Indigenous Research, Institutionalisation and Neo-Politicisation: A Conjunctural Analysis of Sami Research in Finland

ended

"INREPOSA combines Cultural and Indigenous studies to study the shifting terrains of research relating to the Sami in Finland. Western scientific interest on the Sámi - the Indigenous People in Northern Europe - has a long and rich (colonial) history, but the emergence of ""Sámi research"" as an academic field of its own is usually associated with Sámi demands for Indigenous and academic decolonisation. To date, this field has become highly institutionalised across the Nordic states, but at the same time also the hopes, desires and political, economic and cultural interests that are projected on it have been multiplied, in tandem with the Arctic region's growing importance in the eyes of European states, and due to the general revival of Indigenous cultures and identities. The project aims to examine how this conjuncture of institutionalisation and neo-politicisation is shaping the relationships between Sami politics, research and the state, and what are its consequences for research-based policy-making, as well as for Sami research as a critical discipline committed to Indigenous decolonisation. The project is grounded on conjunctural analysis associated with the work of Stuart Hall. In addition, it will test the relevance of Settler Colonial Theory for understanding the Finnish state's policies in the Sami region. The research materials include relevant literatures and research texts, policy documents and statements issued by the Finnish government, Sami political institutions and organisation and other stake-holders, and other textual materials. This material is analysed interpretatively using critical discourse analysis and ethnographic methods. The project is conducted as part of the international research group ""Social Dimensions of Sami Research"" at the Tromso University Museum, and its main publication outcome is a single-authored original research monograph."