Abstract This ethnological bachelor level essay investigates how suicide is looked upon amongst the Sámi people (in Sweden) from cultural perspectives. The subject is studied by interviewing ten respondents who have experienced suicide in their closeness, mainly within their family at some point between 1980- 2020. Most respondents and all their deceased relatives are of Sámi origin.  The study found that suicide has occurred amongst people with vastly different living conditions, all over the Swedish parts of Sápmi. The deceased consists of 7 men and 3 women, ages 20 – 60. The study analysis focuses upon how the respondents explain their relative’s mental ill-health and suicide, because from an ethnologic perspective a lot of knowledge about the cultural understanding of suicide can be found within their model of explanation.  The results of the study show that the respondents first explanation on the direct question vary widely, it can be mental illness, alcoholism as well as a fragile persona. But by analysing the explanation in it´s cultural context a more complex picture evolves, where their shared experiences as Sámi occur. The study found potential reasons for mental ill-health amongst the Sami such as different postcolonial scars that still today occur in many contexts, ethnic discrimination as well as other difficulties as a minority population. The main issue why Sámi who experience mental ill-health do not seek professional help nor help from within their own group is explained by a tradition of silence within the Sámi culture.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att klargöra om den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker är förenlig med egendomsskyddet i artikel 1 första tilläggsprotokollet Europakonventionen. För att uppfylla det syftet utreds hur den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker ser ut, hur egendomsskyddet i Europakonventionen är utformat och slutligen om den svenska regleringen är förenlig med egendomsskyddet. Eftersom Europakonventionen är ett folkrättsligt traktat som dessutom har till syfte att skydda mänskliga rättigheter påverkas tolkningen av konventionen dels av folkrättsliga regler om traktatstolkning, men också av andra folkrättsliga instrument som exempelvis rör skydd för mänskliga rättigheter. Samerna är ett urfolk, och det finns folkrättsliga regler som skyddar urfolks markrättigheter. För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte utreds därför frågorna hur Europakonventionen påverkas av folkrätten, samt vilket skydd urfolk har för sina markrättigheter enligt folkrätten. Utredningen av den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker visar att det är mycket svårt och kostsamt för samerna att i domstol styrka att de har rätt till vinterbete. Detta leder till rättsförluster eftersom samerna inte har råd att gå i svaromål i tvister rörande sin rätt till vinterbete. De områden där samerna kan låta sina renar beta om vintern minskar på grund av detta, vilket påverkar rennäringen som är en viktig del av den samiska kulturen negativt. När de folkrättsliga reglerna för urfolks markrättigheter utreds visar det sig också att den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker inte ger samerna ett skydd vilket är lika starkt som vad som följer av den folkrättsliga standarden. Utredningen av de tolkningsregler som är tillämpliga vid tolkningen av Europakonventionen visar att de folkrättsliga reglerna om urfolks markrättigheter är högst relevanta för hur konventionen ska tolkas. När egendomsskyddet i artikel 1 första tilläggsprotokollet tolkas med beaktande av de folkrättsliga reglerna blir det tydligt att den svenska regleringen av samernas vinterbetesmarker inte är förenlig med Europakonventionen. / The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain whether the Swedish rules concerning Sami reindeer winter pastures is compatible with the right of property provided for in Article 1 of the First Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). To fulfill this purpose, the rules concerning Sami winter pastures and the right to property in the ECHR will be examined, and finally it will be ascertained whether the Swedish rules are in harmony with the right of property in the ECHR. Because the ECHR as a treaty is part of public international law, and since its purpose is to protect human rights its interpretation can be affected by both international rules for treaty interpretation as well as other international law instruments. The Sami, as an indigenous people, have certain land rights according to several different international instruments. To fulfill the purpose of this thesis in a satisfactory manner will therefore require an examination of how the ECHR is affected by other rules in public international law, as well as the protection international law offers for indigenous peoples’ land rights. When the Swedish rules concerning Sami land rights are examined, it becomes apparent that it is very difficult and costly for the Sami to prove their right to winter pastures in court. Because of this the Sami oftentimes are not able to afford the legal costs necessary for them to adequately protect their right to reindeer winter pastures. Consequently, the areas which can be used by the Sami for reindeer herding during winters are shrinking. This affects the traditional Sami occupation of reindeer husbandry, which is an important part of Sami culture negatively. The examination of indigenous land rights under international law shows that the Swedish rules are not up to par with international standards. The examination of how the ECHR should be interpreted makes it clear that indigenous rights under international law are relevant for the interpretation of the convention. Finally, when the right to property in the ECHR is examined with regard to international rules concerning indigenous land rights it is clear that the Swedish rules concerning Sami reindeer winter pastures are not compatible with the ECHR.

