The Third Week at KTH; 15–19 June

This series of posts shares field notes from the study abroad course "Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic." The course begins at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and then students from the University of Illinois and KTH travel north to conduct research in the Arctic. This blog was originally posted on KTH's Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic webpage.

by Jessica Sellin and Dan Klen

For our third week, we discussed Sami culture, screened several films about Sami history and identity, and visited the Nordiska Museet. Anna Westerstahl-Stenport, Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led the discussions and film screenings. During the lectures with Anna Westerstahl-Stenport, we learned about Sami culture. This certainly provided a good basis for our understanding of the Sami before the movie screening and visit to the Sami exhibition at the Nordiska Museet.

We learned about the Sami language and how it is verb mobilized rather than noun mobilized, and how this somewhat reflects the Sami lifestyle that emphasizes movement rather than objects. We learned about the pan Sami flag that was introduced in 1986, which has vivid colours influenced by Sami garments (gáhkti) and handicraft as well as the circle in the center representing the circular philosophy of life.

We watched a movie from the Sami webpage www.samer.se, which was supposed to give an introduction to the Sami people. We had a subsequent discussion regarding gender and stereotypes, in which we were critical of the way gender stereotypes perpetuated the male role of reindeer herding. In addition to that, we were concerned about the stereotypical ways in which Sami people are represented, particularly as reindeer herders. We agreed the movie from the Sami website was more similar to an advertisement than a documentary movie aimed for conveying objective information about Sami people and livelihood.

Another film we watched was Sami Nieida Jojk (Sami Daughter yoik), a documentary by Liselotte Wajstedt. The documentary is about a young woman with Sami ancestors; her parents decided not to teach their Sami traditions or language to their daughter. Now she wants to discover the Sami way of living and try to be a part of the Sami community through learning to speak the Sami language, use traditional clothing, and visit Sami festivals. Through camera techniques that made the history viable and personal, Wajstedt displayed her hopes and beliefs on the one hand, and the despairs and lack of faith on the other hand. The documentary rose questions regarding what it means to be a Sami.

At the Nordiska Museet, we focused on the Sápmi exhibition. The exhibition is a mix of media: objects, videos, photography, and text and audio descriptions of the displays. The Museet aims to bring these different media together to give a viewer a holistic story of what it means to be Sami. Clothing, drums, and other objects from Sami cultural history were displayed, and their importance in Sami life communicated through text and audio guides. The exhibition gave us a closer look at the culture we’ve been studying in lectures and how that culture is represented in a cultural institution. Learning more about the Sami prepares us to engage with them in person and become more knowledgeable about their perspectives and values, which is particularly important because we will be heading to Kiruna in less than a week to begin our fieldwork. We ended our tour of the exhibition with a discussion about how the Sami are represented and left the Museet with much to think about as the class goes forward.

The Third Week at KTH; 15–19 June

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The Second Week at KTH; 8-12 June

This series of posts shares field notes from the study abroad course "Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic." The course begins at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and then students from the University of Illinois and KTH travel north to conduct research in the Arctic. This blog was originally posted on KTH's Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic webpage.

by Klara Bergman and Skylar Lipman

The start of our second week was packed with interesting lectures and seminars, preparing us for our trip to the Arctic. On Monday Dag Avango talked about Sweden in the Arctic, with a focus on colonization and industrialization. It felt incredibly important to get an overview of the history of the Swedish Arctic - even for the Swedes! The afternoon continued with a lecture by Mark Safstrom from University of Illinois about Arctic narratives. We had read “The Norse Myths” and “The Vinland Sagas” and discussed them in class. It is nice to look at the Arctic from all perspectives: culture, science and history. The course is becoming richer and we are learning so much.

This is one of many examples of creativity in the subway stations. Each station represents characteristics of the surrounding area. This piece from Universitetet represents some of Carl von Linne’s work, which has been important in our studies.

On Tuesday we started out with a lecture by Rebecca Lawrence from University of Stockholm. She discussed the treatment of indigenous peoples in Sápmi and Australia, in connection to natural resource extraction. She had also prepared a role-play exercise for us where we were divided in two groups; one group representing a mining company wanting to open a mine and one group representing a Sámi community living near the mine site. The discussions that followed were heated, to say the least. This certainly made us think about how resource extraction is a tricky matter and how important it is to include and listen to indigenous groups that are affected by the industry. Later in the afternoon we had a lecture with Annika Nilsson from SEI (Stockholm Environment Institute) regarding governance in the Arctic. This showed how very complex the matter of governance is in an area like the Arctic.

