A local documentary book I live in a small village in Dalarna, a beautiful and historically rich part of Sweden. Together with two other villagers I have compiled a documentary book about our village. Some of the events that I have been told, or have found in writing, have been very different from the offical written history. Whether the troubles came from meagre soil or repressive authorities, these villagers have formed a culture of sharing resources and dealing with decisions from above.

More to read about the book is found in the presentation paper Joint Action in Local history, available for downloading on this site [link].

In a world with an increasing awareness of limits of our shared resources, we might benefit from experiences from ancestors. They dealt with difficult conditions and limited means in creative ways.

In our collaborative work we often try to find a more relational and more creative language than the modern professional discourses. The language in the village had lots of expressions for sharing resources as well as songs about longing, when loved ones were away in the forest or traveling for work.

Hopstadius, K., Trudevall, B. & Östberg Letell, B. (2011).
Heden och dammarna: människor och händelser i en Leksandsby. Heden: Hedens byförening. (The heath and the ponds: People and events in a Leksand village)

A family in the village in 1893.
The young couple in the back of the picture are my grandparents.