Introduction: Indigenous matters are viewed as a priority by the library profession around the world and the library law in Sweden states that the national minorities, which include the indigenous Sámi people, are a prioritised group. Despite these facts there is little research on indigenous matters in relation to libraries, library practice, and service. In Sweden especially, there is little focus on the colonial heritage and what effects, if any, it has on the library. Method: This essay aims to examine three areas. First, how libraries in Sweden work to promote and support the Sámi population in regards to culture, language, and identity. Second, what needs and wishes the Sámi population have in regards to library service. Lastly, whether or not the colonial heritage is visible in library practice and service and to what extent. The colonial heritage and its effects is a pervasive theme throughout the essay. To answer these questions three librarians from two different libraries and three Sámi informants were interviewed.  Analysis: Since the heritage from colonialism is a key theme it was natural to apply a postcolonial framework for the text analysis of the interview transcriptions.  Results: The findings show that the colonial heritage is still visible in library practice and service, although not deliberate from the profession. The two libraries in question are working to counteract the colonial heritage while promoting and supporting the Sámi population by providing books in the Sámi languages and making effort to give them a prominent place in the physical library room.  Conclusion: There is still a need for improvements in regards to giving the languages a prominent place in the libraries with for instance signage and shelf placement. As well as organising activities for and about the Sámi population, as pointed out from the Sámi informants. One solution may be to give the Sámi status as an indigenous people in the Swedish library law instead of merely status as a national minority. This could give libraries the economic resources they often lack and thus motivating them to prioritise and make extra efforts in their work to the Sámi population. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Abstract Elliott, E. 2022. Monsters versus Humans – A Comparative Study of the Storytelling about Sasquatch and Stallo This essay aims to get a deeper knowledge of how indigenous peoples have created discursive narratives to explain and understand the inexplicable occurrences in existence. The study has compared the discourses about Sasquatch and Stallo, figures from the lore of indigenous peoples in North America and northern Europe respectively, to see if and how they relate. By looking at traditional Sasquatch stories of Native American tribes in North America, and traditional Stallo stories of the Sami people in northern Europe, it has been possible to compare the contents of the storytelling to reveal both differences and similarities. Keywords: Sasquatch, Stallo, indigenous people, Native Americans, Sami, North America, Europe, ethnology, folklore / Abstrakt Elliott, E. 2022. Monster mot människor – En komparativ studie av berättandet om Sasquatch och Stalo Denna studie syftar till att få en djupare förståelse för hur ursprungsbefolkningar har skapat diskursiva narrativ för att förklara och förstå de oförklarliga inslagen i tillvaron. Studien har jämfört diskurserna om Sasquatch och Stalo, figurer från berättartraditioner hos ursprungsbefolkningar i Nordamerika respektive norra Europa, för att se om och hur de relaterar till varandra. Genom att se på traditionella berättelser om Sasquatch bland ursprungsbefolkningen i Nordamerika, och traditionella berättelser om Stalo bland samerna i norra Europa, är det möjligt att jämföra innehållet i berättandet för att finna både skillnader och likheter. Nyckelord: Sasquatch, Stalo, ursprungsbefolkning, ursprungsamerikaner, samer, Nordamerika, Europa, etnologi, folklore

The British Empire is often traced back to the late sixteenth century and Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation, but Tudor monarchs had been eyeing expansion beyond Britain long before Drake. John Cabot, commissioned by Henry VII in the late fifteenth century, became the first European to step foot in the Americas in five centuries. Half a century later, adventurers like Richard Chancellor and Sir Hugh Willoughby sought a possible Northeast Passage to Asia, interacting with the Sami and Russians along the way. These expeditions and others like them, funded by the English monarchy and merchants, aimed to expand the kingdom’s economic base and help England find its place in the world. Although the Northeast Passage and Northwest Passage were not successfully charted during the European Age of Exploration, these Tudor explorers contributed to geographic, social, and cultural knowledge and laid the foundation of the largest empire in world history.

