The Svalbard treaty and identity of place: Impacts and implications for Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Abstract

The Svalbard Treaty established Norway’s full and absolute sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. At the same time, it also established special territorial status for the archipelago, providing nationals of all signatory nations equal access to its resources. During fieldwork in Longyearbyen, conducted as part of a bottom-up exploration of place in 2018, several recurring issues came up in the analysis of interviews with residents using grounded theory methodology. Two of these issues, sometimes linked and sometimes seen as separate, were a questioning of the legitimacy of the community and a sense of geopolitical vulnerability. These emerging categories led to a series of focus groups, conducted between December 2018 and November 2019, that was designed to explore the impacts and implications of the Svalbard Treaty through the articulation of residents’ lived experiences in Longyearbyen. This paper examines the findings that emerged within an Identity of Place framing that point to an inherent conflict between the Svalbard Treaty’s special territorial status and the possibility of establishing a fully functioning local democracy in Longyearbyen.

Phasing out coal on Svalbard: From a conflict of interest to a contest over symbolic capital

“…It is a widespread perception in Longyearbyen that “When the state has said ‘This is how it is going to be’, that is what happens”, as one of the interviewees stated. Recent studies have confirmed that many locals feel that the Norwegian state controls what is done locally, and that the local community’s decision-making space is limited (Brode-Roger, 2023, p. 10). With the recent removal of non-Norwegians right to vote, the local community’s ability to stand up against the government in decisions affecting their everyday lives seems weakened.…”