The purpose of this two-year project was to reach knowledge about narrative constructions of the relationship human-nature, more particularly by farmers and reindeer herders in situations where this relationship is threatened or disturbed. The project has followed the project plan with respect to the research questions and objectives as well as the methodological approach. According to the project plan, the main data would include, among other sources, interviews relating to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 archived at DAUM in Umeå. Already at an initial stage, this material became inaccessible to the project team and had to be replaced by new data. When the project began in 2012, climate change and conflicts in relation to the establishment of new mines in reindeer herding areas had emerged as core issues in public discourse. Therefore, the project team judged necessary to include these aspects. Empirical data from mass media and interviews were collected, which also increased the project's contemporary orientation. As the project progressed, a need for a postcolonial approach redirected the historical part of the project towards northern Sweden's colonial history.

Results

1. Narrative construction of climate change
Some of the project's main achievements have been reached through a study in which forestry and farming press and Sámi media were analyzed. The results of this sub-study show how an overarching story-a master narrative-about climate change is operationalized in different ways in various contexts. A complex interplay of narrative levels is illustrated, for example when part of this overarching story is hidden, while others are emphasized. These operationalizations of culturally rooted beliefs about climate change have implications for different actors level of agency, and as a consequence, different degrees of responsibility. Through this study, we illustrate how one of our time's greatest global challenges is understood and put into practice in a Sámi context, as well as in contexts related to forestry and agriculture.

2. Exploitations in northern Sweden
In today's debate and discourse about nature, the environment and climate in northern Sweden, the issue of exploitations has become increasingly central. The topic has been addressed through the investigation of place-making in a specific area, namely Gállok (Kallak) from a narrative perspective, based on fieldwork and in-depth interviews with mining opponents. The relationship with nature, landscape and environment is analyzed in relation to local identities and as a process in which entitlement in telling and retelling a story is articulated. The studies show that a place can act as a symbol of identity, and indicate how struggling against a planned mine also is about making one's voice heard in a context where the dominating discourses and the visual signs that are valued belong to the colonial power. Central to the project was also the implementation of indigenous methodological perspective taking into account indigenous peoples' interests, experiences and goals in the design and implementation of the project. This local connection (through contact with consultants, interviews, feedback during the research process and through publications) was necessary in order to conduct the project from an ethical and responsible manner.

3. Nature and colonization

An essential part of the story of northern Sweden has been, and continues to be, conceptions about nature. Such conceptions are included in present day's discussions and conflicts in northern Sweden, for example regarding industrial developments, e.g. expansion of hydroelectric and wind power plants, mining exploration and forestry. Different conceptions of nature often underlie these conflicts. A sub-study of the project places today's discussions and conflicts within a historical context, with particular focus on the colonization of Samiland. Through studies of two influential portrayals of this colonization-Petrus Laestadius two journals (1831; 1833) and O. P. Pettersson's Gamla byar i Vilhelmina (Old villages in Vilhelmina) (1941-1960)-we discuss ways in which nature in Swedish Sápmi is understood in the texts, and the implications of such conceptions for our understanding of northern Sweden as a place. This study illustrates the importance of language in the construction of nature in these multi-cultural areas, and how linguistic choices have far-reaching consequences for whose knowledge of nature is highlighted and hidden, and whose aims and objectives influence the making of nature and place in northern Sweden.

New research questions

Ethical perspectives on nature research have been actualized in the project's various sub-studies. This knowledge is currently being applied and developed in an article with the preliminary title "Ethical Perspectives on Nature Research in the Humanities" co-authored by the two project participants.

In one of the studies in the project, small-scale organic farmers were interviewed. The analysis of the material shows that an ecologically oriented identity is elaborated during the interviews, through narrative practices. While previous research has focused on consumers from the perspective of identity construction as part of a reflexive modernity, food producers, however, have not received the same interest. This study provides a first insight into an area that would require further investigation.

The project has discovered important issues that the two project participants have developed further into separate research projects. Place-making processes in a multi-cultural Norrland has been developed by Daniel Andersson into a project on the visibility of Sámi place names together with Lars-Erik Edlund (prof. Scandinavian languages), while Coppélie Cocq's research has been developed into a project about the transmission of indigenous knowledge, such as traditional knowledge about land use and interaction with the landscape (through language, storytelling, etc.), together with Marianne Liljequist (prof. Ethnology), Krister Stoor (PhD Sami studies) and Marika Nordström (PhD Ethnology). Both of these projects are financed by the Research Council Formas.

International dimensions

The project is connected to international and global discussions in the scientific community as well as in the society, including the internationally growing research field of environmental humanities. By focusing on matters relating to indigenous people and the environment, including exploitations, land rights and climate change, this project relates to scientific and societal debates on global challenges. The project team has participated in international conferences and contributed in international publications.

Popular science
Six popular science lectures were held within the project (in Umeå, Skellefteå, Bjurholm, Vilhelmina and Marsliden). A longer popular scientific article has been published in collaboration with the Institute for Language and Folklore, as well as a total of seven short contributions, together with Västerbottens Museum. The latter was published in Swedish, English and South Sámi in the book Rock Art in Sápmi: Images and stories / Guvieh Jih soptsestidie. The project member Coppélie Cocq was co-editor of this book, which was part of the activities during the year when Umeå was European Capital of Culture 2014. Furthermore, information about the project was presented on a project-specific website (http://www.sprak.umu.se/forskning/nature-narrated) and a research blog (https://challengingtraditions.wordpress.com/).

Two important publications
The project's most important publications include Cocq's article "Exploitations or Preservation? Your Choice! Digital Modes of Expression for Perceptions on Nature and the Land", included in the upcoming anthology Communicating Environment: How Different Communication Forums React to Ecological Dangers (eds. Heike Graf, Cambridge). This publication provides new knowledge about processes related to land rights and exploitations in traditional indigenous areas.

Furthermore, we wish to mention the article "Narrating Climate Change: Concordance and Conflict in Media Discourse", where we analyze narrative constructions of climate change in forestry and farming press and Sámi media. The article illustrates how one of today's global challenges is understood and put into practice in specific local and cultural contexts.

Publication Strategy
The project's publishing strategy has been guided by a desire to reach out with the research results both to the scientific community, and to those who are directly affected by the processes studied. Based upon indigenous methodologies and out of respect for those who participated in the project, Swedish has been an important language of publication. The monograph form has been chosen for the historic part of the project after the advice of the review panel of Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences in November 2013. This manuscript will be submitted for printing in 2015. When this report is being written, five out of six chapters are written and discussions have been held with the Royal Skyttean society to publish the monograph in the series "Kungl. Skytteanska samfundets handlingar". The monograph's three main empirical chapters are titled (here translated to English): Nature's shape: Language and Taxonomy, Nature as a Resource and Terra Nullius. The scientific articles produced within this project have been published in open access journals and books.

Publications

Artiklar, bokkapitel och redaktörskap

Andersson, Danie & Cocq, Coppélie (under utarbetande): Etical Perspectives on Nature Research in the Humanities.

Andersson, Daniel (2013): Natur, namn och narrativ. Samiska minneslandskap genom ortnamn och ortnamnsnarrativer. I: D. Andersson & S. Haugen (red.), Språken, tiden, rummet. Festskrift tillägnad Lars-Erik Edlund på 60-årsdagen den 16 augusti 2013. Studier redigerade av Daniel Andersson och Susanne Haugen. Umeå: Umeå universitet. S. 31–44.

Andersson, Daniel (2014): ”En sån här flummig typ, det har jag då aldrig tänkt att jag skulle bli.” Narrativa praktiker och identitetsarbete i intervjuer med småskaliga ekologiska lantbrukare i Norrland. Kulturella Perspektiv 24, s. 4–11.

Andersson, Daniel & Cocq, Coppélie (inskickad): Narrating Climate Change: Concordance and Conflict in Media Discourse. [Manuset är inskickad för bedömning till tidskriften Narrative Works: Issues, Investigations & Interventions.]
Cocq, Coppélie (2014): Att berätta och återberätta: intervjuer, narrativ interaktion och berättigande. I: Kulturella Perspektiv 23, s. 22–29

Cocq, Coppélie (2014): Kampen om Gállok. Platsskapande och synliggörande. I: Kulturella perspektiv 1: 2014, temanummer Samisk kamp för kulturell överlevnad. s. 5–12.

Cocq, Coppélie (kommande): Exploitations or Preservation? Your choice! Digital modes of expressions for perceptions on nature and the land. In: Communicating environment. How different communication forums react to ecological dangers. Red: Heike Graf. Open book publishers.

Liliequist, Marianne & Cocq, Coppélie (red.) Samisk kamp för kulturell överlevnad. Kulturella perspektiv 1:2014, temanummer. 

Liliequist, Marianne & Cocq, Coppélie Samisk kamp för kulturell överlevnad (introduktionskapitel).  Kulturella perspektiv 1:2014 temanummer Samisk kamp för kulturell överlevnad, s. 2–4.



