Who makes a region? Actors and regional identity- making in the Øresund region
(2022) EUHR18 20221European Studies
- Abstract (Swedish)
- The Øresund region is a model region within the EU for the transnational understanding of integration. Many regions around Europe only remain as political visions and dreams. But in the Øresund regional development, the establishment of regional authorities and organizations makes the region an example of the possibilities of going from a dream to a reality. To further understand integration in the Øresund region, the thesis explores and analyses the driving actors of regional integration and identity making in the Øresund region. The integration processes and their effect on the awareness of regional identities are central aspects of the analysis. My aims are to; investigate and analyze the processes of integration, cooperation, and... (More)
- The Øresund region is a model region within the EU for the transnational understanding of integration. Many regions around Europe only remain as political visions and dreams. But in the Øresund regional development, the establishment of regional authorities and organizations makes the region an example of the possibilities of going from a dream to a reality. To further understand integration in the Øresund region, the thesis explores and analyses the driving actors of regional integration and identity making in the Øresund region. The integration processes and their effect on the awareness of regional identities are central aspects of the analysis. My aims are to; investigate and analyze the processes of integration, cooperation, and identification, with the two sub-aims of understanding the role of different actors and how they reflect on, and their relation to, regional identities. The thesis uses a theoretical framework of new Regionalism, elite Theory, a top-down perspective, and identity-making and agency. With the theoretical framework combined with a qualitative approach, data collected from 15 interviews are analyzed. The interviews are conducted through semi-structured interviews both online and in person. The three main findings in the analysis are that regional identities often are bound to personal background or previous experiences in life, such as early experiences of integration as growing up in the region. Seeing layers of identity is a crucial factor in understanding the development of regional identity. And lastly, that regional self-awareness of identity is often bound to economic factors in Øresund region. In line with the findings, the conclusions are that regional identities are found both in and outside of the regional elites. An awareness of regional identities is bound to the personal background and interests of the actor. Lastly, it confirms the importance of symbolism in the construction of regional identities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9140331
- author
- Hansson, Oskar LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- A qualitative study of regional integration and identity-making in a European Cross-border region
- course
- EUHR18 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Regional integration, Identity, Identity making, Regional Actors, Regionalism, Identity Consciousness, Awareness, Øresund region, Öresund regionen
- language
- English
- id
- 9140331
- date added to LUP
- 2026-10-26 17:48:19
- date last changed
- 2026-10-26 17:48:19
@misc{9140331,
abstract = {{The Øresund region is a model region within the EU for the transnational understanding of integration. Many regions around Europe only remain as political visions and dreams. But in the Øresund regional development, the establishment of regional authorities and organizations makes the region an example of the possibilities of going from a dream to a reality. To further understand integration in the Øresund region, the thesis explores and analyses the driving actors of regional integration and identity making in the Øresund region. The integration processes and their effect on the awareness of regional identities are central aspects of the analysis. My aims are to; investigate and analyze the processes of integration, cooperation, and identification, with the two sub-aims of understanding the role of different actors and how they reflect on, and their relation to, regional identities. The thesis uses a theoretical framework of new Regionalism, elite Theory, a top-down perspective, and identity-making and agency. With the theoretical framework combined with a qualitative approach, data collected from 15 interviews are analyzed. The interviews are conducted through semi-structured interviews both online and in person. The three main findings in the analysis are that regional identities often are bound to personal background or previous experiences in life, such as early experiences of integration as growing up in the region. Seeing layers of identity is a crucial factor in understanding the development of regional identity. And lastly, that regional self-awareness of identity is often bound to economic factors in Øresund region. In line with the findings, the conclusions are that regional identities are found both in and outside of the regional elites. An awareness of regional identities is bound to the personal background and interests of the actor. Lastly, it confirms the importance of symbolism in the construction of regional identities.}},
author = {{Hansson, Oskar}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Who makes a region? Actors and regional identity- making in the Øresund region}},
year = {{2022}},
}