The Sami indigenous peoples in Northern Scandinavia face ongoing pressures to maintain their traditional way of life. Today, scholars of resilience and sustainability studies have looked towards indigenous tourism to deliver income diversity and cultural preservation. However, to date, this realization has been slow. Thus, the landmark ruling on the 23rd of January 2020 whereby one Sami community, the Girjas Sameby, was awarded the exclusive rights to administer hunting and fishing licenses against the Swedish State, could present a new opportunity to achieve these goals. Against this backdrop, a mixed-methods case study was conducted within their district to investigate if this verdict translated into opportunities for sustainable tourism development. Particularly as this case sets a legal precedent, many other Sami communities are expected to follow. Twenty-four respondents from three stakeholder groups, namely the Sami, tourism entrepreneurs and tourists, highlighted challenges for sustainable tourism development due to the new exclusionary rules instituted by the Sami and still weak sustainable travel trends in the region. The data emphasizes strained relationships between stakeholders and notes an increase in conflicts subsequent to the verdict. Arguably, the most significant opportunity presents itself not in the growth of tourism but rather in the preservation of nature and the now unavoidable convergence stakeholders are forced into, which, until recently, has been limited. Presenting the prospects for building collaborative relationships, which ultimately can help break down age-old stigmas as mutual trust and respect are developed.

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.

The subject of this report was to investigate how the Sami people are portrayed in the history subject in the Swedish upper secondary school. The aim was to analyse if the image portrayed was a contributor to a generalization of the heterogeneous groups of the Sami people. This study was conducted through qualitative methods where I interviewed eight teachers. The most common courses were History 1a1 and History 1b, but other advanced courses as History 2b were also represented. The theoretical framework of this study was based upon curriculum theory to analyse why, and how the teachers choose the specific content in their teaching. The result of the study confirms earlier work that shows how the Sami people are marginalized and exemplified by both the textbooks and the teachers. Furthermore this study shows that the teachers choose conflicts that happen in the present to relate their teaching so the students can relate to the content easier. When the teachers mention the Sami people it is mostly the reindeer herding ones because the conflicts regarding the rights to land and hunting are the most publicly noticed. The Sami that are not involved with reindeer herding are therefore even more marginalized because of the lack of knowledge the teachers possess. It is hard for the teachers to teach about the Sami when the curricula do not explicitly mention the Sami, in correlation to the fact that most of the teachers do not have any education about the subject. This study shows that education is necessary for the teachers if the history of the Sami people would become more present in the teaching.

