Image: Mattias Pettersson
Research project Forest conflicts in Sweden are highly emotional, yet this dimension is often overlooked. This project examines how emotions have shaped forest debates over time and continue to influence current discussions, offering new perspectives on values, ethics, and the drivers of conflict.
By analysing forest debates from the 18th century to the present, the project identifies long-term patterns and changing views on ownership, use, and sustainability. Philosophical inquiry explores whether conflicts reflect ethical disagreements or other underlying factors. A key focus is relational values—how emotional bonds to forests shape their meaning over time. The project highlights how emotions influence decision-making and offers new ways to understand and navigate forest conflicts.
MAW - Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation
Forest conflicts in Sweden are deeply emotional, yet the role of emotions is often overlooked in policy and research. This project explores how emotions have shaped forest debates historically and how they influence contemporary discussions. By integrating historical and philosophical perspectives, it provides new insights into the underlying values and ethical dimensions of these conflicts.
In this project, historical analysis examines how emotions have been expressed in key forest debates from the 18th century to today, revealing long-term patterns as well as sustainability. At the same time, philosophical inquiry investigates whether these emotionally charged conflicts stem from ethical disagreements or other underlying factors. A central focus is on relational values—how emotional bonds with forests influence their perceived significance presently and across generations.
By combining historical and philosophical approaches, the project offers a novel framework for understanding forest conflicts. It highlights how emotions are not just subjective reactions but integral to decision-making, shaping how forests are valued and governed. In doing so, the research contributes to broader discussions on intergenerational responsibility, environmental ethics, and sustainable forest management. Through this interdisciplinary lens, the project provides policymakers and stakeholders with tools to navigate the complexities of forest-related conflicts in a time of rapid ecological and societal change.
