"En annan del av Sverige" : En etnologisk studie om norrländsk identitet

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study is to examine how the identity construction of people from the northernmost part of Sweden – Norrland – is shaped in relation to ideas about the region and its inhabitants. The study is based on interviews with individuals who identify as Norrlandians (Sw. ”norrlänningar”) and have moved from Norrland. These are analysed using discourse theory. The results show that the Norrlandian identity is shaped by the understanding of Norrland as ”a different part of Sweden”, which gets its meaning by being contrasted to the southern parts of the country. Ideas and images of what is specific for Norrland and Norrlandians are reproduced or transformed depending on context and purpose. In this way, identity can be understood as an ongoing process.