The wind that shifted. A community’s experiences of wind power development in Norway.

This thesis is based on six-month ethnographic fieldwork in a rural community in Norway, in 2021. In this thesis, I explore the consequences of the wind power development in Norway as perceived by the local population of the village Furuli (all names have been anonymised). The village is in the municipality of Skogdal where Furuli Wind Farm was established during the time of my fieldwork. In addition to identifying various consequences, this research focuses on how the local wind power development has affected people’s relationship with their surrounding mountainous landscape. Furthermore, it will analyse how the development has affected key values deemed good by the local population in Furuli. To answer these areas of research, the thesis goes into depth on how people have interacted with the local landscape in the past, present and potentially in the future. This is achieved by analysing material values such as hytta (the cabin) and stølen (the small farmhouse on the mountain), as well as other key values and practices such as å gå på tur (to go on a hike/trek/walk), urørt natur (untouched nature) and fred og ro (peace and quiet). With this, the thesis aims to not only identify various consequences of wind power development but to go more in-depth on the reasonings behind rural uprisings and the emergence of a social movement against wind power. The findings are based on empirical data obtained through participant observation and interviews and show that the development of wind power is perceived as predominantly negative by the local population. Additionally, the thesis explores the effects of wind power on human and non-human relationships, accessibility and restriction of the landscape, social life in Furuli, temporality, mental, physical, and public health, as well as opposition and resistance. The thesis aims to highlight the importance of including local knowledge, perspectives, and values in decision-making. This becomes especially important in evaluating potential future concessions for new onshore wind farms