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The rights of the Sámi; Sweden’s indigenous people, have long been a subject of debate. As part of Sweden’s Climate Act and implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Sweden is currently in the midst of an extensive expansion of wind power where a large proportion of the wind turbines will be located in Sápmi. However, the initiative has already faced strong local opposition leading to various conflicts, in particular between authorities, companies and Sámi villages. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to examine how the ongoing debate regarding wind power in Sápmi is expressed in the Swedish media and the different perspectives, rights and voices highlighted in relation to sustainability and decision-making processes. More specifically, this essay aims to explore the arguments related to the large-scale expansion of wind power in Sápmi, presented by the various actors in the debate. The research material, which consists of ten (10) different argumentative texts in the form of debate articles and submissions from the Swedish daily press, is analyzed using an argumentation analysis. Through the application of postcolonialism and recognition as a theoretical framework, the study also explores the inherent power relations within the wind power conflict. The study concludes that the Swedish media debate regarding wind power in Sápmi roughly boils down to the question of whether the measures taken in the name of the green transition should promote economic benefits or the survival of reindeer husbandry. Finally, a discrepancy between theory and practice regarding the Swedish government's respect for Sámi rights can be identified. The essay is written in Swedish.

There is considerable geographical overlap between areas set aside for nature conservation or protection and Indigenous peoples’ lands, and the social, economic, and political consequences of protected areas have often been extensive for Indigenous peoples. Discourses of conservation converge with discourses of Indigenous peoples, and both carry a legacy of colonial constructs and relationships. With these overlaps as a point of departure, the purpose of this thesis is to explore how the discourses that govern nature conservation and protected areas shape the conditions for Indigenous peoples’ influence and participation in the governance and management of protected areas on their lands. I pursue this aim by analyzing, and critically examining the consequences of, the construction of Indigenous subject positions and conditions for agency in discourses of nature conservation and protected areas. The empirical focus of the thesis lies with international discourses of protected areas and Indigenous peoples and on local and national discourses articulated in relation to two cases of protected areas in Sápmi. My analytical framework builds on postcolonial theory and discourse theory. I use space for agency as a concept to describe and analyze the effects of the discursive positionings and constructions that shape the ability or capacity of individuals or group to act or to be perceived as legitimate actors. My results show twomain articulations of Indigenous subject positions in protected area discourses, which enable and restrain the space for Indigenous agency in different ways. One articulation connects Indigenous peoples to conservation through the concept of traditional knowledge, thereby positioning Indigenous subjects mainly as holders of traditional knowledge and justifying Indigenous influence by its potential contribution to conservation objectives. The other articulation focuses on the rights pertaining to Indigenous peoples as peoples, including land rights and the right to selfdetermination. These articulations are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but they have potentially different consequences and indicate discursive tensions that can affect the space for Indigenous agency in relation to protected areas. Moreover, my results demonstrate the hegemony of discourses that takes conservation through area protection for granted and subordinates Indigenous land use to conservation objectives, structure Indigenous agency as “participation” in specific types of arrangement, and articulate Indigenous rights in relation to hegemonic constructions of sovereignty, self-determination, and rights. These hegemonic formations silence articulations that would challenge the authority of colonizing societies over Indigenous territories, suppress radical critique of the fundamental nature of arrangements for protected area governance and management, and subdue alternatives to discourses of contemporary liberal democracy and individual property rights.

For a long time, the indigenous Sami of northern Sweden have had little influence within planning processes. This problem have in recent years been highlighted both in legal terms and through practices for developing Impact Assessments (IA), and has led to increasing conflict between reindeer herders and mining corporations. This thesis uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the IA documents for three mining concessions within Sami Reindeer Herding Communities (samebyar). The discourse analysis found that there were some differences in methodology and language between the documents, especially relating to if the assessments evaluated impacts to reindeer husbandry using a quantitative or a qualitative approach. The documents would also tend to downplay the impacts of the mines on reindeer husbandry, while highlighting the benefits of the mines for the local economy, and dispute the concerns of the affected reindeer herders. The thesis concludes by stating that an increased awareness of positionality among IA authors would be beneficial to promote transparency when indigenous or other vulnerable stakeholders are likely to be negatively affected. / Den samiska ursprungsbefolkningen i norra Sverige har under lång tid haft enbart lite inflytande inom planprocessen. Detta problem har under senare år belysts både i lagliga kretsar och genom metoder för att framställa miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar (MKB), och har lett till en ökad mängd konflikter mellan renskötare och gruvbolag. Denna uppsats använder kritisk diskursanalys för att undersöka MKB:na för tre gruvkoncessioner i samebyars renskötselområden. Resultaten pekade på att det fanns vissa skillnader i metodik och språk mellan dokumenten, särskilt när det gällde om bedömningarna utvärderade konsekvenserna på rennäringen genom en kvantitativ eller ett kvalitativ vetenskaplig metod. MKB:na tenderade även att tona ned gruvornas inverkan på renskötseln, samtidigt som de lyfte fram gruvornas fördelar för den lokala ekonomin, och ifrågasatte de berörda renskötarnas bekymran. Avslutningsvis konstateras att en ökad medvetenhet bland MKB-författare om hur deras subjektiva tillhörighet kan påverka deras bedömningar skulle vara fördelaktigt för att öka transparensen när ursprungsinvånare eller andra berörda sannolikt kommer att påverkas negativt.

