Mobilized villages: local community agency during the Swedish wildfires in 2018 and the process of re-orientation towards the future
SND-ID: snd1227-1. Version: 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5878/770j-ga91
Associated documentation
Citation
Creator/Principal investigator(s)
Jenny Ingridsdotter
- Umeå University, Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper
Maria Vallström - Södertörn University, Historiska studier
Research principal
Umeå University
- Department of Culture and Media Studies
Principal's reference number
KM 5.1-32-19
Description
In the summer of 2018, wildfires erupted in Swedish forests at a magnitude without precedence in modern Swedish history. The purpose of this project is to study how local communities particularly affected by the wildfires in 2018 mobilized local resources to cope with the crisis, how local residents narrate the crisis and its aftermath, and what the crisis led to in terms of strategies and awareness of sustainable development in the future. Through digital ethnography, qualitative interviews and focus group interviews the project examines three questions: 1.
How did local residents act during the actual events of the wildfire? 2. How are the wildfires and the mobilizations remembered and narrated? 3. Does local history and forestry traditions and practices impact on how local communities imagine possible futures? Through an ethnographic approach, we wish to capture the tensions between the past, the present and the possible future, with the idea of trying to show the potential for resilient communities in a world of global climate change. This study contributes ethnographic insight into how di
How did local residents act during the actual events of the wildfire? 2. How are the wildfires and the mobilizations remembered and narrated? 3. Does local history and forestry traditions and practices impact on how local communities imagine possible futures? Through an ethnographic approach, we wish to capture the tensions between the past, the present and the possible future, with the idea of trying to show the potential for resilient communities in a world of global climate change. This study contributes ethnographic insight into how disaster can be managed and how it changes individual and collective cultural norms and conceptions of time, as well as management of resources in local communities.
The data consists of pseudonymized transcripts of interviews. Accessible metadata describes the interviews. Show less..
Data contains personal data
Yes
Sensitive personal data
Yes
Type of personal data
Pseudonmyized data
Language
Unit of analysis
Population
Individuals affected by forest fires in the summer of 2018. 47 transcribed pseudonymised interviews were conducted as part of the project. We have conducted 48 interviews with 54 people, 32 men and 22 women, in the three regions most affected by the 2018 forest fires, in localities that had a clear local mobilisation. The study includes the towns of Lima, Färila and Hammarstrand, but also neighbouring villages that were affected by the fires.
The categories we have endeavoured to capture in all three localities have included a wide range of important actors, from landowners to government representatives, distributed as follows:
- 14 businesses (retail, catering, agriculture
agriculture and forestry, tourist accommodation).
- 13 interviewees who were volunteers
and/or local residents.
-Nine landowners (individual, forestry company
and community).
-Five representatives of the emergency services
and local fire brigades.
-Five representatives of voluntary, autonomous
fire-fighting groups.
-Four from voluntary aid organisations with
organisations (Voluntary Resource Group (FRG)
and the Red Cross).
-Four representatives of municipalities and authorities.
The interviews are between 1-3 hours, semi-structured and conducted in different locations. Each interview has followed an interview guide where different themes have been discussed.
Time Method
Sampling procedure
Time period(s) investigated
2020-01-01 – 2023-12-01
Data format / data structure
Geographic spread
Geographic location: Sweden, Dalarna County, Gävleborg County, Jämtland County
Responsible department/unit
Department of Culture and Media Studies
Contributor(s)
Maria Vallström
- Södertörn University, School of Historical and Contemporary Studies
Ethics Review
Swedish Ethical Review Authority - Ref. 2020-00445
Research area
Society and culture (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Humanities and the arts (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Ingridsdotter, Jenny & Vallström, Maria, 2023. Lokal mobilisering under skogsbränderna 2018. Etnologiska skrifter 79, Umeå: Umeå Universitet, 39S. http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1822522/FULLTEXT01.pdf
ISBN:
978-91-8070-214-0
URN:
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-218614
SwePub:
https://swepub.kb.se/bib/swepub:oai:DiVA.org:sh-53284
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