Social services and violence in close relationship in a sami context A qualitative study of the social services opportunities to provide support to women exposed to violence in a sami culture in Sweden  Background: There is a lack of studies in Sweden that includes and describes violence against Sami women and how important the social worker's ambition is to create and maintain basic knowledge and efforts to support Sami women who’s exposed to domestic violence.  Aim: The aim of this study is to clarify how the social services in Sweden work for the Sami women to be able to get the help they need.  Methods: The study is based on four individual qualitative interviews with social workers from Norrbottens och Västerbottens län. For analysis intersectionality and postcolonial theory has been used.  Results: The results have shown us that there are both similarities and differences for social workers who’s involved with Sami women as clients. What all social services had in common was that they all had to seek cultural knowledge by themselves. What differd was the view of cultural relevance. Some of the social workers thought there should be more of importance to have cultural knowledge when working with Sami women who’s exposed to domestic violence, others had the opinion that the aim is to treat every client based on the guidelines that have been determined at the social service office and is directed to all abused women. / Socialtjänsten och våld i nära relation i en samisk kontext En kvalitativ studie om socialtjänstens möjligheter att ge stöd till våldsutsatta kvinnor inom samisk kultur i Sverige  Bakgrund: Det saknas studier i Sverige som inkluderar och beskriver våld mot samiska kvinnor och hur viktig socialsekreterarens ambition är för att skapa och upprätthålla grundläggande kunskaper och insatser för att stödja samiska kvinnor som är utsatta för våld i hemmet.  Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en förståelse hur socialarbetare i Sverige arbetar för att de samiska kvinnorna ska kunna få den hjälp de behöver.  Metod: Studien bygger på fyra individuella kvalitativa intervjuer med socialsekreterare från Norrbottens och Västerbottens län. För analys så har intersektionalitet och postkolonial teori använts.  Resultat: Resultaten har visat oss att det finns både likheter och skillnader för socialarbetare som är engagerade i samiska kvinnor som klienter. Gemensamt för alla socialtjänster var att de alla var tvungna att söka efter kulturell kunskap själva. Det som skilde sig var synen på relevans av kulturell kunskap i arbetet. En del av socialsekreterarna tyckte att det borde vara viktigare att ha kulturell kunskap när de arbetar med samiska kvinnor som är utsatta för våld i hemmet, andra menade att syftet är att behandla varje klient utifrån de riktlinjer som har fastställts på socialtjänsten och som riktas till alla våldsutsatta kvinnor.

In 2017, Sweden adopted a climate policy framework to meet zero emissions of greenhouse gases until the year 2045. In order for this to happen, Sweden must undergo a so-called green transition in which wind power could play a significant role. On the other hand, this development is not as indisputable as it seems, as it encounters resistance from other parties who share legitimate interests, for the land use, namely the Sami. This essay will therefore highlight the possible land use conflicts that may arise during the establishment of the wind turbines. The essay will be based on the collected empirical evidence that was done via interviews with the various parties, the wind power industry, and representatives from the reindeer herding Sami. This conflict over the land use can be restated as a wicked problem. That is, these two in a sense equally valid claims to the land use cannot easily be resolved as there exists no hierarchy of which claim is more important, or which claim is “right” which is also one of the main frameworks that will be analyzed in this essay together with potential environmental justice where this concept is discussed from three different perspectives. The results of this study show that the indigenous people feel that the menace from the wind farms not only threatens reindeer husbandry but also their culture and that these conflicts are due to too little consideration being given to it. Even though the Sami villages are compensated for the encroachments, the lost reindeer pastures are something they feel cannot be fully compensated. The conclusion refers that the main and alternatively the best solution to this insidious problem is to have an early dialogue with both parties and that a greater understanding needs to happen for the Sami to realize their importance. / Sverige antog 2017 ett klimatpolitiskt ramverk för att klara nollutsläpp av växthusgaser fram till år 2045. För att det ska ske måste Sverige genomgå en så kallad grön omställning där vindkraft kan spela en betydande roll. Dessutom är denna utveckling inte så obestridlig som den verkar, eftersom den möter motstånd från andra parter som delar legitima intressen, för markanvändningen, nämligen de renskötande samerna. Denna uppsats kommer belysa de möjliga markanvändningskonflikter som kan uppstå vid etableringen av vindkraftverken. Uppsatsen kommer att baseras på den insamlade empiri som gjorts via intervjuer med de olika parterna, vindkraftsindustrin och representanter från renskötande samer. Denna konflikt om markanvändningen kan återges som ett lömskt problem (wicked problem). Det vill säga att dessa två i en mening lika giltiga anspråk på markanvändningen kan inte lätt lösas eftersom det inte finns någon hierarki över vilket påstående som är viktigast, eller vilket påstående som är "rätt", vilket också är en av huvudramarna som kommer att analyseras i denna uppsats tillsammans med potentiell miljörättvisa där detta koncept diskuteras ur tre olika perspektiv. Resultaten av denna studie visar att urbefolkningen upplever att hotet från vindkraftsparkerna inte bara hotar rennäringen utan även deras kultur och att dessa konflikter beror på att det tas för lite hänsyn till det. Även om samebyarna kompenseras för intrången är de förlorade renbetesmarkerna något som de upplever inte kan kompenseras fullt ut. Slutsatsen visar att den främsta och alternativt bästa lösningen på detta lömska problem är att ha en tidig dialog med, och att en större förståelse behöver ske utifrån båda parter.

