Contested futures: Media, social cohesion, and the Kaunisvaara mine in Swedish public discourse 2006-2024

Abstract

This article examines how national and regional media discourses have constructed the Kaunisvaara iron mine in Pajala, northern Sweden, between 2006 and 2024. Through a critical discourse analysis of 57 articles from the national Dagens Nyheter (DN) and 872 from the regional Norrländska Socialdemokraten (NSD), the study traces six discursive phases that reflect shifting representations of industrial development, environmental responsibility, and territorial legitimacy. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the analysis reveals how DN and NSD produced divergent yet overlapping narratives—shaped by editorial position, institutional scale, and regional proximity. DN’s coverage transitioned from developmental optimism to sustainability critique, while NSD consistently foregrounded local identity, economic hope, and regional pride, albeit sometimes at the expense of environmental or indigenous perspectives. Rather than treating media as neutral observers, the article emphasizes their role in shaping symbolic imaginaries and ideological framings of extractive futures. By situating the Kaunisvaara case within broader European debates on resource policy and rural transformation, the study shows how media discourses negotiate contested meanings of progress, justice, and belonging in the context of post-industrial peripheries.