From “Home” to “Second Home”: Emotional Dilemmas on Norwegian Smallholdings

Abstract

This paper examines emotional dilemmas occurring when Norwegian smallholdings are converted from permanent to second homes. These are properties that might have been in the family for generations as permanent homes, and which successors often feel obliged to take over and maintain by having them as second homes. Second homes are usually associated with “leisure and pleasure”, a retreat to “recharge the batteries”. However, this paper argues that having a smallholding which used to be your permanent home as a second home might involve emotional dilemmas, and it discusses relations between on the one hand, aspects of idyll and comfort and on the other hand, aspects of duty and responsibility. Further, the paper examines how emotional and social property relations influence how smallholdings as second homes become enacted.

Key Words:

• Second homes
• property enactment
• emotions
• smallholdings
• Norway

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank all participants in the study for taking the time to be interviewed. I am indebted to Gunhild Setten, Wendy Fjellstad and Kari Rueslåtten for valuable comments and fruitful discussions during the process of writing this article. I also thank Sharon Phillip (Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen, UK) for linguistic editing as well as suggestions on how to clarify the arguments. The article is the result of an ongoing PhD project supported by the Research Council of Norway.

Notes

1. Legal arrangements related to smallholdings, also as regards using them as second homes, are more thoroughly discussed in Flemsæter & Setten (2009) and Flemsæter (2009).

2. Numbers refer to farms applying for agricultural support.