. Genom att undersöka regionala brottsförebyggande åtgärder och tidigareforskning, försöker studien skapa de första reflektionerna kring hur brottsförebyggandeinsatser på landsbygden kan genomföras i regionala sammanhang.Regionens nya uppdrag, slutförda 2019, har haft en tydlig inverkan på alla delar avregionalpolitiken i Sverige. Studiens undersökande karaktär är ett talande tecken på attdetta är okänd mark i svenska sammanhang och kanske resten av Skandinavien ochEuropa. På grund av detta skapar studien ett försök att förklara delar av regionalbrottsförebyggande i ett landsbygdssammanhang för att överväga regionernas platsinom dessa sammanhang.Studien presenterar brottsrelaterade frågor i landsbygd, hur regionens processer förregional utveckling fungerar och en diskussion om motivationer kringbrottsförebyggande åtgärder förekommer inom regional utveckling och regioner.Studien formulerar ett försök till ett nytt ramverk av holistiskt beroende för brottslighetpå landsbygden. Detta ramverk sammanställs av fyra olika rekommendationer, varsämnen anses vara relevanta för fortsatt analys och utveckling när det gäller hantering avbrottslighet på landsbygden i regionala sammanhang. De fyra rekommendationerna förförebyggande av brottslighet på landsbygden i regionala sammanhang är: 1. Klargöra ifall den regionala utvecklingsstrategin kan inkluderabrottsförebyggande arbete baserat på identifierade brottsförebyggande teman iregional utveckling, speciellt teman kring effektivare användning avcivilsamhället som en brottsförebyggande aktör. 2. Utreda ifall specifika regioner kan förändra sitt uppdrag gentemot stat för attbättre kunna skapa strategier utefter sina unika egenskaper. 3. Klargöra de brottsförebyggande nätverk vilket regioner tar del av och hur de kanbättre användas för att förebygga brott i Norrlands glesbygd. 4. Intervjua alla regionala utvecklingsdirektörer och samordnare för att utvecklafallstudien som presenterats.

The student thesis Nationalism and Norrientalism: A Discourse Analysis of the Norrlandic Independence Debate of Late Summer 2016 and Beyond aims to examine the style and content of the recent secession debate in the Swedish and Norrlandic printed press. From the late summer of 2016 to the beginning of 2017 the question of Norrlandic sovereignty was a prioritized topic in the legacy media debate, as well as in social media. It commenced after the Swedish government enterprise Vattenfall planned to relocate forty employment opportunities from Jokkmokk, raising the question of Norrlandic independence based on a post-colonialist view of the region. This thesis examines how the framing of Northern Sweden as a colony has been established, re-established or refuted in the different discourses of the printed debate, through a faceted lens composed of various theories of Orientalism and nationalism. Rooted in the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, merged with the critical discourse analysis of Norman Fairclough, and leaning against media theories of inoculation and framing, the study takes aim at the myths, metaphors, articulations and antagonisms which constituted the polemics in the printed press of the period. The results conclude that the debate revolved around independence, resources, and the myth regarding Norrland—often described as a barren landscape, marked by vast distances and a lack of social services. The term colony was used to describe Norrland as marginalised and robbed of its natural resources, whereas the term was met by opposition from the objecting side, who emphasised the historic and present representation of Norrlanders in high politics. The colonial identity was constituted in the press through internal Orientalism by Stockholm writers and self-Orientalisation by Norrlandic ones. The most distinct patterns of difference between the objecting side and the advocating side of independence was the determination of the real economic loser of a Norrlandic secession from Sweden.

The discourse on Norrland (literally ‘North land’ in English) as essentially ‘different’ has been(re)produced in literature, politics and science for as long as the idea of ‘Norrland’ has existed. Thus,when investigating the discourse that constructs the identity of Norrland in opposition to a Swedishnational identity, it is important to connect these representations to their contemporary (andchanging) political-economic contexts. The aim of this thesis is to analyze contemporaryrepresentations in news, film, advertising and interviews to show how representations constructstereotypes informed by neoliberal ideals and internationally familiar stereotypes of a traditionalintransigent population positioned in Norrland and a modern and progressive population in theurban South. The findings in this thesis can be summarized as follows. First, Norrland has beenconsistently reproduced, resisted and reworked through various discursive networks and practicesover centuries, as simultaneously authentic and obsolete. Drawing on these discourses makes therepresentations of Norrland in the news become part of a wider discursive network that representsNorrland as an ‘internal other’ within Sweden. Secondly, discourses on Swedish modernity and onneoliberal growth and competition reproduce Norrland and its people as inferior to the rest ofSweden. These representations are reworked and resisted and result in ‘real’ material effects in, forinstance, the news media, place marketing and film. Thirdly, in order to resist these representationsand become part of the ‘modern’, progressive world, places and people need to adjust to neoliberalideals of competitiveness and growth. And, finally, people’s identities are affected by theseneoliberal ideals as they have to relate and react to the representations of different places andpeople and the discourse on the urban as progress. This results in different strategies in theconstruction of narrative identities. I conclude by arguing that these representations serve not onlyas contrasts but also as strategies in the quest to scapegoat certain groups for problems that initiallyoriginated in unequal opportunities and structures of power related to, for instance, ethnicity, class,gender and disabilities – something that is exacerbated by neoliberalist policies and ideologies. Themore pressure is put on individuals and places to produce constant growth, the more certain peopleand places are viewed as ‘unproductive’ and problematic. The problems of depopulation anddiminishing job opportunities in the inland areas of Norrland are thus blamed on the population through the representations of Norrland as an internal ‘other.’ / Away from the periphery – migration, livelihood strategies and place discourse in the periphery of Norrland

This dissertation deals with 199 gender related proverbs that were collected in northern Sweden and were used in an agrarian environment, approximately between the beginning of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The conceptions of gender which these proverbs convey also belong to the same time range and place. The aim of this dissertation is to find out which conceptions of gender that is conveyed by proverbs in an older agrarian environment in northern Sweden. In order to achieve this aim the following question is examined: What conceptions are found in the proverb material of the cultural category woman, the cultural category man and of the relationship between these categories? As a base for an interpretation of the proverbs, which are written in various Swedish dialects, a linguistic analysis is carried out. The interpretation is then formed through a concept that was developed by Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (1982); namely, base meaning. This concept relates to the shared meaning of a proverb by a group of people. The proverbs that include metaphors and similes are analyzed with a method that is developed from the cognitive linguistic theory of blending (Fauconnier & Turner 1996, 1998). The proverb material is sorted in three analytical categories, and presented in separate chapters: Chapter four, The Marriage Market (Äktenskapsmarknaden), chapter five: The Household (Hushållet) and chapter six, Sexuality (Sexualiteten). These categories are in turn divided into sub categories. One example of a salient conceptions of gender that is found in the category The Marriage Market is that the man chooses a woman, not the other way around. One example of a central conception in the category The Household is that the man earns money and supply other resources and the woman takes care of these resources. The significance of the conceptions of male and female sexuality is that they convey the difficulty in controlling a virulent male sexuality. The gender conceptions are analysed as part of a system of gender hegemony and a cultural model of the successful household is suggested based on the proverb material.