Finnmark College in collaboration with the Program for Cultural Research by the Research Council of Norway has the pleasure of inviting you to the international symposium on Nature and Identity September, 6-9, 2001, in Alta, Norway.

Finnmark College, Norway, is located far north of the Arctic Circle and in the centre of the "Barents Region" (the North of the Fennoscandia- and Kola Peninsula). This location makes debates about nature in cultural and geographical border areas particularly pertinent. The different meanings of nature can be made visible through cultural expressions and the understanding of reality among different ethnic groups, as well as the interplay between local and regional conditions, and national and global discourses and trends. The theme of the interdisciplinary symposium is to present contributions that explore and elaborate cultural constructions of nature; how different groups of people construct different understandings and concepts of nature, and to discuss "the local and the regional" in relation to national and global perspectives and transformations.

The Program for Cultural Research by the Research Council of Norway and Finnmark College financially support the symposium, and the organisers belong to the departments of cultural studies, sport studies and tourism at Finnmark College. The aim of the symposium is to present a selected number of papers with time for discussions after each. The symposium will be open to a limited number of participants. An excursion to a Sami village and tourist destination will be organised as a part of the symposium. The contributions will be published in a series of books produced by the Program for Cultural Research in collaboration with the Norwegian Academic Press.

The following four themes have been chosen as points of departure: 1. Traditionalizing nature This theme gives the opportunity to explore the knowledge and significance of nature within the traditional cultures of the Arctic (e.g. the Sami, the Inuit, the Nenets and the Komi), both in a historical and contemporary perspective. One main aspect might be to focus on the role of nature in processes of resistance and revitalisation of traditional cultures in a modern world. Another aspect might be how the younger generations relate to the narratives of traditional use of nature and whether and how these stories make any sense in their own use of nature, and in their construction and understanding of themselves and their reality. 2. The role of nature in (post)modern constructions of identities This theme will explore where nature ends, and culture starts, and how different groups of people relate to nature and use nature as a reference point for the construction of their own identities. How does this go on in a context where nature is controlled, reconstructed and manipulated, invaded by technology, and governed by modern bureaucracy? This also raises questions about what is 'natural', what is artificial, who has the power to define nature, how do these definitions relate to different stakeholders, and to what extent are humans determined by nature? To what extent should humans create and control nature? 3. The gendering of nature

Nature as a gendered phenomenon can be explored and approached from different perspectives. One aspect might be to explore the various metaphors used, and their relationship to different notions of what it means to be a woman on the one hand and a man on the other. Another dimension might be the relationship between the "land-as-a-woman" symbolism and the development of outdoor adventure as a male privilege. 4. Contested natures The above themes could be understood as discourses about hegemony; about who has the right and the responsibility to control nature. The concept of nature as 'otherness' to humanity can be seen as indispensable. However, many would question whether one could draw such a rigid divide. Ecological writers and thinkers frequently work implicitly with an idea of nature as a kind of pristine otherness to human culture. This sequence of the symposium will draw attention to alternatives and to discourses on how to reconnect the separation of nature and culture.

Organising committee: Arvid Viken (tourism) Stein Roar Mathisen (cultural studies) Kirsti Pedersen (sport studies) Tor Larsen (vice dean) Ole Johansen (secretary)