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<p>This thesis considers regional identity in early-modern Sweden, taking its case from the province (landskap) of Västergötland 1646–1771. The aim is to investigate verbal expressions of regional identity. A theory on the construction of regional identity is suggested from the research results, and typological categories of regional identity are established. Contrary to popular concepts of identity being constructed in relation to an outer “other”, it is argued that identity is formed from self-images. Identity is expressed in the first person (I, we), and includes an insider’s perspective of the place occupied. As the thesis shows, the theory of regional identity is substantiated by the duality of the patria-concept. Patria, Fatherland, was employed for the smaller home province as well as for the greater realm. The realm however, always could claim priority to amor patria, Love of the Fatherland. Thus, any construction of regional identity using the neighbouring provinces as a contrasting “other” would have been counter-productive to the construction of the overarching national identity. This manifold patria-concept is of Roman origin, and made its influence through the Latin language well into early-modern time. A great variety of sources in Latin and Swedish have been consulted, including orations and dissertations, minutes of the academic senate and West Geat student nation (Västgöta nation) at Uppsala University, topography, manuscripts and letters. An in-depth study has been made of the writing processes leading up to dissertations and topographical descriptions.</p>

This thesis considers regional identity in early-modern Sweden, taking its case from the province (landskap) of Västergötland 1646–1771. The aim is to investigate verbal expressions of regional identity. A theory on the construction of regional identity is suggested from the research results, and typological categories of regional identity are established. Contrary to popular concepts of identity being constructed in relation to an outer “other”, it is argued that identity is formed from self-images. Identity is expressed in the first person (I, we), and includes an insider’s perspective of the place occupied. As the thesis shows, the theory of regional identity is substantiated by the duality of the patria-concept. Patria, Fatherland, was employed for the smaller home province as well as for the greater realm. The realm however, always could claim priority to amor patria, Love of the Fatherland. Thus, any construction of regional identity using the neighbouring provinces as a contrasting “other” would have been counter-productive to the construction of the overarching national identity. This manifold patria-concept is of Roman origin, and made its influence through the Latin language well into early-modern time. A great variety of sources in Latin and Swedish have been consulted, including orations and dissertations, minutes of the academic senate and West Geat student nation (Västgöta nation) at Uppsala University, topography, manuscripts and letters. An in-depth study has been made of the writing processes leading up to dissertations and topographical descriptions.

The incorporation of consumption-oriented activities into rural space can be observed in the appearance of newly valued rural amenities and the increasing frequency and popularity of culinary tourism destination marketing. In exploring the relationships between local food and culinary tourism, this research sought to better understand the impact of culinary tourism on the production and consumption of local food in Prince Edward County, ON. Interviews revealed that opportunities presented by culinary tourism are a prime motivation for restaurants to engage in the local food system, and that local food producers are less tied to their restaurant linkages than to alternative marketing channels owing to high levels of product substitutability and the opportunity costs associated with direct exchange. Additionally, it was observed that culinary tourism both inherently and paradoxically contributes to expansion of local food systems beyond regional boundaries, giving rise to a discussion on the positioning of local food as an alternative or complementary component to the globalized food system.

This thesis explores the geographic complexity of English identity in the High Middle Ages by examining texts that reflect moments and spaces of cultural contact. While interaction with a cultural Other is often thought to reinforce national identity, I challenge this notion, positing instead that, in the texts analysed here, cultural meetings prompt the formation or consolidation of regional identities. These identities are often simultaneously local and cross-cultural, inclusive but based in community ties and a shared sense of place. Each of the four chapters examines a different kind of regional identity and its relation to Englishness through romances and historiographical texts in Anglo-Latin, Anglo-Norman, and Middle English. Discussion primarily focuses on the Gesta Herwardi, Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis, Fouke le Fitz Waryn, Gui de Warewic, Boeve de Haumtone, Le roman de toute chevalerie, and Richard Coer de Lyon. Each of these texts negotiates English identity in relation to a cultural Other, and balances various aspects of cultural identity and scales of geographic affiliation. While some focus exclusively on a particular locality, others create inclusive regional identities, draw together the foreign and the familiar, or depict England as a region on the edge of an interconnected world. These texts show that Englishness can carry different meanings, nuances, and identitary strategies that depend on context, location, or ideology. Together, they forge an image of England that is diverse and multinucleated. Its borders become spaces of meeting, connection, and cultural overlap, as well as division. These works establish a strong English identity while articulating England's necessary relationship with other places, spaces, and peoples, challenging not the borders of England, but the borders of Englishness.

The provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén are located in the northern Argentinean Patagonia. One of them, Neuquén, is at the foothills of the Andes; meanwhile, the other extends from this mountain chain to the Atlantic Ocean. In spite of their vicinity, their material and spiritual patrimonies are different enough to give each their own identity. At Neuquén, the richest petroleum deposits of Argentina are found, which provide most of the oil and gasto the country, giving a good share to Neuquén of the revenues from taxes collected. Furthermore, Neuquén also has other means for its economy based on landscape resources that have attracted the development of many tourist resorts. Lastly, it has fruit agriculture and flsheries with a heavy share of investment from  the prívate sector.In relation  to their spiritual patrimony,  even  if the two provinces  have contactpoints due to their territorial organization, they have also differences since both territories acquired the rank of provinces. In Neuquén, political and cultural factors determine local incentives toward development that leads to the formation of a regio­ nal society different from that of Río Negro. A local political party not enrolled in national parties plays a decisive role in development after the 1960s, and in the deflnition of the regional identity. At Río Negro, the migratory groups, especially Europeans, have heavily influenced in the formation of the local incentives to development. This paper explores ideas around these topics and tries to make a comparative analysis with respect to the formation of the local incentives and their development. / Las provincias de Río Negro y Neuquén están ubicadas en la porción septentrional de la Patagonia argentina. Una de ellas -Neuquén- se recuesta sobre la cordillera de los Andes, mientras que la otra -Río Negro- se extiende desde este cordón monta­ ñoso hasta el Atlántico.A pesar de su vecindad, sus patrimonios materiales y espirituales presentan parti­cularidades que otorgan a cada una de las provincias una identidad propia. En el caso neuquino, su territorio se caracteriza por albergar los yacimientos de hidrocarburos más ricos del país, haciendo  de esta provincia la primera productora de petróleo y gas. Esto le significa al Gobierno de Neuquén un importante ingreso por las regalías-aproximadamente  el 80% de su presupuesto-,  y para  la sociedad  en general,  unaeconomía fuertemente dependiente de los recursos provenientes de los hidrocarbu­ ros, así como dependiente del Estado. Río Negro, por su parte, se caracteriza por una economía más diversificada: recursos paisajísticos que han promovido un importante desarrollo turístico, fruticultura y pesca, con una mayor participación del sector pri­ vado. En cuanto al patrimonio espiritual, si bien tienen puntos de contacto en lo que respecta al proceso de organización territorial, también presentan especificidades a partir del momento en que ambos territorios toman el carácter de provincias. Con respecto a Neuquén, factores políticos y culturales determinan incentivos locales para el desarrollo que conducen a la formación de una sociedad regional diferente de su vecina rionegrina. Un partido político local no enrolado en ninguna de las corrientes nacionales mayoritarias jugará un rol decisivo a partir de los años sesenta en el desa­ rrollo y definición de la identidad regional. En el caso rionegrino, los grupos migratorios -mayoritariamente europeos- han incidido fuertemente en el proceso de formación de los incentivos locales para el desarrollo.La ponencia explora estos grandes tópicos con el fin de efectuar un análisis com­parativo con respecto al proceso de formación de los incentivos locales para el desa­rrollo y de sus resultados.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems of building a new region in the Southeast part of Sweden. The idea of a big south Swedish region is brand new; no former studies in this area have been done before. The main analytical focus of this study is legitimacy, identity and democratic credentials. The study has been carried out by interviews with several leaders in organizations working with the collaborations of the smaller regions in to the big region. The method of this study has been a single-case study and dialogue interviews. The interviews have been made from an analytical framework. The results show that all organizations are consistent that the democracy will be more clear with a directly elected regional parliament and three levels of administration; the state, the region and the city but it has also shown a concern about the distance between citizens and the politicians in a new big region. Almost all organizations admit that identification is an important issue. They think that identity is not a main reason to build a region upon due to the debate about identity among citizens and political parties in the north Kalmar County, Kronoberg County and the Southwest side of the Skåne County about other region possibilities. If the organizations fail to convince the citizens in the Counties about the advantages of the new region, the citizen’s legitimacy towards the new region will also fail. Then they start to work against each other instead of together in the new region. Two organizations admit that the Swedish European Union membership have had an impact on the discussions about a new regional level.

