Researching Island Identities in Coastal Communities in Norway
Will Wakely from the University of Edinburgh, was part-funded by the Arctic Travel and Partnerships Fund at the Scottish Arctic Network to complete fieldwork for his PhD on island identities in coastal communities in northern Scotland and Norway.
The travel and research grant kindly provided by the Scottish Arctic Network funded a preliminary fieldwork trip to two island municipalities in Norway between the 16th and 27th of March 2026. The money allocated to me by ScAN covered flights, accomodation, food and travel on both buses and ferries – accomodation was particularly important given that I was visiting the Arctic in March, and the ScAN funding saved me having to camp in strong (130km/h) winds, rain, and snow on numerous occasions!
The trip comprised a whistlestop journey down from Bodø to Bergen, via two of the island municipalities my project is focused on in Norway (Træna and Kinn). My PhD project is interested in the experience and performance of island identities in coastal communities in northern Scotland (Shetland) and Norway, particularly the perspectives that have developed within these communities in light of the challenges and opportunities they engage with. It was wonderful to get some experience out of the library where I spend most of my days, and live, however briefly, amongst these communities. The communities I visited in each of the municipalities are rather small (392 people living on Husøya, 52 on Selvær), and this initial fieldwork provided opportunities to develop relationships with individuals within the community that will hopefully be fruitful later on in my PhD project when more durative fieldwork is undertaken.
Outwith developing relationships, the chats I had with various islanders have been invaluable as I have gradually developed my own typology and framework by which to examine island experience and identity: I was able to both rely on their own experiences of island-living in Norway, and my own of island-living in Scotland. As a result, my typology has grown to incorporate factors which I had not previously considered.
Additionally, I was able to access archival material which is not available to me in Scotland - be it local history or specific Norwegian scholarship which has not been digitised, by visiting various municipal libraries during my trip.
The fieldwork funded by ScAN has given my PhD project renewed focus, while also providing greater depth to my theoretical approach, and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Originally published on the SCAN website: Researching Island Identities in Coastal Communities in Norway – Scottish Arctic Network
The Scottish Arctic Network (SCAN) also serves as a UArctic Regional Centre in Scotland.