Discussions during group work in class during this week.

The second half of the week was filled with more lectures as well as a few outings. Dag Avango discussed the actor-network theory, which helps to thoughtfully organize resources required to reach goals. These actor networks include a handful of key components, including network builders (those who organize the network itself), actors (participants who can represent/speak for themselves), and actants (resources, including people, who are represented by someone else). We learned more about this theory by applying it to a few case studies, such as the current situations in Malmberget, Kiruna, and Aitik. We are excited to experience these places first-hand very soon! Interesting “food for thought” that developed through this conversation is the idea that the environment may be considered a structure (more of a static resource) or/and an actor, as the environment certainly responds to happenings such as mines, fishing, etc.

The lectures later in the week also discussed the applications of heritage sites. For instance, retired and abandoned mines, whaling stations, and a great many more examples which may be used as heritage sites to legitimize state sovereignty claims, further historical and archaeological research, and attract tourism. We also read Carl von Linné’s “Tour in Lapland” and continued our discussions with Mark about narratives and depictions of nature and people.

The students and professors got to know each other a bit better this week. Students got together to barbeque, get lunch, celebrate a birthday, and travel to Uppsala. Thanks to the many people we’ve encountered for a wonderful week!

The Second Week at KTH; 8-12 June

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The First Week at KTH; 3-5 June

This series of posts shares field notes from the study abroad course "Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic." The course begins at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and then students from the University of Illinois and KTH travel north to conduct research in the Arctic. This blog was originally posted on KTH's Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic webpage.

by Lucia Dunderman and David Seith

This week was the start of our integrated study program, Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic. Our first day of lectures on Wednesday was an introduction to the program, class, and professors involved with our lectures and in the Arctic trip. The afternoon lecture included a more in depth look at the lecture schedule, along with what our class will specifically do in the Arctic region of Sweden. We also had the chance to be introduced to our essay and blog assignments for the class.

On Thursday was our first full day of lectures. This day was focused on the human geography in a historical perspective in the Arctic and Norrland region. These lectures were lead by Dag Avango, one of the principle professors in the program. The lectures focused on how humans first came to the Arctic and the Norrland regions and how they survived. From these lectures we learned about how these early human societies in the Arctic prospered, or failed, and how they changed over time. This lecture looked at different historical perspectives of Arctic history, specifically a traditional, processual, and post-processual theoretical take on the perspectives. Seeing how different eras viewed Arctic history, such as in a diffusion of ideas, migration, environmental deterministic, and cultural way, enabled us to better understand how the Arctic came to be, but also how to interpret data from archeologists and historians.

Projected changes in the Arctic climate

On Friday, we had the honor of listening to the Tarfala Research Station director, Gunhild Rosqvist, a professor from Stockholm University. She gave a lecture to our class which discussed the Arctic climate and environment. She gave a background about different climatic changes the Arctic has faced throughout the years since the ice age, and how humans recently have been impacting this climate. She also tied in how humans have affected the Arctic by focusing on changes in the environment, urbanization of the Arctic, the ecology, and the indigenous people who have lived in these areas for thousands of years.

Furthermore, she went into detail about the political involvement surrounding the Arctic in a national and international scope. A major topic were recent reports about the Arctic, such as the ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment) and SWIPA (Snow, Water, Ice, Permafrost in the Arctic), along with the committees involved with these reports; Arctic Council, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, International Arctic Science Committee, and Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. We learned how these committees have provided research to this region and how they are trying to change policies to aid the Arctic.

Finally, she focused on the Sami people who have lived in Northern Scandanavia for thousands of years. Their culture and homes are being affected by not only the climate, but also the mining community who are interfering with reindeer herding and the environment. We were able to take away a different look at the Arctic and what needs to be done on a political scale thanks to Professor Rosqvist.

The First Week at KTH; 3-5 June

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Kickoff to Summer in Stockholm

by Sarah Rivard and Nick Musso

This Wednesday marked our third day of the Arctic course with the Swedish students. Our lecture was on the Foundations of Arctic Travel Narratives, with a focus on the Vikings. We read two historically-based VinlandSagas – Saga of the Greenlanders and Erik the Red’s Saga – as well as three Norse mythology stories: "The Creation," "The War of the Aesir and Vanir," and "Ragnarok." We learned how these readings could be interpreted in several different ways, including historical, ecological, economic, colonial, moral, and even feminist viewpoints. Our lecture also taught us about how the characters in the sagas portrayed the values and vices of the time. In addition, we discussed how fire and ice symbolized both creation and destruction in the Norse myths. It was interesting to see how many different ways each of these stories and their symbols could be interpreted!

