Altered Islands: Young Faroe Islanders’ Future Landscapes

Abstract


 
 
 This paper explores scenarios created by young Faroe Islanders reflecting on the future of their local community and islands. The main objective is to outline and analyse the dynamic relationship between young people’s future images and present-day realities. Based on data from an ethnographic study from 2014, the paper discusses young people’s future-oriented essays in relation to their islands’ history, culture, and values. The essays, as methodological schemes, encourage the youth to draw a ‘future landscape’ without necessarily linking it directly to their personal (intimate) perspectives. They offer an opportunity to discuss the relation between micro- and macro-level events and between material and cultural shifts. In these narratives, we notice a strong commitment to connect the future to the past in a collective Faroese project. The future is often drawn as altered islands—a mesmerizing breakaway from present-day realities. The opportunity to dream and to imagine tomorrow is an important part of young people’s everyday life practices and identities.
 
 

Fermented mutton in the Faroe Islands: the survival of a local artisanship and food heritage

“…Over the generations, the relative isolation of the Faroe Islands has reinforced a strong cultural identity and a reliance on local foods. The strong connection between cultural identity and fishing, and indeed the island’s food security, continues to be expressed today [ 1 , 2 , 53 , 69 , 70 ]. Meat, especially mutton, plays an important role in the Faroese cuisine and is still of great importance in the islands’ foodscape.…”

The tunnels are a prerequisite for living here: lessons from the Faroe Islands on how push-pull factors affect populations in small remote communities

“…Thereby, the Faroese have the opportunity to participate and commute to the local central labor market (Hayfield & Rozanova-Smith, 2021). Hovgaard and Kristiansen (2008) argue that mobility is the motor behind a regional form of dwelling, which has given rise to a post-modern Faroese "network society", but also that living in villages is for many first and foremost a socially motivated decision, since villages offer a platform for the lifestyle and values associated with the countryside (see also Gaini, 2011;Hokwerda, 2017;Kristiansen, 2006).…”

“…She concludes, "migration should not be viewed as leaving and then (possibly) returning, but rather as a complex and circular process, where social remittances are travelling in a network of social relationships that are not confined to country boundaries" (Hayfield, 2017:9). Gaini (2018) has also studied the situation of younger people living in the Faroese communities by discussing young people's future-oriented essays in relation to their islands' history, culture, and values. He found a strong commitment to connecting the future to the past, but that the coming generation sees the islands altered from present-day realities.…”

“…In both case communities, the common identity is connected to religion, school/kindergarten, nature, and various activities related to the harbors. Other scholars have elaborated vastly on the themes of identity, social cohesion, and place attachment in the Faroe Islands (e.g., Gaffin, 1996;Gaini, 2011Gaini, , 2013Kongsager & Baron, 2024;Raymond et al, 2021;Wylie & Margolin, 1981).…”

“…Previously, this utilization of nature was essential for survival, but today it is a hobby for most people. Nevertheless, the traditions mean something to the identity of the communities, since they are a connection with nature through some of their ancestors' practices (see also Gaffin, 1996;Gaini, 2011Gaini, , 2013.…”