Discursive dispossession in the green transition: News media narratives on the wind-turbines on Fovsen, Norwegian Saepmie

This article examines how Norwegian and Saami news media reported on the wind-turbine development on Fovsen from 2006 to 2023. Drawing on discourse theory, the analysis identifies four dominant narratives: economic incentives for municipalities, an ‘impending’ energy crisis and the green transition, impacts on nature and outdoor recreation, and impacts on Saami reindeer husbandry. Based on empirical material from local, regional, national and Saami news, the study demonstrates how narratives operate individually and relationally to justify, contest and negotiate the wind-turbines. The dominant narratives mobilize claims of urgency, necessity, and national interest to position wind power as a ‘crystallized’ solution to climate change and energy security in Norway. The counter narratives focus on alternative energy sources and rights-based critiques, exposing the limits to mitigation efforts and compensations proposed to Saami reindeer herders. By conceptualizing discursive dispossession, the article shows how media narratives shape the subordination of Saami livelihoods to the imperatives of the green transition. The study contributes to social science research on renewable energy development, highlighting the constitutive role of news media narratives and how renewable energy conflicts are articulated, negotiated, justified, and contested in Saepmie.