Toward a green transition: a post- and decolonial analysis of the green state of Sweden

This chapter is a post/decolonial analysis of the racial underpinnings of the Swedish state’s relationship to nature seen through the lens of its ongoing attempts at bringing about a green transition. The chapter builds on work that brings to light how notions of the “other” play a central role in the relationships that govern policymaking and everyday environmental governance today. Belief in being at the forefront of environmental efforts has been central to Sweden’s self-image as a nation, an image that is emphasized and mobilized in the political discourse that frames the green transition. In practice on the ground, the green transition has been reduced to the development of infrastructure and technologies that will ensure a zero-carbon emission future. The chapter shows how colonial thinking continues to shape domestic environmental politics and democracy in Sweden and is used to territorialize indigenous lands in northern Sweden.