Monografier

Andersson, Daniel (under utarbetande): Bland knorten, tråmpe och långnäsor. Språketnografiska perspektiv på platsskapande processer i södra och mellersta Lappland med fokus på natur, natursyn och kolonisation [prel. titel].


Populärvetenskapliga publikationer och redaktörskap

Andersson, Daniel (2014): What is the meaning of a Lake? Mij lea jaevrie? Vad betyder en Sjö? I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (eds.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum, s. 175–180.

Andersson, Daniel & Cocq, Coppélie (2014): ”Ro, trygghet, tröst. Naturen som sammanhang.” Lina Midholm, Katarina Saltzman (red.), Naturen för mig. Nutida röster och kulturella perspektiv. Göteborg: Institutet för språk och folkminnen, Dialekt-, ortnamns- och folkminnesarkivet i Göteborg, s. 183–190. 

C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum

Cocq, Coppélie (2014) The Elk/Sarve/Älgen. I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum. s. 23–25.

Cocq, Coppélie (2014) The Bear/Bïerne/Björnen. I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum. s. 45–47.

Cocq, Coppélie (2014). A Silent Language/Sjeavohth gïele/Ett tyst språk I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum. s. 101–102.

Cocq, Coppélie (2014) Nature as a stage/Eatneme scenine/Naturen som scen. I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum. s. 118–125.

Cocq, Coppélie (2014). The Reindeer/Bovtse/Renen. I: C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen (red.), Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum. s. 156–158.

C. Cocq, J. Heinerud, T. Larsson och B. Lindgren Hyvönen: Introduction/Aalkoe/Inledning. I: Rock art in Sápmi: Images and stories/Guvieh jïh soptsestidie / Bilder och berättelser, Umeå: Västerbottens museum s. 7–13.



Akademiska presentationer

Andersson, Daniel (2013-09-25 till 27): ”From Wilderness to Countryside”: The Construction of Nature and Agency in Representations of the Colonization of Swedish Sápmi. Landscape, Environment, Emotion. VIIII NIES Seminar, University of Turku.

Andersson, Daniel (2013-11-30): Berättandets platser – platsers berättelser. Språkstudiers forskningsdagar.

Andersson, Daniel (2014-11-21) ”En sån här flummig typ, det har jag då aldrig tänkt att jag skulle bli.” Narrativ praktik och identitet i intervjuer med småskaliga ekologiska lantbrukare i övre Norrland. Språkstudiers forskningsdagar.

Andersson, Daniel & Cocq, Coppélie (2012-09-6): Naturen i narrativen. En studie av muntliga berättelser om miljö- och naturkatastrofer från ett folkloristiskt och språketnografiskt perspektiv. DAUM, Dialekt-, ortnamns- och folkminnesarkivet i Umeå.

Cocq, Coppélie.  (2013-11-6 till 8):
Indigenous Perspectives on the Commodification of Nature. Cultures of Disasters, An international conference on humanistic disaster studies at the University of Oslo

Cocq, Coppélie (2014-05-13) Digitala uttryck och en folklorists frestelser. Det folkloristiska seminariet, Institutioner för kulturvetenskaper Göteborgs Universitet

Cocq, Coppélie (2013-11-22) Digital modes of expression. Perception of land and nature in environmental activism. HITS (Humaniora- och InformationsTeknik- Seminarium) HUMlab, Umeå Universitet.


Populärvetenskapliga presentationer

Andersson, Daniel (2013-03-02): Naturen som narrativt element i O. P. Petterssons Gamla byar i Vilhelmina. Skrivarstugan i Marsliden.

Andersson, Daniel (2013-10-19):Vildmarken, samerna och nybyggarna. Platsskapande i norra Sverige nu och då. Pecha Kucha-presentation. Bildmuseet, flexhallen.

Andersson, Daniel (2013-10-21): Vildmarken, samerna och nybyggarna. Platsskapande i norra Sverige nu och då. Arr. Föreningen Norden, Kyrkstugan, Bjurholm.

Andersson, Daniel (2014-09-22): Bland knorten, tråmpe och långnäsor: Om naturen i Petrus Laestadius och O. P. Petterssons lappmarksskildringar. Nybyggarkultur och samiskt arv. Vilhelmina-biennalens femte symposium, Hotell Wilhelmina.

Cocq, Coppelie (2013-10-30): Från folktro till gruvmotstånd. Samiska berättelser om naturen förr och nu. Forskningsarkivet, Umeå.

Cocq, Coppélie (2014-06-09) The circulation of stories – Adaptation, Continuity and Responsibility. FEST (Federation for European Storytelling), Skellefteå.