What happens in encounters between islanders and tourists?
What are the interactions between tourism and the permanent population’s everyday life in the archipelago? What opportunities are there for the continuation of local history? These are questions that researchers want to answer in a project that spans the Stockholm archipelago, Åland and Turku.
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Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the archipelago in the summer. Photo: Johan Hegardt
“We want to investigate encounters between tourism and the archipelago’s permanent residents, and the role of local history in these interactions. To what extent do tourists learn of the islands’ stories about phenomena such as the history of the landscape, boats and working life, and what experiences do the archipelago’s inhabitants have of tourism? What do they share with other people in terms of history? These are questions we are hoping to answer,” says Johan Hegardt, PhD in archaeology.
He has started a pilot project that will run throughout 2026, with fellow researchers, historians Christian Widholm and Martin Englund. Together, they will visit islands in the Stockholm archipelago, Åland and off Turku to interview local heritage associations and representatives from local businesses and activities.
Interviews on islands with permanent residents
"We have chosen islands where people live all year and which have various forms of tourism-related activities. We are conducting interviews on how they view tourism versus life as a permanent resident, forms of local tourism activities, whether they have examples of when interaction works well, and what challenges exist.”
The research team has already visited Svartsö in the Stockholm archipelago, and in April they will travel to Möja. This summer, interviews are planned in Åland and Turku’s archipelago.
Functional everyday life is essential
“It has been something of a mantra that tourism will save the archipelago and allow people to live there all year round. But to live in the archipelago, you first and foremost need a functioning everyday life, with schools, healthcare, public transport and grocery stores. Tourism is additional.”
Through relatives, Johan Hegardt has access to a holiday home in the Stockholm archipelago and, when he started talking to older residents, he discovered how little he knew about the island’s history.
“There is a wealth of oral storytelling on the islands, about how the landscape was kept open with grazing animals and how fishing and other traditions were practiced, things that will disappear when the older generation passes away. Through this project, we hope to preserve these stories and save memories of the archipelago’s historic landscape for the future,” he says.
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The archipelago’s fields are historical documents. If they become overgrown, part of history will be erased. Photo: Johan Hegardt
Conflict between permanent residents and tourist interests is not a new phenomenon, it has existed for a long time, recalls Johan Hegardt, such as when wealthy summer visitors from Stockholm began to build summer houses in Stockholm’s archipelago in the early 1900s.
“However, there are also examples of how this interaction can work well, with summer residents returning every year, becoming involved and caring about the place.”
Clashes between differing perspectives
Archipelago islands are also an interesting object of study, because they are places in which different needs and perspectives can clash, says Hegardt. For example, societal demands on opportunities for outdoor recreation can be in opposition to the needs of the archipelago’s farmers to keep grazing animals fenced in.
“Can the open landscapes that everyone appreciates in the archipelago be maintained while offering value for visitors, but without over-exploiting the archipelago?” he asks.
The project, “The Stockholm Archipelago: Memorizing the Past in an Era of Mass-Tourism” is part of the Memory Studies platform at Södertörn University. Following the pilot project, the researchers hope to expand their research to cover more islands in a larger area of the Baltic Sea.
The project, “The Stockholm Archipelago: Memorizing the Past in an Era of Mass-Tourism” is part of the Memory Studies platform at Södertörn University. Following the pilot project, the researchers hope to expand their research to cover more islands in a larger area of the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the researchers at their researcher profiles:
Johan Hegardt
Martin Englund
Christian Widholm
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- Page last updated
- 2026-03-03
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