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Mobilized villages: local community agency during the Swedish wildfires in 2018 and the process of re-orientation towards the future

https://doi.org/10.5878/770j-ga91
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 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.
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Documentation files

  • 06a Individuell intervjuguide.pdf
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  • Metadata från projektet Mobiliserade byar.docx
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Citation and access

Data access level:

Creator/​Principal investigator(s):

Research principal:

Principal's reference number:

  • KM 5.1-32-19

Data contains personal data:

Yes

Type of personal data:

Pseudonmyized data

Sensitive personal data:

Yes

Citation:

Language:

Method and outcome

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:

Description of sampling:

The criteria for participation in the study were that the interviewee had been active in one way or another during the forest fire and had some form of local connection, mainly permanent residence. We endeavoured to achieve a balance between women and men and to find interviewees of different ages.

Time period(s) investigated:

Data format/​data structure:

Data collection Interview

Mode of collection:

Interview

Description of the mode of collection:

Kvalitativa semi-strukturerade intervjuer gjorda inom etnografiska fältarbeten.

Source of the data:

  • Communications

Geographic coverage

Geographic location:

Administrative information

Responsible department/​unit:

Department of Culture and Media Studies

Contributor(s):

Ethics Review:

Swedish Ethical Review Authority - 2020-00445

Funding

Funding agency:

  • The Swedish Research Council Formas

Topic and keywords

CESSDA Topic Classification:

Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2025:

Keywords:

Publications

Citation:

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.pdfOpens in a new tab

SwePub:

https://swepub.kb.se/bib/swepub:oai:DiVA.org:sh-53284Opens in a new tab

Metadata

Version 1
doris
umu
Published: