Fields of interaction and implication systems: Læstadianism and social change in the north of Norway

Abstract

Laetadianism—the religious revival as it appeared in Northern Norway in the second half of the last century—is analyzed as a form of symbolic opposition (Schwimmer 1972) from the Sami and the Kvens against the Norwegian policy of cultural and economic integration. The expansion of Norwegian administration and economy from the middle of the 19th century, established new status‐sets and fields of interaction within agriculture, school‐system and health service. Events and interaction within each of these fields created circumstances for what took place in the actor's other relationship and this dynamic is thus analysed as implication systems (Grenhaug 1978). All interaction with Norwegian society was built upon Norwegian statuses and values and the Sami and Kvens established a new definition of the situation by reversing the Norwegian standards through the medium of Christianity. Their material poverty was converted into spiritual wealth and thus a different inter‐ethnic context of interaction surfaced. This...