A Letter from the Board

Dear reader, 

We would like to welcome you to the 18th edition of Tvergastein in which we challenge the notions of borders, margins, and barriers. It seems that such words as these are increasingly weaponised as vulnerable members of society are pushed deeper in the margins, borders are the source of brutal demonstrations of inhumanity, and in a world where there is more access than ever, so too are more barriers emerging between many of us. Therefore, it seemed pertinent for us to offer this issue up as a space to explore, challenge, and illuminate these ideas. Perhaps the margins can be a place of solace and safety, perhaps some borders are more open than first thought, and perhaps barriers are just encouraging us to continue along alternative paths. Furthermore, in this issue, we are challenging the borders, margins, and barriers of our own journal. We editors have taken this opportunity to use this issue and its wonderful, enlightening submissions to expand the scope of this journal and re-frame it as an interdisciplinary journal of the environment, development, and culture. In doing so, we hope to set a precedent for future Tvergastein contributors to continue pushing the boundaries of their work, of this journal, and of academia. 

To begin this year’s journal, we present Marte’s incredibly timely piece on how the border regime force on Palastinians represents a complex form of oppression which utilises the weaponization of movement. Following this, Tobias leads us through a thoughtful discussion that highlights the tension between the Southern Saami open and fluid conception of land and land-use versus the Norwegian State’s more strict and dualistic definitions, and the impact this has had on the debate surrounding the Fosen wind farm. We will then turn to Sindre’s think piece on the increasing marginalisation of ‘the wild’ and the subsequent impoverishment of the human-nonhuman relationship in the age of the sixth mass extinction before exploring the blurring of boundaries between the urban and the wild with August’s presentation of the fox creeping into Oslo’s city streets. Next, you will find Maria’s discussion of the struggle against extractivism through sharing stories of the CARZCCH, a powerful social movement in Mexico followed by Rwittika’s exploration of the power of storytelling in decolonising international relations to allow typically marginalised groups to reclaim their narratives on national and global scales. Following this, we will be encouraged to contemplate the barrier between life and death, living body and carcass, with Mara’s text before challenging the body-nature dichotomy through a reflection on food consumption in light of concepts of porosity and inter-objectivity with Erik. After Erik, Trym discusses the barriers to capitalist accumulation and the ways in which the agro-industry purses temporal-biological ‘fixes’ to such barriers and Aleksi will then offer a snapshot into their thoughts and feelings upon encountering the seemingly borderless power of mega-corporation, Cargill, when travelling across Brazil. Next, Frida will offer a comprehensive overview of the barriers to more sustainable consumption patterns, as well as the avenues that help to overcome such barriers and then you will find a photo essay by Daniela on water borders, which juxtaposes the mundane water use in every day with looming water crises, reflecting on how water scarcity is ultimately a shared challenge, transcending national borders. After this, Barış blends psychology, philosophy, and spirituality to reflect on how the concept of shame may constitute a barrier to experiencing love and then Marius brings out attention to the ontological reality of the octopus, and reflects on the comparable barriers to the human experience of reality. This is then followed by Marcus’s presentation of race and non-human nature as an interlocking, dialectical system through an examination of Frantz Fanon’s writings. Following Marcus comes Lily’s piece which encourages reflection of the potential of existing in the indeterminate and vague borderlands of identity and then Holly, Rwittika and Sagorika’s text on the politics of storytelling in the representation of the climate-displaced people of the Bay of Bengal. After this, we have Ada’s piece that challenges the barriers of language and poetic form and draws inspiration from animal migration to stir reflection on the act of taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, which is then followed by two pieces of Oddbjørg’s art with an accompanying reflection of their larger artistic aim on the blurring and fluidity of borders and the reversal of roles by imagining a world where animals take their destiny ‘in hand’. This is then followed by Annabel’s text on the European Green Belt, blending history, ecology, and culture to reflect on how borders transform and how ideology can manifest in ecology. Finally, we end on a piece by Tvergastein’s founder, Eivind, which offers us a poignant reflection on the ultimate planetary borders that we all, as humans and non-humans, share. 

Each of these pieces offers not only an interesting and unique reflection on this issue’s theme, but we also hope that that within the margins of these following pages, set within the borders of this journal, you will find something that sparks your mind and perhaps even encourages you to question your own ideas of borders, margins, and barriers. 

Happy Reading!

Editorial Board 2023/2024