| dc.description.abstract | Norway is scattered with regional stereotypes, but few are as widely recognized among their compatriots as sunnmøringen. This is the case both in present time, and in years gone by. For this text the focus has been on the interwar period, and I have looked to newspapers to see how sunnmøringen is represented. So who is this stereotypical character from the coastal
region of Sunnmøre? He is many things, but a few main traits stand out: The capitalist plays a big part; sunnmøringen is hardworking, full of innovation and initiative. But this those does not mean that he is the sort of flamboyant nuevo-rich who is eager to showcase the wealth he has made, on the contrary; On of the defining characteristics of sunnmøringen is how cheap he is, the money he makes goes straight to the bank. Where does this sternness stem from? From religion, from Christianity – one with close ties to Weber’s understanding of capitalism. I have looked at these different traits and tried to link them with the economy and culture in Sunnmøre in, and before, the interwar period to try and explain how this stereotype has come to be, what consequences it has had and how journalists interacted with it. What I found is that sunnmøringen fits into a larger difference between north and west in Norway, but that the west (where sunnmøringen belongs) is largely heterogenous. Here I discuss difference in as diverse field as type of fish present, geography and religious awakenings to unfold how the stereotypical idea of sunnmøringen came to be, and existed in the interwar period. | nb_NO |
