The Norwegian and Baltic Timber Trade to Britain 1780–1835 and its Interconnections

The article closely examines the development of the trade in timber between Norway and the Baltic region with Britain in the period 1780–1830. It looks also at the scale of the trade and its role in the economic development of the countries involved, as well as how it became a global trade. Moreover, it discusses the balance of power between what is commonly understood as centres and peripheries at the time.     

Svalbard‐centre and periphery

From an ethnological point of view, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard above all constitutes a meeting place of many different ethnic groups and cultures: From time to time its natural resources have been utilized by entrepreneurs of several nationalities, with the aid of multi‐ethnic crews and parties and with varying resources in mind. Thus, the Dutch and English whaling, from about 1600, was to a large extent based on the skills of Basque harpooners. Russian parties wintering on Svalbard had their homelands in the “Pomor” villages on the shores of the White Sea, where Russians, Karelians, Saami and other ethnic groups were repre ‐sented. The Norwegian exploiters came from similar multi‐ethnic communities.

In outlining two perspectives of Svalbard cultural research I want to start out by referring to an 18th century Russian settlement, situated at the inlet called Trygghamna, or “Safe Harbour”, on the north side of the Ice Fiord. This settlement was excavated in 1960, under the guidance, of the late professor Helmer Tegengren of Åbo Akademi University in Åbo (Turku), Finland. Being a member of his team I had the opportunity of making observations of my own, but on this occasion my point of departure is based on the results of this excavation put forth by Tegengren in 1962. Tegengren had intended to summarize the results of his three expeditions to Svalbard, but unfortunately never had strength enough to carry out this work before his sudden death in 1974.     

Fra samisk ≪overhøyhet≫ til norsk i Tromsen len på 14/1500‐tallet

Det er ei kjent sak at samene i Nord‐Norge i ny ere tid har vært diskriminert og utsatt for assimilering, språklig og kulturelt. Det har også vært vanlig å tilbakeføre denne tilstand til meget eldre tider, som vikingtid og middelalder.

I denne artikkel forsøker forfatteren på basis av lokalt kildemateriale fra ca. 1600 å vise at sjøsamene i Nord‐Troms i sein‐middelalderen kanskje stod i ei meget friere stilling i forhold til sine norske naboer, enn vi vanligvis har tenkt oss.     

“There are only realities built in the mind”

Abstract

In the wake of the First World War, Vilhelm Bjerknes and his colleagues in Bergen established their so-called front meteorology. With their new concepts and models they “appropriated” the weather – to use Robert Marc Friedman's expression – for physics and for Norwegian science. A regular weather forecasting service was established at the same time for the whole of the Norwegian coast, and fishermen soon became the meteorologists’ primary allies in their struggle for state support and resources. This article examines how the alliance was established, how weather forecasting was “appropriated” by the coastal population, particularly in the north, and what difference this made.     

Working gender after crisis: partnerships and disconnections in Sri Lanka after the Indian Ocean tsunami

This article focuses on how northern non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their partners, community-based organizations (CBOs), are ‘working’ gender after a crisis. It explores the relationship between one NGO aiming to mainstream gender and a women's CBO in a village in southern Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. The gender policies of the NGO and how the CBO has co-opted these policies are analysed in terms of discourse, interdependence, power and performance. Structural and individual challenges for working gender in post-crisis situations are analyzed and the constraints for making deep reaching changes that can alter gender relations are identified. Because of differences in the conceptualization and implementation of gender policies and practices, the CBO has manoeuvred to maintain its own interests, while the NGO has experienced disconnections in working gender between organizational levels and locations of implementation. In conclusion, it is argued that for changes to take place, knowledge production on gender needs to be locally situated and sensitive to the structural conditions and power relations with which organizations and communities engage.     

Why are artists getting poorer? About the reproduction of low income among artists

In the period 2006 to 2013, Norway has experienced a substantial increase in public subsidies to culture as well as a substantial increase in real income growth in general. This paper discusses different explanations for why Norwegian artists’ real artistic income has declined between 2006 and 2013, despite the positive economic development in Norway. We have based the study in particular on two comparable studies on the income and work situation of Norwegian artists in 2006 and 2013. We analyse and discuss why the artists’ real artistic income has declined during this period. We do not find a single, general, explanation for this, but the income decline does not primarily seem to be due to either an increasing number of artists or a decline in public scholarships to artists. Our two most striking findings are: (i) A substantial decline in most artists’ artistic working hours and a corresponding increase in artistically related and non-artistic working hours, and (ii) a tendency for artists to derive less of their income from the market, together with an apparent decrease in cultural consumption (spending) among Norwegians. These two factors – especially the latter – seem to be the major factors behind the decline in artistic income.     

Export of environmental technologies by publicly owned companies: approaches,drivers and obstacles among Swedish municipal companies

This article focuses on the export of environmental technology by publicly owned companies. The export of such technologies has the potential to contribute to economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability. However, research on this emerging topic has so far largely focused on privately owned SMEs compared to publicly owned companies. Using interviews with 12 Swedish municipally owned companies which develop such systems and a survey with 36 others, we analyse their approaches, drivers for and obstacles to export. These companies use a combination of different approaches such as subsidiaries, independent projects, licensing and private-public partnerships to engage in export. However, in contrast to private companies which are often driven by internal factors such as extra sales, these municipally owned companies are largely motivated by external factors such as customer requests and opportunities to contribute to environmental sustainability. Furthermore, their main export barriers relate to differences between the business culture and political systems in their home and target markets. Their export experiences are influenced by their municipal ownership, the types of technologies they develop and the institutional contexts within which they operate. This study reveals an actor type struggling to find a balance between domestic obligations and commercialization in international markets.