All of this studying can sure work up an appetite, and in Stockholm there is no shortage of places to eat. As we’ve strolled down the streets we’ve been entranced by the smells escaping the walls of restaurants, cafes, and candy stores. If only it were possible to capture some of these amazing scents and bring them back home to our friends and family! In terms of our favorites, many of us have tried, and loved, dishes like fresh salmon, meatballs, quiche, and dumplings. Another traditional Scandinavian snack we’ve enjoyed is Swedish cracker bread, knäckebröd, topped with meat and cheese. In addition, we can all agree that the cafes are all too tempting, especially since we never have to walk far to find one! It is a custom in Sweden to take coffee breaks, called fikas, both during the work day and occasionally at night with friends and family. The U of I group has spent many days and nights at various cafes, including one in an old cellar in Gamla Stan.

To kick off the start of summer and celebrate the longest day of the year, we decided to have a picnic in the evening. We gathered in a small courtyard just outside of our campus housing, where grills are available for us to use. Everyone brought something to share, including burgers, buns, condiments, drinks, and other snacks. We were outside eating, talking, laughing, and playing Frisbee and hacky sack until about 10:30 at "night," even though there was still plenty of light in the sky by the time we decided to leave. We’re definitely taking advantage of these long Swedish summer days!

Sarah Rivard is a senior studying Integrative Biology with a minor in Atmospheric Sciences. She is from Kankakee, IL.

Nick Musso is a junior studying Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Human Dimensions. He is from Oak Lawn, IL.

Kickoff to Summer in Stockholm

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Hejsan from Stockholm!

by Rachel Bonet and Matthew Borden

Hejsan! The University of Illinois students living here in sweet Stockholm Sweden kicked off their studies with a tour of Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, and a tour of the Vasa, a famous Swedish warship from the 17^th century. Our tour started off with a guided tour as well as a history lesson on the Riksdaghuset – Parliament House – the Royal Palace of Stockholm, and various historical areas throughout old town. The Royal Palace, a once mighty fortress that boasted a core tower, was known as the Tre Knonor – Three Crowns – is an architectural and cultural landmark at the heart of Stockholm. While touring we got the chance to see a copy of the famous Sankt Goran and the Dragon statue, a famous depiction and Swedish allegory to a great battle in the 15^th century of Sweden (Saint George) against Denmark (the evil dragon) to defend the fair maiden princess (Stockholm). Some beauty does come with a bloody history such as the Stortorget – The Great Square – where in 1520 the Danish-Swedish King Christian II beheaded more than 80 Swedish nobles. For those looking for a tight squeeze, Gamla Stan is home to the alley of Marten Trotzig which happens to be the narrowest functioning alley in all of Stockholm. Gamla Stan is a wonderful place and if you look hard enough you may be able to find ancient Norse runestones built right into a building or two.

Tuesday, the second day, included a visit to the Vasa Museum, which included the Vasa ship that tragically sank on its maiden voyage on August 10, 1628 due to incorrect measurements of the weights of the bottom in proportion to the top of the ship (insufficient ballast). The ship keeled over and 30 people died as a result.  It was not rediscovered and raised out of the water again until the 1961, when thousands of ship parts and other artifacts were found aboard the sunken ship. The ship was built as a symbol of power for the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and the ship’s ornate carvings of power symbols from many non-Scandinavian cultures (such as Roman figures and lions) symbolize how Gustavus wished to be viewed as a courageous warrior and leader of a nation that was on par with the rest of Europe. The museum included other aspects of the disaster such as the unearthed remains of some of those trapped aboard when the ship sank.  It cast a humanizing light on the entire experience as it showed how individuals created certain aspects of the ship and died and well as how the nation, Scandinavia as a whole, and sectors of people (such as sailors) were all integral in the creation, sailing, and aftermath of the disaster. The sheer size of the ship and the aspirations that were linked to its creation and maiden voyage are clearly felt throughout the museum, which is a wonderful tribute to the Scandinavian culture of the period.

Rachel Bonet is a senior studying Anthropology, Animal Sciences, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She intends to study Environmental Law. Rachel comes from Darien, IL.


Matthew Borden is a senior in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, concentrating in Human Dimensions of the Environment. He is from Oak Forest, IL.

Hejsan from Stockholm!

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