The Nordic countries continued disregard for their colonial past and persistent discrimination and forced assimilation has created a hostile environment for the indigenous population within the nation-states. The contemporary situation faced by the Sámi peoples of northern Europe is beset with inadequate political representation, an unequal hieratical structure, and a neglect of the Sápmi region's nature preservation. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a contemporary perspective on the protection of indigenous rights as well as the political emancipation of the national Sámi communities contrasted against the academic research on the topic. Through the use of interviews with Sámi political and cultural figures various themes were developed that concerned the current situation. These were then used in the analysis to create a red thread through the academic literature and its connection and points of contention with the perception presented by the interviewees. This analysis showcases the hierarchical structure and subsequent insufficient political representation of the Sámi peoples and the current movement to reject the nation-states' agendas and challenge their policies rather than comply and try to negotiate for influence on matters that concern the indigenous group. Additionally, the green colonialism that continues the Nordic countries’ neglect and discrimination is outlined, as well as how international organisations work towards improving indigenous rights by criticizing the nation-states. The interviews confirm how the national assemblies operate and regard Sámi interests as non-issues. This is further reflected in the academic literature that showcases the insufficient political representation and better chances of influence on the international scene.

In this paper I conduct a media analysis based on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouddes. I analyze op-ed articles about the planning of a mine in Rönnbäck, Västerbotten, published in the national Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the local Västerbotten newspaper Västerbottens-kuriren. The aim is to examine the discourses that appear around the mine, especially connected to development and perceptions of nature. I found three main discourses: the socio-economic discourse, the environmental discourse and the discourse on ideology and rights. The dominant perception of development was about the economy and the need for work-opportunities. There was a conflict, between the company Nickel Mountain Group AB and the opponents to the mine, concerning the best way to reach this development goal. The mine’s opponents also presented a view of development in which a pristine environment was a central aspect of quality of life. Connected to this view was concern about losing that which exists today. The environment was seen partly from an economic perspective but there was also a view of nature as something with intrinsic value. In the discussion I highlight some of the points of conflict I found: socio-economic benefits, democratic process and rights. I suggest that an open and broader debate concerning the meaning of these terms is important. I also point out the importance of including the prior assumptions and difference in powerposition of the different actors, given that their opportunities and view of reality are affected by this.

The Sami in Sweden have lived on and managed their lands since time immemorial. The strong connection to the environment and nature has given them centuries of knowledge that is still applicable to this day. With the help of their ancestral knowledge the Sami have preserved their Indigenous land. With constant work towards sustainability and extractive projects of natural resources for renewable energy that takes place in Sápmi, the question is raised of who is included in the transition towards sustainable development and who the transition is for. The purpose of this study is to investigate and get a deeper understanding of Sami perspectives on sustainability and the connection to their rights. Applied methodology for this qualitative study is semi-structured interviews with nine Sami, followed by a thematic analysis of the collected empirical data. This was done to understand and analyse perceptions of sustainable development and how it relates to Sami inclusion and Sami rights, using frameworks of colonial governmentality and green colonialism. The findings suggest that a differentiation can be made concerning how the Sami perceive actions for sustainable development and the concept of sustainable development. Further, the Sami view their inclusion in policy-making and implementation in regards to questions of sustainable development in Sweden as being somewhat low or not applied at all. In relation to environmental sustainability this study shows that the implementation of Sami rights varies depending on the context, but that it is generally experienced as insufficient, and that rights are often applied to the economic units of the samebys, and not all Sami, creating a division within the Sami community. The results also show a perception of lack of political will and a neglectance to include and implement Sami rights, as state interests are prioritised. The societal and institutional conditions for the Sami to claim their rights and require inclusion within sustainable development prove that the theories of colonial governmentality and green colonialism are applicable to the current situation in Sápmi.