“Optimism is prevailing now” Analysis and partial explanation of a narrative production in the Vega island community in North Norway Anette Bergheim Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Culture, Environment and Sustainability Centre for Development and the Environment University of Oslo Blindern, Norway 7.7.2011 iii Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................ iii List of maps, tables and figures ..................................................................... vi List of abbreviations ...................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... viii Maps over Vega ............................................................................................... ix 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Research questions ............................................................................... 2 1.2 VEGA 2045 .......................................................................................... 2 1.3 On interdisciplinarity ........................................................................... 3 1.4 Necessary clarifications ....................................................................... 4 1.5 Structure of the thesis ........................................................................... 4 2. Background and context ......................................................................... 6 2.1 The Vega society and its history .......................................................... 6 2.2 UNESCO World Heritage .................................................................. 12 3. Theoretical and conceptual framework ............................................... 14 3.1 Narratives ........................................................................................... 14 3.2 Discourses .......................................................................................... 17 3.3 Participation ....................................................................................... 22 4. Methodology ........................................................................................... 26 4.1 Research design .................................................................................. 26 4.2 Methodological approach ................................................................... 27 4.2.1 Interviews .................................................................................... 28 4.2.2 Other sources ............................................................................... 32 4.3 Narrative analysis ............................................................................... 32 iv 4.4 Reflections on methods and ethics ..................................................... 35 5. The optimistic Vega narrative .............................................................. 37 5.1 Form and content of the optimistic Vega narrative ............................ 37 5.1.1 Continuous inhabitation of Vega ................................................. 39 5.1.2 Investing and believing in the future (satse!) .............................. 43 5.1.3 Pride and identity ......................................................................... 46 5.1.4 Exceptions from the optimistic Vega narrative ........................... 51 5.2 Individual narratives connected to the collective narrative of optimism. ..................................................................................................... 53 5.3 The narrator ........................................................................................ 56 5.4 Actor types in the narrative ................................................................ 57 5.4.1 The municipality .......................................................................... 57 5.4.2 The entrepreneur .......................................................................... 58 5.4.3 The dugnad workers .................................................................... 58 5.4.4 The traditional sector ................................................................... 59 5.5 The life of a local narrative: the optimistic Vega narrative revisited . 61 5.6 The optimistic Vega narrative compared to leading environmental discourses ..................................................................................................... 63 5.6.1 The win-win discourse type ......................................................... 64 5.6.2 The traditionalist discourse type .................................................. 66 5.7 Concluding remarks ........................................................................... 67 6. Explaining the optimistic Vega narrative ............................................ 70 6.1 Local participation in the world heritage process .............................. 72 6.1.1 World heritage at Vega: from idea to listing ............................... 72 6.1.2 Local influence on the world heritage process ............................ 74 6.1.3 Local contentment with the final product .................................... 88 v 6.2 Can local participation help to explain the optmistic Vega narrative?.... ................................................................................................. 91 7. Conclusions ............................................................................................. 93 References ....................................................................................................... 97 Appendix 1: Index for narrative analysis .................................................. 106 Appendix 2: Interview guide for fieldwork February 2011 ..................... 107 Appendix 3: Complete inscription text ...................................................... 108 Appendix 4: Pictures from Vega ................................................................ 110 vi List of maps, tables and figures Map 1 Vega in Norway ..................................................................................... ix Map 2 Vega Archipelago ................................................................................... x Map 3 The main island of Vega ........................................................................ xi Table 1: Typology on narrator‟s position and actor level ................................ 17 Table 2: Set of environmental discourses ........................................................ 19 Table 3: Four leading discourses on the environment ..................................... 21 Table 4: Pretty's typology on participation ...................................................... 23 Table 5: White's matrix on participatory form ................................................ 24 Table 6: Lieblich et al.'s four cell matrix on different forms of narrative analysis ............................................................................................................. 34 Table 7: Local influence on seven important elements ................................... 87 Figure 1, 2, 3 The eider .................................................................................... 90 vii List of abbreviations DN - Direktoratet for Naturforvaltning /Norwegian Directorate for Nature Managment ICOMOS - The International Council on Monuments and Sites IUCN - The International Union for Conservation of Nature NINA - Norsk institutt for naturforskning /Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NIKU - Norsk institutt for kulturforskning /Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research. NIVU - Norsk institutt for vannforskning /Norwegian Institute for Water Research UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization viii Acknowledgments Writing this thesis has been a long and demanding process, but most of all rewarding. A lot of people have helped me along the way and I would like to share my gratitude. Thanks to the Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM) for an inspiring master programme. Particularly thanks to the programme consults Hanna Marie Ihlebæk and Kristin Dypedokk, the programme director Karen V. Lykke Syse and IT-consultant Kristoffer Ring for always being helpful. I would also like to thank MILEN for giving me a master scholarship and, hence, making it possible for me to work full time with my thesis. I would like to thank my supervisor Hanne Svarstad at NINA. Thank you Hanne for all helpful comments and feedbacks on my thesis! To all the interviewees at Vega, thanks for giving me your time and always whishing me a warm welcome with (literally) open doors. It was truly an interesting stay. I will come again! However, next time during summer! Thanks to fellow master students at SUM with whom so many coffee breaks and helpful chitchats have been shared. You guys are the best! I would also like to thank Inger Riise Bergheim who was kind enough to proofread – and that in her summer vacation! Finally, thanks to family and friends. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me, and I would even like to thank you for being so talented in taking my mind of the thesis. Tusen takk, kjære dere! Anette ix Maps over Vega Map 1 Vega in Norway Red circle: Vega Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/norway_rel96.jpg x Map 2 Vega Archipelago Red line: boundary of world heritage area Dotted red line: boundary