It has been approximately three decades since "new" approaches to studying regions began to appear in the context of socio-cultural turn in geography. From the perspective of the so-called new regional geography, the region does not represent a naturally given spatial unit nor a semantically empty construction of the analysis of the society's spatial organization. The "new" regional geographer perceives regions as dynamic social structures linked to a collective consciousness. In this respect, the research of regions represents a study of the social organization of space. While research of the spatial (geographic) organization of society in Czech geography has a rather long tradition, a similar statement cannot be made regarding the research into the social organization of space (the other side of the relationship between space and society). Despite the fact that even in Czechia the number of academics interested in the process of the institutionalization of regions is gradually growing, i.e. about how and why regions are constructed/deconstructed as a part of social life, domestic research of the social organization of space is still only in its early stages. The present doctoral dissertation represents a relevant contribution to the current debate regarding the issues of the social organization...

Lubor JENČEK: City branding krajských měst v Česku Abstract This thesis deals with city branding of Czech regional capital cities. Its goal is to compare city branding of Czech regional capital cities and reveal a functional mechanism of city branding in practice. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on the concept of branding, which is first discussed in general and later theoretically and practically expanded. Its functions in general are discussed. In the empirical part, the main research attention is dedicated to concepts of place branding and city branding on the case of the contemporary city branding of Czech regional capital cities The thesis aims to answer six research questions divided into three thematical groups - interpretation of Czech regional capital cities' brands, motivation for their creating and use, and the ways how to manage them. Answers to these questions should reveal actual condition of Czech city branding. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is used in this thesis. Data were acquired by questionnaire survey targeted at all Czech regional capital cities' representatives, and semi-structured interviews with representatives of four selected cities (Ostrava, Zlín, Plzeň and Ústí and Labem) as case studies. The results of the thesis can be applied in...

This project explores the impact of a mobile website (MWS) designed to enhance knowledge and interest in local history among residents of Eberswalde as a sample for an Eastern German post-communist city. It aims to strengthen the sense of regional identity and attachment, potentially affecting their decision to remain in or leave the region. The MWS features digitised old postcards, new images, audio memories, short films, and text about historical locations preceding communism in East Germany. Building on previous research showing that interest and engagement in local history can raise, i.a., individuals 'place attachment', 'local identity', and 'regional pride', the research's theoretical frame joins Stefaniak et al.'s (2017), Twells et al.'s (2018) and Pearson and Plevyak's (2020) research outcomes. It groups them into six spheres of effects (SoEs) and reorders them into six individual personal growth dimensions (IPGDs). While the SoEs represent a researcher's bird's-eye view, the IPGDs aim to understand individuals from a frog's-eye viewpoint. The MWS was developed using WordPress with the Divi Editor. A local choir of approximately 35 members critically accompanied the development process, from naming the domain to creating and initial testing a prototype for a location page, which then served as a template for subsequent locations. Subsequently, the MWS was evaluated on-site by five participating local individuals who were not part of the initial testing by the choir members and had at least one family member who experienced the region under communist rule. They were observed during this process, and audio notes were taken. Approximately one to two weeks later, each participant was interviewed using a retrospective semi-structured interview exploring their experiences and any possible perceptual changes regarding their local history. The results show that despite the temporal and scope limitations of the project, the short engagement with local history via the MWS has enriched participants' attachment to the city. It shows further that the worth of local history in this process lies in that sites and monuments of local history are perceived as accomplishments of the local community. This perception fosters an emotional connection and a sense of pride in being part of the locality. In contrast, the presence of natural beauty, as exemplified by the surroundings of Eberswalde, elicits appreciation. Even though nature, not being a human achievement, is admired by participants, it does not evoke the same emotional expressions or pride in belonging to the location. Both are essential for establishing a lasting bond and participation in the city's public and social life.