Thus far, the relation between place attachment and lifestyle entrepreneurship has received limited attention in tourism studies. Our study addresses tourism actors' relationship to the place of their engagement, here the Jukkasjärvi area of northern Sweden. Using a qualitative approach, we analyse their place attachment with particular attention to their perceptions of nature. Thereby, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the theoretical linkage between place attachment and lifestyle entrepreneurship in rural nature-based tourism. We find that all actors have strong bonds to the places of their engagement, which we suggest is a key motivator for their professional engagement with tourism. Furthermore, our findings highlight that not only the functional dimension of the environment, but particularly emotional attachment to the environment allows people to perceive places as "ideal" for their activities. All actors speak of their strong appreciation of the natural environment, in particular the climate and seasons, and they embody their attachment through diverse outdoor activities. They claim they wish to "share their lifestyle" with tourists and pursue work-related activities in the same ways and in the same places as their private activities. Hence, we propose that positive perceptions of the natural environment and particularly enthusiasm for different outdoor activities foster as well as promote tourism activity more than other factors do.
Souvenirs are fascinating little things that both incorporate as well as illustrate the global–local interplay of tourism. They need to be approached in their complexity as they intertwine people, places, and meanings. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of souvenirs
from the perspectives of souvenir sellers and crafters. Taking a constructivist approach, we are interested in the ways sellers and crafters construct meaning and authenticity in souvenirs. The work is based on fieldwork including 35 semistructured interviews with souvenir sellers and crafters
in northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland (both self-ascribed "indigenous" and "nonindigenous" participants). Our findings elaborate on: (1) the sellers' and crafters' conception of the term "souvenir," (2) their considerations in making, choosing, and selling souvenirs, and (3) the ways in
which they authenticate souvenirs, in particular through storytelling. We find that the crafters and sellers often had a negative conception of the term "souvenir" and preferred not to call their products souvenirs. However, they were aware as well as appreciated that their products might
become souvenirs in the interaction with the tourist. Interviewees further highlight the importance of storytelling for these processes of becoming or authentication, where they also express agency and power over these representations. Furthermore, the findings elucidate
their relative entrepreneurial freedom and ways of balancing aesthetic as well as economic concerns. The study calls for further research, in particular on the ways stories authenticate, but also taking into methodological account the complexity of the term souvenir, as well as seeking more
comprehensive approaches including varieties of sellers and crafters, using a spectrum from selfdefined indigenous to nonindigenous identities.
When ethnicity is said to be manifest and practised through handicrafts, these seemingly innocent objects become political. They raise questions concerning who can do what handicraft, who can use what symbols or what developments are "allowed". They illustrate the continuous production of ethnic norms and boundaries, especially when global tourism enters into the equation. Taking a social constructivist perspective, our study addresses ethnic boundaries and boundary-making in handicrafts in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland. Our findings are based on fieldwork (35 interviewees) with people of diverse local backgrounds making and selling handicrafts. Methodologically, we avoid preselecting people based on ethnicity, but instead contribute to an understanding of the constitutive processes of ethnicity by looking at how ethnic talk comes into conversations about handicrafts. Our findings demonstrate that the interviewees draw an ethnic divide between "Sámi"/"non-Sámi", while other ethnic-choices move to the background. This divide can be seen to be amplified by tourism. The boundary for who can make a Sámi handicraft or use Sámi symbols remains significant, yet also fluid. The article deepens the understanding of the Sámi/non-Sámi ethnic categorization, here in relation to handicrafts. It also helps unravel the complexities between tourism, ethnicities and handicrafts more broadly.
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