Regional identity?

The Barents region is a region of different nationalities, different ethnical groups, different languages and different cultures. Historically, it contains the border between east and west, communism and capitalism, and between the pore and the rich.

The Barents region and the areas of the high north is something we hear more and more about. The politicians and the money makers have big big plans for the region. But is this really a region a part from on the map? Is there a common identity? Some people say that identity is merely a construction. So of what is the identity of the Barents people constructed? Is there a common Barents identity?

The identity of the Barents region consists of different levels. On one level there is the common culture and language of the Sámi. This ethnic group has always traveled across the borders, lived in harmony with each other and nature, and still lives in many parts of the region. Their present serves as a gathering factor in a region of great differences. Further, there are the enormous amounts of natural resources both in form of oil, gas, minerals and fish, but also woods and nature experiences. The region sees itself as a region high on resources and low on people. This brings them together in their common attempt to explore the possibilities of the known and the unknown. Still, on the basic ground level of the Barents identity you will find the arctic deep sea and the rough cold climate. These people have long traditions of harvesting the sea and surviving the harsh weather, and this makes them stick together and help each other. All together their common identity creates a spirit of community across the borders. Is it strong enough to build a region upon?