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Research

People have lived in the areas around Arjeplog since the ice sheet disappeared almost 10 000 years ago. However, these northern areas have not been prioritized in research, but since the late 1990s, the Silvermuseet has been conducting research on the people and landscapes of the Arctic regions.

Institute for Arctic Landscape Research, INSARC

In 2009, the Institute for Arctic Landscape Research (INSARC) was established. In our research, we are interested in the relationship between humans and the landscape, and how humans have affected the ecosystems in the northern regions through their way of life.

INSARC is independent of universities and colleges, which is unusual. But we believe it is of great importance that the research is rooted in the area the research is about.

Objectives of the research

Vårt mål är att fördjupa kunskapen om sambandet mellan hur landskapet och resurserna har använts, hur samhällena har utvecklats och hur människans bruk har påverkat ekosystemen. Vi vill också bidra med kunskap om relationerna mellan människorna i området över tid, och hur intressekonflikter om naturresurser hanterats och kan hanteras.

Our research areas

Forskningen är inriktad mot hur människor använt över tid och vilka relationer de haft. Den är även inriktad mot hur beslutsprocesserna om naturresurserna och markanvändningen i norra Sverige utvecklats över tid, och hur detta påverkar dagens samhällen. INSARCs verksamhet har sin bas i Arjeplog, men bidrar samtidigt till den internationella forskningen om de arktiska landskapen, kulturmiljöerna och de sociala förhållandena. Våra forskare har spetskompetens inom sina områden och stor erfarenhet av att publicera sina resultat i internationella vetenskapliga sammanhang. Vi publicerar våra vetenskapliga artiklar i internationella tidskrifter och riktar oss till forskarkollegor i hela världen.

Interdisciplinary research

The research is interdisciplinary and has been carried out in collaboration mainly between archaeologists, forest historians and ecologists. Nowadays, law and political science are also part of the research environment.

Gray logs overgrown with lichen lying at an angle, one on top of the other in crowberry brushwood between stones.
Fence in Vattme, north side of the Pite river. The Silvermuseet
Tent hut in snow-covered forest landscape. In the foreground a pine tree with fur and horns hanging. The sun shines through the branches.
"The Winter Visitor" - educational school program developed on the basis of research. The Silvermuseet
Forest slope in autumn color. In the middle of the picture an oval hearth with paving stones in the middle.
Firing experiments at Gallesgutj outside Arjeplog. The Silvermuseet
It is very unusual for there to be a research environment like INSARC at a Swedish museum.
Sverker Sörlin, Gunilla Almered Olsson and Björnar Olsen from the 2016 evaluation of INSARC's activities

Researchers

Here you can see which researchers are affiliated with INSARC.
Portrait of Malin taken outdoors in front of yellow building. Malin has short hair and big smile, black jacket and turquoise scarf.

Malin Brännström

PhD, researcher, director of the Silvermuseet and INSARC

Portrait of Anna Maria standing in the middle of a white landscape. Her light hair is sticking out of the hood of her black jacket and she is smiling broadly. Around her neck is a pink scarf.

Anna-Maria Fjellström

PhD student at the Department of Political Science, Stockholm University

Portrait of Markus, taken in front of glacier. Markus has tousled hair and a big smile, looking squinting straight into the camera, wearing a blue jacket and red scarf.

Markus Fjellström

Postdoctoral researcher in archaeology, Lund University, Archaeological Research Laboratory (SU) and Silvermuseet/INSARC

Porträtt av man med kort hår och mörkblå tröja

David Harnesk

Docent i hållbarhetsvetenskap, forskare på Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies och Silvermuseet/INSARC.

Lars out in the forest, where there is a thin layer of snow on the hill, standing by a gray pine stump. He is wearing a red jacket and orange pants, and he is smiling straight into the camera.

Lars Östlund

Professor at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU and the Silvermuseet/INSARC

Our research projects

Here you can read more about our research projects,
both ongoing and completed.
Research projects

World-class research

INSARC's research activities were evaluated in 2016 by researchers Sverker Sörlin, Gunilla Almered Olsson and Björnar Olsen.
Read the full evaluation