Releasing upper Lapland : Martin Heidegger and the question concerning nature

2008

This study is a phenomenological-hermeneutical analysis of the Upper Lapland forest conflict. Reindeer husbandry, state forestry and nature-based tourism are the main sources of livelihood in Upper Lapland. Also large, state-owned wilderness areas have been reserved for nature conservation. Utilisation of the forests and wilderness areas for different purposes has lead to a situation where the livelihoods are forced to compete with each other and conflicts between the different interest groups have arisen during recent years. The theoretical background of the study is Martin Heidegger’s critique of technology and his idea of Releasement (Gelassenheit). He was concerned with technology, not …