Background: Within capitalistic economies the notion persists that only the most efficient and profit-maximizing companies and industries, that withstand the market mechanisms, should sustain. However, market mechanisms currently do not sufficiently consider non-monetary value creation such as social and environmental contributions. Thus, the notion of “survival of the fittest” drives industries that deliver social and environmental contributions, but are not as profitable, into extinction. One such industry whose viability is currently challenged is the indigenous Sami reindeer industry in Fennoscandia. Reindeer herding carries great social, cultural, and environmental value beyond economic terms. It is an essential part of Sami culture and does not only provide income but preserves traditional knowledge, practices, and identity. The reindeer industry, however, exists under pressure-like conditions and is facing multiple social, economic and environmental challenges. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the interrelations that constitute the struggle faced by the Swedish reindeer industry in which its viability is challenged. Method: This study is a grounded theory case study of the reindeer industry in Sweden. Following a qualitative theory building approach, key stakeholders were interviewed as part of fieldwork in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Through data analysis a theory was developed which is mapping out the struggle of the reindeer industry in its context. Conclusion: The study highlights the struggle of the Swedish reindeer industry from an inside-out perspective. The theoretical contribution is in the form of a process map which shows the interrelations and context of the struggle. Three conditions affecting the struggle were identified (missing value recognition, power asymmetry, and clashing cultures and values) whereas needs, challenges and adaptation strategies and the interrelations between them constitute the struggle. Overall, for the reindeer industry to be viable long-term, the political and economic systems need to recognize and respect the real value it is creating. / Bakgrund: I kapitalistiska ekonomier finns det en föreställning om att endast de mest effektiva och vinstmaximerande företagen och branscherna, som klarar marknadsmekanismerna, bör bestå. Marknadsmekanismerna tar dock för närvarande inte tillräcklig hänsyn till icke-monetärt värdeskapande, t.ex. skapande av sociala och miljömässiga värden. Därför driver begreppet "den starkaste överlever" industrier som ger sociala och miljömässiga bidrag, men som inte är lika lönsamma, till utrotning. En sådan industri vars livskraft för närvarande ifrågasätts är den inhemska samiska rennäringen i Fennoskandia. Renskötseln har ett stort socialt, kulturellt och miljömässigt värde som går utöver de ekonomiska aspekterna. Den är en viktig del av den samiska kulturen och ger inte bara inkomster utan bevarar också traditionell kunskap, praxis och identitet. Renskötseln lever dock under pressade förhållanden och står inför flera sociala, ekonomiska och miljömässiga utmaningar. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till förståelsen av de samband som utgör den kamp som den svenska rennäringen står inför, där dess genomförbarhet utmanas. Metod: Denna studie är en fallstudie med grundad teori om rennäringen i Sverige. Efter en kvalitativ teoribildning intervjuades nyckelaktörer som en del av fältarbetet i Norrbottens län i Sverige. Genom dataanalys utvecklades en teori som kartlägger rennäringens kamp i sitt sammanhang. Slutsats: Studien belyser den svenska rennäringens kamp ur ett inifrån-och-ut perspektiv. Det teoretiska bidraget är i form av en processkarta som visar på kampens inbördes relationer och sammanhang. Tre villkor som påverkar kampen har identifierats (bristande erkännande av värden, maktasymmetri och kolliderande kulturer och värderingar) medan behov, utmaningar och anpassningsstrategier och deras inbördes relationer utgör kampen. För att rennäringen ska vara långsiktigt livskraftig måste de politiska och ekonomiska systemen erkänna och respektera det verkliga värde som den skapar.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate two different cases of reburial of Sámi human remains in Sweden, these being the reburial of Soejvengeele “the shadow man” in Tärnaby 2002, whose grave was excavated in 1950 by ethnologist Ernst Manker. The second case consist of the reburial in Lycksele 2019 of human remains of about 25 individuals which were excavated in 1950-51 by Västerbottens museum under the guidance of Karl Cajmatz. The essay aims to recognize the differences and similarities in how the cases have been handled by the authorities, museums and organisations involved. Another aim of this paper is to navigate the discourse regarding questions of ethical research of indigenous human remains, and what role archaeology has played in the historical context of power imbalance between the Sámi indigenous society and the Swedish State.

The North of Sweden is undergoing what’s called a green revolution, where new exploitations arehappening in the name of green development and growth and within the frame of eco-modernism. Thisrevolution is viewed as the solution to many of our problems, one being the climate change, another beingthe de-population of many towns in the North, such as Gällivare. Because of the dominating narrative andthe continued trend of (green) growth, demand on natural resources are increasing, leading to more andmore exploitations. What’s really happening in the North is a green colonization, where we can see greatsimilarities with the industrialization of the last turn of century, when the north was talked about in termsof the land of the future, today “The New North”. This thesis aims to investigate how the current greendevelopment effects the specific site in terms of land use, exploitations, conflicts and the impact on theIndigenous activity of reindeer herding. The project is situated in Gällivare, Norrbotten, Sweden, a townthat is currently undergoing bigger transformations, largely due to the continued mining activity ofGällivare’s two mines. The continuation means demolishment or moving of houses and people, as well asexpansions claiming larger areas of the Sami Community’s land. The project has a main focus on the conflict between the mining industry and the reindeer industry, butalso take into consideration other types of exploitations, such as forest industry, wind power, urbansettlements and so on. The project challenges the dominating narrative, stating that the current status quoof development in the North might not be sustainable or just. Therefore, it also put forward two alternativefuture scenarios, one where Gällivare would be locally self-sufficient and the mining would have stopped,and the other being an automatization of the economic and domestic life, where the mining wouldcontinue. The purpose is to provide a basis for discussion and to explore how other narratives or framesfor development – not growth – would impact the site.

