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Att få en plats på kartan : En etnologisk studie av skogsbranden i Västmanland 2014 / To get a place on the map : An ethnological study of the forest fire in Västmanland 2014Litborn, Julia January 2017 (has links)
The forest fire of Västmanland in 2014 had a significant cultural impact on local communities. Research is warranted to better understand the impact and process of recovery after natural disasters, as well as to discover how underlying political and cultural structures affect rescue and recovery. Thus far, any research in this area has been carried out by government-funded studies and evaluations of crisis management. This study complements that existing body of research by exploring this topic through local experiences and memories of the fire and emergency operations. The analysis builds on four theoretical perspectives: Foucault’s theory of power; phenomenology; memory theory, and theories of identity. Through these, the study examines how locals relate to the burnt landscape as well as explores how political tensions relating to Swedish countryside have gained new relevance as a result of the fire. These research results indicate that memories of the fire are characterized by chaotic rescue operations and crisis management, and that their failure generally is interpreted as a result of current political and cultural discourses defined by urban norms that for decades have disfavored infrastructure and social security in rural parts of Sweden. The research shows that favorable conditions for rural life in general are crucial for successful crisis management. From a societal perspective, the battle for resources between urban and rural areas, combined with inequality between city and countryside, is very problematic. Many crises occur in rural areas, which require security and infrastructure nationwide. The study therefore stresses the importance of active use of local knowledge in governing on local and regional as well as national levels. Diversity is not only a matter of ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, but also includes perspectives from all generations living all over the country.
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(RE)DEFINE GROWTH : How to Connect Ön and the City while Preserving, Emphasising and Intensifying the Green, Rural and Recreational QualitiesKassberg, Anna January 2017 (has links)
Ön is an island in central Ume River. Today Ön is a rural, green place with key habitats and historical values. In 2008 the municipality took the decision to exploit it by building city there. The decision was preceded by the emerging growth target, for Umeå, to become 200,000 inhabitants in 2050. The research material for this paper consists of legal documents, reports, literature, interviews, and own observations. It can be divided into three main parts. The first part, which is the ‘growth discourse’, is investigated through documents concerning political strategies and influences from within the field in relation to Umeå as a city. The second part consists of research around the ‘image’ of Norrland and the third part focus on questions involving well-being through nature and the concept of Ecosystem Services, in relation to Ön. In this paper, I advocate for an alternative plan concerning Ön and its unique set of qualities: the rural, historical, and nature dominated atmosphere adjacent to the city of Umeå. I argue that the value of this land is greater in its natural vesture, than it would be with added asphalt and concrete. The values of concern are non-monetary, but might as well become monetary in the more long-term scenario. There is mounting evidence of benefits derived from nature, when it comes to human well-being, and further that ecosystems provide services of major importance to us. Ecosystem Services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. Ön possesses many of these services today. It holds potential for further cultivation and capacity to become amplified as a recreation area in central Umeå. The objective of this master thesis is to define and validate the qualities of Ön; and further, to develop a programme of possible interventions, in order to preserve and intensify the present atmosphere. This is conducted by identifying Ecosystem Services in the current context; and ways to enhance them, in order to propose an alternative plan for Ön.
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