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October 27, 2003
Seattle, Washington, USA

Adjustment to Reality- Cases of Detached, Dependent, and Sustained Community Development in Greenland

Daniela Tommasini¹, Rasmus O. Rasmussen^2
1NORS -North Atlantic Regional Studies, Roskilde University- Denmark, P.O.Box 260 DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, Via Missiano 28 (private), San Paolo /BZ, I-39050, Italy, Phone 39-348-451-1208, Fax 39-047-125-7822, dtommasini@iol.it
²NORS- North Atlantic Regional Studies, Roskilde University- Denmark, P.O. Box 260 DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark, Phone 454-674-2137, Fax 454-674-3031, rasmus@ruc.dk

Greenland has experienced three major socio-economic shifts during the 20th century, all of them induced by the interactions between the natural system of climate change, and the socio-economic and socio-technical system of resource exploitation.

The first was the shift from a sea mammal based economy to fisheries during the 1910-20’s, and this was due to a marked increase in sea temperature, resulting in a decrease in the sea mammal stock, combined with a dwindling world market for blubber and sealskin. The cod became the dominating species, but the fisheries were characterized by a diverse use of locally available resources. The second was the shift from cod fisheries to a mono economy based on shrimp fisheries during the 1980’s due to a reduction in sea temperature, eliminating the spawning possibilities of the cod stock, and giving way for a massive expansion of the shrimp fisheries, especially facilitated by a shift from inshore to offshore fisheries. And the third is the ongoing shift towards a more diversified focus of fisheries, with shrimp as the backbone of the economy, but with Greenland Halibut offering substantial contributions in the Northern Regions.

Even the pattern of changes in resource base has been more or less similar all over Greenland, the socio-economic changes have been remarkable varied, and the poster illustrates three characteristic patterns. Sisimiut, presently the second largest settlement in Greenland, has been characterized by its ability to adjust positively to the changes, showing initiative, innovativeness, and adequate social capital. The community shows all signs of self-sustaining dynamic.

Paamiut, on the other hand, was able to adjust to the first transformation process to fisheries, and was chosen by the authorities as a model for the modernized industrial processing of renewable resources. With the changes in Resources the highly centralized decision structures were not able to adjust to the changes, eventually leading to a decay of as well as economy as society. The case illustrates a typical example of a dependent development dynamics.

Tasiilaq, and East Greenland in general, shows a third approach to respond to changes. Several attempts have been made from the authorities to involve the community in the development process, but generally without any enduring success, partly due to some differences in resource characteristics between the East and West Coast of Greenland, and partly due to the long duration of semi-colonial relationships both to Denmark and to the West Greenland. This case illustrates the characteristics of a detached development dynamics.

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