The demand for natural resources is increasing, leading to more exploitations in northern Sweden. This project is situated in the region of Norrbotten, which is currently undergoing significant transformations due to continued mining activity, energy production, and forestry. These activities are claiming, destroying, and disrupting large areas of land. In addition, little of the resources produced from these activities benefit the communities. Sami people were nomads, moving to different hunting, fishing, and reindeer land. However, the Sami community has had southern models imposed upon them, which has affected the loss of Sami knowledge and culture. This project challenges the dominant narrative of ‘green development’, stating that the exploitations are not sustainable or just. Through the lens of sustainability, the project understands the practices of Sami culture and the value of local ecologies in the region to derive solutions. By building on nomadic practice and utilizing the land like the Sami community, this project generates resilient, productive landscapes. This project puts forward an alternative future scenario, one where Sweden is based on a distributed, decentralized structure. This thesis aims to provide strategies for a more self-sufficient, interdependent region where the connection between local communities and local ecologies is re-established.

Background: Existing research overemphasizes issues of substance use and suicide in Indigenous populations, failing to address the key factors influencing Indigenous child mental health and well-being within the household. This study seeks to examine the impacts of parental locus of control (PLOC) on child mental health and well-being among Sami and non-Sami children in Norway. Methodology: Analyses of data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study were conducted in three phases: 1) a cross-tabulation analysis examining the differences in PLOC between Sami and non-Sami parents, with a consideration for the child’s sex assigned at birth; 2) a multiple linear regression investigating how demographic, psychosocial, and cultural factors influence PLOC; and 3) a multiple linear regression assessing how PLOC affects mental health and well-being among Sami and non-Sami children in Norway, with a consideration for the child’s cultural context and sex assigned at birth. Results: Although both groups leaned more towards internal PLOC overall, Sami mothers remained closer to external PLOC than non-Sami mothers. One of four items measuring maternal depression and three of four items measuring maternal self-esteem were statistically significant predictors of PLOC. PLOC was found to be a statistically significant indicator of children’s emotionality at 3 and 5 years, and sociability at 3 years. Children’s sex assigned at birth was a statistically significant predictor of shyness at 3 years, with boys experiencing higher levels of shyness than girls. Conclusion: Cultural distinctions, sex and gender, and maternal self-esteem play a crucial role in the child-rearing approaches employed and their effectiveness in promoting children’s social and emotional development in Norway. Research examining the association between maternal mental health and child-rearing approaches, as well as the impacts of PLOC on other aspects of children’s mental health and well-being, is necessary to inform mental health and social supports for Sami communities. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This essay is a qualitative interview study with Sami craftspeople. The purpose of the study is to outline and analyse how my informants, being active Sami crafts people, relate to tradition, and tradition in a contemporary society. The analysis is carried out by examining the empirical material against the theoretical concept tradition, constructed by Michael L. Satlow. The methodological understanding of the material builds on discourse analysis; therefore, the analysed material is subsequently interpreted using the theoretical term articulation or articulative practices following discourse analysis by Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau. The analysis concludes that Sami craft making is a religious tradition, and further shows that certain traditional narratives are articulated in order to assert the stability of the tradition, in a contemporary and digital society.

The first part of this study examines how Sámi as a social construction was shaped by the outside world from 98 CE to the mid-19th century. Ancient texts, medieval letters and literature that indicate change in discourse are used as primary sources in a historico-critical analysis. The sources are discussed with the help of secondary literature based on a constructionist approach, where language and discourse are at the core of shaping our objective reality and knowledge. The analysis of the historical sources helps us to understand our philosophical a priori, the unconscious imprint that is our worldview, our conceptual world, our boundaries, and our colonial heritage. The second part of the study analyses how the construction appears in the contemporary issue of the repatriation of Sámi remains in Swedish news articles between 1999 and 2022. The approach used in the second part is critical discourse analysis, a desktop method suitable for studying existing texts from the outside without disturbing the indigenous population. The contemporary article texts can be used to highlight the discourse and its intertextuality with the earliest writings on the Sámi. Together they can illustrate the hidden oppression of the Sámi.