According to 2§ of the Swedish Library Act, libraries shall work towards the development of a democratic society by spreading knowledge and providing people with the possibility to form their own opinions (SFS, 2013:801). It’s a natural consequence that Sweden’s national minorities are not provided with the same amount of services as the majority community, however the extent of how much space the minorities ought to be given in public libraries is a relatively unexplored research topic. This thesis uses a normative and argumentative structure to argue that public libraries ought to be prioritized more in the promotion of language and cultural rights for the Sami minority in Sweden. All of the Sami languages are defined as endangered according to the UN organization UNESCO, which makes the promotion of them a relatively urgent issue if the languages are wished to be preserved. The theoretical framework consists of Will Kymlicka’s arguments about equality and cultural diversity as a justification for group-specific rights, as well as David’s Crystal’s discussion on how to efficiently avoid language death. The arguments focus both on the linguistic and cultural benefits of an increased promotion of Sami related services in public libraries. It also highlights, and tries to tackle, potential issues such as the experienced lack of published Sami literature in Sweden.

Abstract This essay will be interested in what the sami minority experience of swedish majority society can look like. In short, the purpose is to contribute to an increased understanding of sami life as representatives of a minority in a swedish majority society. The primary material that will be used is the film Sameblod (2016) which deals with identity creation, what it can mean to hide or renegotiate one´s identity and also issues concerning reconciliation on various levels. I will identify and make visible different perspectives on life, as they are portrayed in the film. In order to make visible different perspectives on life, its possible problems and how these can be interpreted, analytical questions will be asked of the material. The survey will then address these analytical questions based on different thematic divisions, identity, world-views, sami minority in the encounter with majority society and reconciliation. In summary, the analysis shows some particularly prominent perspectives on life. The first is a sami minority perspective and the second perspective is from a swedish majority society perspective. A third perspective shows a person as a bearer of both a sami perspective and a swedish majority society perspective, which shows how a person´s identity can be shaped and renegotiated through life. Relational problems of various kinds appear in the film. Both on an individual level, on an interpersonal level and in the relationship between the sami minority and swedish majority society. Key words: Sameblod, worldviews, identity, sami minority in relation to swedish majority, reconciliation.