From “disguised and concealed” (Parks and Starosielski 2015) in nature to more recent, select attempts at “visible, accessible, environmentally friendly” (Holt and Vonderau 2015), data centers are the backbone of the digital infrastructure. Studies of data centers continuously help develop media and communications studies in understanding the role of media infrastructure, representations of imaginaries of the cloud; social, political and economic realities embedded in data, and issues of power, agency and resistance against the backdrop of increased global concerns for the environment and greening practices, built into the discourse of tech companies. This research provides an insight into data centers in S.pmi, in the Arctic and near-Arctic regions in Sweden, from the perspective of Indigenous S.mi communities. Data centers are examined here through their materialities and representations and as industrial sites of politics, power and promise through lived realities of the S.mi people in Sweden. As a result, data centers emerge not only as entities with built-in, inherent dependence on materialities and representations of land, water and air but also as contrapuntal nodes – assemblages perpetually at odds with their built-in power through time: their narratives –neutral connectedness and natural sustainability – at odds with their material infrastructure: detaching and uprooting from land.

Bakgrunden till denna studie är införandet av Lag (2022:66) om konsultation i frågor som rör det samiska folket som trädde i kraft 1 mars 2022 och som sedan 1 mars 2024 även omfattar regioner och kommer samt att Plan – och Bygglagen (2010:900) inte längre är undantagen. Lagen medför en skyldighet för kommuner att i planärenden konsultera samerna i frågor som är av särskild betydelse för dem. Studien har syftat till att undersöka vilka effekter denna lag har på detaljplaneprocessen genom att utföra en djupgående undersökning av lagens utformning, tilltänkt tillämpning samt effekter. Då lagen är så pass ny finns inga relevanta ärenden att analysera vilket resulterat i en undersökning av tillgänglig litteratur, förarbeten och lagtext tillsammans med kvalitativa intervjuer med aktörer som angås av lagen. Sedan har studien jämfört svaren och litteraturfynden med befintlig statistik om detaljplaneprocessen. Studiens resultat visar att lagen kommer tillämpas för kommuner inom renskötselområden i större utsträckning än de utanför samt att kommunerna tillsammans med de samiska företrädarna över tid kommer utkristallisera vilka ärendetyper som oftare är föremål för konsultation. Vidare fann studien att de två största riskerna med lagen är förlängda ledtider på grund av att det är svårt att nå samerna under renskötselintensiva perioder samt en osäkerhet kring graden av inflytande samerna kommer få. Lagen blir tandlös om de ska lägga ner stora resurser för att tackla det administrativa trycket utan att få genomslag för deras åsikter. / The background of this study is the implementation of Act (2022:66) on consultation on issues concerning the Sámi people which won legal force on March 1, 2022, and which, from March 1, 2024, also covers regions and includes the Planning and Building Act (2010:900). The law requires municipalities to consult with the Sami in planning matters that are of particular importance to them. The study aimed to investigate the effects this law will have on the detailed planning process by conducting an in-depth examination of the law's design, intended application, and effects. As the law is relatively new, there are no relevant cases to analyze, resulting in an investigation of available literature, preparatory works, and legal texts, along with qualitative interviews with both municipalities and Sami representatives affected by the law. The study then compared the responses and literature findings with existing statistics on the detailed planning process. The study's results show that the law will be applied to municipalities within reindeer herding areas to a greater extent than those outside and that the municipalities, together with the Sami representatives, will over time identify the types of cases that are more often subject to consultation. Furthermore, the study found that the two biggest risks associated with the law are extended lead times due to the difficulty in reaching the Sami during intensive reindeer herding periods and uncertainty regarding the degree of influence the Sami will have. The law becomes ineffective if the Sami are required to invest significant resources to address the administrative burden without having their opinions considered.

As the green transition gains importance, the demand for green technologies and rare earth elements (REE)has surged. The Nordic countries are overall well-supplied with minerals and metals, however, they have a ratherunique dilemma. Knowing that the majority of Swedish mines are situated on Sápmi, a relevant question is raised:How do we extract mineral resources to benefit the green transition, whilst respecting the land of Europe's onlyIndigenous group, the Sami people? Moreover, as the CSDDD framework emerges, yet another question is raised:How might CSDDD promote Sami influence in future mining-related decision-making? To explore this matter, I haveconstructed a most likely scenario and used the recent REE findings in Kiruna as a case study. The framework seemsto promote Sami influence in numerous ways as it creates a new legal ground to demand participation and seek justice,expands the definition of Sami interests, allows for consultations with nearby Sami villages, includes the Samiperspective on negative impacts, and could result in Sami people being consulted in terms of Indigenous rights-holders.However, if the framework and the Swedish mining permitting system are not synchronized properly, it might resultin cases where mining companies receive permits that conflict the will of the Sami people. Furthermore, theframework’s mentions of stakeholder engagement and Indigenous participation leave room for interpretation. At worst,the level of Sami influence in future mining-related decision-making could lie in the hands of the member states, andhence, the mining companies.