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Myths of Peace and Nature Within the Norwegian Regime of Goodness

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Myths of Peace and Nature Within the Norwegian Regime of Goodness Myths of Peace and Nature within the Norwegian Regime of Goodness Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Culture, Environment and Sustainability Submitted by Helle Veiersted Centre for Development and the Environment University of Oslo Blindern, Norway October 2006 Table of Contents 1. Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Theory and Methodology.......................................................................................................3 2. The Founding Fathers of the Peace and Nature Myths....................................................7 2.1. The “Eco-Pacifist” Myth.................................................................................................7 2.1.1 Searching For a Norwegian Identity.........................................................................9 2.2. Niels Treschow – A Philosopher of Goodness .............................................................12 2.2.1. The State Organism................................................................................................13 2.3. Henrik Wergeland – The Peace Messiah......................................................................15 2.3.1. Justice Before Power..............................................................................................19 2.3.2. Wergeland’s Peace and Aid Philosophy................................................................21 2.4. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson – The Unifier ............................................................................26 2.4.1. The National Soul ..................................................................................................27 2.4.2. A Christian Vision of the Future............................................................................31 2.5. Fridtjof Nansen and the Man-Nature Struggle..............................................................33 2.5.1. Conquests and Victories ........................................................................................35 2.5.2. A Critique of Civilization ......................................................................................36 2.5.3. Negotiating Peace ..................................................................................................38 2.6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................40 3. Modernizing the Myth.......................................................................................................42 3.1. Thor Heyerdahl – The People’s Hero ...........................................................................42 3.1.1. Experts Attack........................................................................................................44 3.1.2. Eco-Pacifist Experiments.......................................................................................45 3.1.3. Academic Battles ...................................................................................................48 3.2. Arne Næss – An Ecophilosopher For a New World.....................................................50 3.2.1. Deep Ecology.........................................................................................................52 3.2.2. Self-realization.......................................................................................................55 3.2.3. An Inconsistent Utopia ..........................................................................................56 3.2.4. Approaching Peace Holistically.............................................................................58 3.2.5. Næss’ Enlightenment Vision .................................................................................60 3.3. Johan Galtung – The Father of Modern Peace Studies.................................................61 iii 3.3.1. Creating a Peaceful World.....................................................................................63 3.3.2. The Contradiction Triangle....................................................................................66 3.3.3. Reluctantly Norwegian ..........................................................................................69 3.4. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................72 4. Norway Today: Institutionalization of the Myth............................................................73 4.1. A New Beginning .........................................................................................................73 4.2. Public Consensus ..........................................................................................................75 4.2.1. The Role of Nature.................................................................................................79 4.3. Repackaging the Eco-Pacifist Myth..............................................................................83 4.4. Has the Myth Succeeded?.............................................................................................90 4.5. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................91 5. The Myth Today.................................................................................................................93 5.1. Wanting to Help............................................................................................................93 5.2. Myth............................................................................................................................102 5.3. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................103 6. Summary and Conclusion ...............................................................................................105 6.1. Summary.....................................................................................................................105 6.2. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................107 Bibliography .........................................................................................................................109 Appendices............................................................................................................................117 Appendix A Interview with Informant A.A. ..................................................................117 Appendix B Interview with Informant E.S. ...................................................................125 Appendix C Interview with Informant G.L....................................................................132 Appendix D Interview with Informant H.A. ..................................................................138 Appendix E Interview with Informant P.S.....................................................................145 iv Acknowledgements I wish to extend my thanks to Nina Witoszek, my supervisor, who provided me with the idea to write this thesis. Her advice and supervision have been invaluable throughout the course of my work. She has been available for advice and comments whenever needed, and has encouraged me along the way, something for which I am very grateful. I definitely could not have done this without her. I would like to acknowledge my informants whom I interviewed between 2004 and 2005. They were very cooperative, patient and generous with their time, and they helped me see the Norwegian peace work in a new light. I have appreciated the time with my fellow Master students at SUM whom I have shared laughs with, and who have provided support, ideas and suggestions during the writing of this thesis. Thank you to Christine Lund for proof reading this thesis, and to friends and colleagues who read the thesis and gave me very valuable and helpful comments. A warm thank you to Henning for all his patience, encouragement and support. Thank you also to my family and friends who are always positive, supportive and optimistic. v 1. Introduction In the course of the last decade, Norway has successfully branded itself nationally and internationally as a nation of peace and “green values”. The Norwegian State has managed to mobilize public support for spending billions of kroner on this process. Since the 1990s, Norway has been involved in peace negotiations in countries such as Sudan, Sri Lanka, Colombia and the Middle East, and has become an important international aid contributor. The transformation from a small nation on the global periphery to an important major player in the international peace and aid arena has been radical. Questions have naturally risen as to how this came to be. Several studies have attempted to answer these questions by examining the process from a political and/or historical point of view. These include, among others, Terje Tvedt’s “Utviklingshjelp, utenrikspolitikk og makt” (Tvedt 2003) and Helge Pharo’s ongoing project “Den norske fredstanken”. Very few studies exist however, that combine a historical overview with a cultural analysis of the process.1 My goal with this thesis is therefore to present a new look at Norway’s mission and vision as a Regime of Goodness2 that emerged in the 1990s. I will examine Norwegian peace and nature mythologies in the context of this new identity, and argue that the Norwegian myths of peace and
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