Contesting the Grindadráp: Activist Strategies and Local Legitimacy in the Faroe Islands
Author
Sigmundarson, Bjartur
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-03-20
Pages
85
Abstract
Den færøske fangst af grindehvaler, på færøsk kaldet grindadráp, har i årtier mødt vedvarende kritik fra internationale miljø-, naturbeskyttelses- og dyreværnsorganisationer. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan international anti-hvalfangstaktivisme møder det færøske samfund, og hvordan aktivisters strategier former den lokale debat om grindefangsten. Undersøgelsen bygger på etnografisk feltarbejde på Færøerne i 2025: semistrukturerede interviews (styrede samtaler med en løs spørgeramme) og deltagerobservation, bl.a. sammen med Sea Shepherd-frivillige. Analysen anvender to perspektiver. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) betragter mennesker, organisationer, medier og teknologier som forbundne dele af netværk, der tilsammen påvirker udfald. Postkolonial teori hjælper med at synliggøre magtforhold og følsomheder i mødet mellem et lille nordatlantisk samfund og udenlandske kritikere. Resultaterne viser, at konfrontatoriske kampagner har gjort sagen globalt synlig, men også udløst defensive reaktioner i det færøske samfund. Som reaktion herpå har nogle aktivister skiftet mod dialogorienterede tilgange, der søger at understøtte intern debat. Forsøg på at skabe lokalt forankret modstand er dog vanskelige, fordi kritik af grindefangsten ofte tolkes gennem bredere spændinger mellem færøske lokalsamfund og udenlandske aktivister. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at varig forandring næppe opstår af ydre pres alene, men snarere afhænger af, at lokalt legitime færøske aktører kan starte og fastholde debatten indefra.
The Faroese practice of hunting pilot whales, known locally as the grindadráp, has long drawn criticism from international environmental, conservation, and animal welfare organizations. This thesis examines how international anti-whaling activism intersects with Faroese society and how activists’ strategies shape the local conversation about the grindadráp. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in the Faroe Islands in 2025: semi-structured interviews (guided conversations following a loose set of questions) and participant observation, including time with Sea Shepherd volunteers. The analysis uses two lenses. Actor-Network Theory views people, organizations, media, and technologies as connected parts of a network that jointly influence outcomes. Postcolonial theory helps highlight power dynamics and sensitivities in encounters between a small North Atlantic community and foreign critics. The findings show that confrontational campaigns have made the issue globally visible but have also triggered defensive reactions within Faroese society. In response, some activists have shifted toward dialogue-oriented approaches that aim to support internal debate. Efforts to build locally rooted opposition remain difficult because criticism of the grindadráp is often interpreted through broader tensions between Faroese communities and foreign activists. The thesis concludes that lasting change is unlikely to come from external pressure alone; it would more likely depend on respected Faroese actors emerging to initiate and sustain debate from within.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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