Conflict or cooperation? – Learning from historical land use tensions in Arctic Sweden

Arctic Sweden is subject to a rapid expansion of green transition industries, generating growth and reduced CO2 emission, but also tensions slowing transition and feeding local conflicts, often centuries old.

The aim of the Conflict or cooperation programme is to gain a deeper understanding of why and how conflicts, tensions, and cooperation over land use, including claims of rights to land and water, have emerged, and changed in from the 1600s until today. Focus is on how local communities and groups interact in landscapes, with emphasis on Sámi and Tornedalians.

The programme provides a much-needed in-depth exploration of how local actors, land use practices, and interactions in landscapes, have developed in response to changing political priorities and institutions in Arctic Sweden.

How can a better understanding of the past help to promote cooperation and handle intractable land use conflicts on the local level, in the present and near future?

In answering this question, we will bring new knowledge on the role of institutions, path dependencies related to views on land and land-use, and to what extent historical ideas and state decisions have promoted or hindered cooperation on a local and regional scale.

Our goal is to support decision-makers in forming policies and legislation that can help mitigate land-use tensions in the present.

The cross-disciplinary programme brings together excellent scholars in archaeology, history, law, political science, and ethnology.