“This is not a wilderness. This is where we live.” Enacting nature in Unjárga-Nesseby, Northern Norway

This thesis is the result of several demanding but also rewarding years of research, and its completion is due, in great measure, to the invaluable contributions I have received from many people and several institutions. Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to the people in Unjárga-Nesseby for their great hospitality and for including me in the life of the community as well as the outfields. For all the activities and stories shared with me during my stay, and all the help I have received when writing up and analysing my data, I am deeply thankful. I would also like to thank Unjárga-Nesseby municipality and Varjját Sámi Musea (VSM) for providing me with work places in friendly environments during my year of fieldwork. At VSM I was further given the opportunity to lead a small project that prolonged my stay, and upon returning to the museum last year as an employee, I was given the possibility to work part time, in order to complete my thesis. For this Kjersti Schanche and Mia Krogh deserve special thanks. During the years that I have been a PhD student, Professor Marianne Elisabeth Lien at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, has been my highly valued supervisor. For her analytical insights, availability, enthusiasm, thoroughness and generosity I am deeply indebted. Her own work has further served as constant inspiration for my theoretical reflections. Dr. Grete K. Hovelsrud has also been profoundly influencial in the development of my PhD research. As both my second supervisor and research leader at CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo, my workplace during my PhD years, she has shared her rich knowledge and provided invaluable support and encouragement throughout the whole process