Friday, April 15, 2016
Assembly B (DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City)
Literature on legal mobilization often focuses on the characteristics and the objectives of (individual) interest groups that moblize “the law” in order to counteract a particular grievance, often against the state or powerful economic actors. My contribution seeks to shift this perspective by looking at conflicts where both sides may represent legitimate social concerns and where interest associations on both sides mobilize for their preferred outcome. I assume that the constellation of interests in a conflict strongly affects mobilization patterns, since actions of “the other side” often shape strategies and circumscribe which arguments can legitimately be used in support of one’s position.
The proposed paper analyses patterns of legal and political mobilization in conflicts that pit concerns for rural economic development against environmental protection and that also include perceived cultural tensions between rural and urban perspectives. I focus on two cases located in Sweden. One concerns a proposed limestone quarry on an island in the Baltic Sea (Gotland), the economy of which is heavily reliant on a short summer tourist season and lacks sufficient year-round jobs. The other concerns an annual licensed hunt for wolves in the provinces of Värmland and Dalarna, where there is a pronounced antipathy towards the recent return of a sizeable wolf population among both livestock owners and hunting associations. At the same time, the hunt is strongly opposed by environmental groups that are often perceived to be primarily made up of city dwellers.
The proposed paper analyses patterns of legal and political mobilization in conflicts that pit concerns for rural economic development against environmental protection and that also include perceived cultural tensions between rural and urban perspectives. I focus on two cases located in Sweden. One concerns a proposed limestone quarry on an island in the Baltic Sea (Gotland), the economy of which is heavily reliant on a short summer tourist season and lacks sufficient year-round jobs. The other concerns an annual licensed hunt for wolves in the provinces of Värmland and Dalarna, where there is a pronounced antipathy towards the recent return of a sizeable wolf population among both livestock owners and hunting associations. At the same time, the hunt is strongly opposed by environmental groups that are often perceived to be primarily made up of city dwellers.
