Roboten och lien Gräsmattan mellan natur och kultur i tre svenska trädgårds- och naturtidskrifter 1993–2023

Abstract

To highlight the complexity of increasing environmental pressures, this thesis investigates lawns as an intersection between nature and culture. The analysis explores the discourse of Swedish private lawns, examining how it is both sustained and challenged over time. To capture a broad perspective, the study draws on material from three gardening and nature focused periodicals spanning over the years 1993 to 2023. The thesis employs both an ecocritical perspective and a discourse-theoretical framework, with particular attention to human–nature relationships and social dynamics. At the centre of the discourse is a widely accepted ideal of the lawn as a strictly maintained, uniform order of grass, essentially a monoculture. This ideal is upheld through intensive maintenance practices. The discourse is shaped by a complex patchwork of social dynamics, commercial influences, ecological and technological developments. Social dynamics, particularly issues of identity and normalization, play a crucial role. The widely accepted lawn ideal is rooted in historical perspectives of nature as something to be controlled and ordered. Altogether, these elements constitute a deeply entrenched discourse that impacts ecosystems, especially considering that lawns cover a substantial portion of urban areas. While the ideal of the lawn has remained largely stable, the methods used to achieve it have evolved, a shift that can be characterized as ecomodernism. Since the 2010s, two parallel trends have emerged: one moves toward a perfectly manicured lawn maintained by robotic lawn mowers, while the other embraces a more natural, meadow-like aesthetic. Both rely on managed grass but reflect differing ideals of nature.