In the eyes of the lord, we are all smalanders : Regional identity and history usage around prominent historical individuals from Smaland

When history is discussed, it is commonly done in a national or international setting. The regional or local levels are often not discussed. This essay wills therefore investigate how the regional identity in the province of Småland is represented as pertaining to a select few historically significant individuals i.e. Nils Dacke, Carl von Linnaeus, Esaias Tegnér, Elin Wägner, Vilhelm Moberg & Astrid Lindgren. Narrative identity and history usage are the main theoretical standpoints of this investigation. The method consists of qualitative text analysis applied to a number of examples of history usage tied to the select individuals. The sources used are mainly online information targeted at visitors. The results show a varying degree of impact on the provincial history usage, with Dacke, Lindgren and Moberg being clearly linked to “Småland” identity, while the other individuals where less tied to the region specifically. The identity expressed in the media examined was well in line with what can be found in earlier works on regional history and identity in Småland