Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INREPOSA (Indigenous Research, Institutionalisation and Neo-Politicisation: A Conjunctural Analysis of Sami Research in Finland)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2019-05-15 al 2021-05-14
INREPOSA is an interdisciplinary research project which draws on Indigenous and Cultural Studies and settler colonial theory to examine the new ways in which research, politics and public debate entwine in the context of research relating to the Indigenous Sámi. Its founding hypothesis is that over the past decades, academic knowledge production on the Sámi has been affected by two parallel, yet different, processes: institutionalisation and neopoliticisation. Institutionalisation refers to ongoing efforts - both state-led, and local - to strengthen knowledge on Sámi culture and society, for instance through the establishment of study and funding programs linked to Arctic and Indigenous Sámi research, and through the promotion of “Indigenous perspectives” within the academia more broadly. Although such efforts reflect the success of Indigenous and Sámi revitalization, they are also connected to the states’ growing need for research-based knowledge that could be used as a basis for sustainable decision making, in the context of the increasingly explosive Arctic region, climate change, and the rise of Indigenous rights. Thus, neo-politicisation acknowledges that along with the institutionalization of Sámi research, also the range of hopes, desires and economic, political and cultural interests that are projected on such knowledge and on the Sámi have radically multiplied. This is the case especially in Finland, where new political struggles over Sámi identity have turned Sámi research into a key site where matters relating to Sámi rights and self-determination are fought over.
INREPOSA’s main research objectives are to build a better understanding of (a) how this conjuncture of institutionalization and neo-politicisation has affected the production of knowledge on the Sámi; (b) what are its implications for research-based policy, political decision-making and public debate relating to the Sámi; and (c) what are the new challenges that Sámi research as a discipline committed to Indigenous decolonization and self-determination is facing in the present conjuncture. The project is grounded in conjunctural approach developed by Stuart Hall, who examined how complex social forces and trajectories come together in particular moments, transfiguring the political terrain, and used such analysis for the purposes of political struggle. The project employs this approach in an Indigenous context, to study the political terrain of Indigenous Sámi research and the impact of research on public debate and state policies in the context of Sámi rights in Finland. In addition, the project’s aim is to test the relevance of Settler Colonial Theory for understanding the Finnish state’s policies in the Sámi region.
INREPOSA’s main research objectives are to build a better understanding of (a) how this conjuncture of institutionalization and neo-politicisation has affected the production of knowledge on the Sámi; (b) what are its implications for research-based policy, political decision-making and public debate relating to the Sámi; and (c) what are the new challenges that Sámi research as a discipline committed to Indigenous decolonization and self-determination is facing in the present conjuncture. The project is grounded in conjunctural approach developed by Stuart Hall, who examined how complex social forces and trajectories come together in particular moments, transfiguring the political terrain, and used such analysis for the purposes of political struggle. The project employs this approach in an Indigenous context, to study the political terrain of Indigenous Sámi research and the impact of research on public debate and state policies in the context of Sámi rights in Finland. In addition, the project’s aim is to test the relevance of Settler Colonial Theory for understanding the Finnish state’s policies in the Sámi region.
The research task was divided in two main parts. The aim of Part I was to examine how the relationship between politics and Sami research has transformed over different periods from the 1970s until the early 2000s, in tandem with broader societal and political changes, and alongside with the development of Sami institutions and self-government. This part’s focus was especially on the research questions 1 and 4. Part II focused on the present era, through empirical case studies which examine the politics of Sámi research and its impact on public debate and state policies, focusing on conflicts which center on Sami identity and collective self-determination, Sámi land rights, and extractive resource development in Northern Finland.
The research shows how, since the early 2000s and especially during the 2010s, Sámi research has become a central arena where a number of conflicts over Sámi identity, voice, political representation and self-determination are actively fought over. In addition, it shows how especially research which has sought to problematize Sámi identity and raise questions about “who is Sámi” in the center of political and public discussion, has proved strikingly efficient in affecting political decision-making and actual state policies in Finland. Instead of promoting sustainability, selective reliance on such has, however, promoted ultimately unsustainable policies as the UN Human Rights Committee’s decisions in regard to the Tiina Sanila-Aikio vs. Finland case demonstrate. As such, INREPOSA problematizes the idea that academic knowledge could be used as a value-free, neutral basis for sustainable policy making, devoid of political baggage. Instead, it points towards the continued need to bring attention to, and create awareness, of the political and social contexts of knowledge production, also in the context of research which identifies itself as Indigenous Sámi research that is dedicated to Sámi decolonization and self-determination. In terms of the discipline of Sámi research, the case problematizes the continued viability of defining Sámi research ethico-politically, as “research which proceeds from a Sámi perspective, or takes it to account”.
INREPOSA’s main publication results include one co-authored book chapter, three single-authored book chapters and one single-authored journal article. In addition, the research has been disseminated through participation in 10 international conferences, two keynote lectures and various other presentations in academic seminars and workshops.
The research shows how, since the early 2000s and especially during the 2010s, Sámi research has become a central arena where a number of conflicts over Sámi identity, voice, political representation and self-determination are actively fought over. In addition, it shows how especially research which has sought to problematize Sámi identity and raise questions about “who is Sámi” in the center of political and public discussion, has proved strikingly efficient in affecting political decision-making and actual state policies in Finland. Instead of promoting sustainability, selective reliance on such has, however, promoted ultimately unsustainable policies as the UN Human Rights Committee’s decisions in regard to the Tiina Sanila-Aikio vs. Finland case demonstrate. As such, INREPOSA problematizes the idea that academic knowledge could be used as a value-free, neutral basis for sustainable policy making, devoid of political baggage. Instead, it points towards the continued need to bring attention to, and create awareness, of the political and social contexts of knowledge production, also in the context of research which identifies itself as Indigenous Sámi research that is dedicated to Sámi decolonization and self-determination. In terms of the discipline of Sámi research, the case problematizes the continued viability of defining Sámi research ethico-politically, as “research which proceeds from a Sámi perspective, or takes it to account”.
INREPOSA’s main publication results include one co-authored book chapter, three single-authored book chapters and one single-authored journal article. In addition, the research has been disseminated through participation in 10 international conferences, two keynote lectures and various other presentations in academic seminars and workshops.
In addition to the project’s original research objectives, INREPOSA has opened the topic of its inquiry for new scientific debates and lines of inquiry that go beyond the state of art. In particular, it has built connections between the debates concerning Sámi identity in Finland, and critical research literatures on self-indigenization that have emerged in the US and Canada over the past decade in relation to new struggles over Indigenous and native identity that resemble strikingly those analyzed by INREPOSA in Finland. In addition to introducing new concepts and theoretical frameworks that are highly relevant for the public and scientific debated in Finland, the project has contributed significantly to the transnationalization of this broader field of research which so far has focused almost exclusively on North America.
The project has created a better understanding of the complex relationships between politics, research, public debate and state policy, and how these are articulated especially in the context of Indigenous Sámi research in Finland. In addition, it has opened new spaces for international comparison between struggles over Sámi identity in Finland and in other settler colonial locations.
The project has created a better understanding of the complex relationships between politics, research, public debate and state policy, and how these are articulated especially in the context of Indigenous Sámi research in Finland. In addition, it has opened new spaces for international comparison between struggles over Sámi identity in Finland and in other settler colonial locations.