Inclusion as indigenisation? Sámi perspectives in teacher education

Somby, Hege Merete; Olsen, Torjer A.

doi:10.1080/13603116.2022.2127495

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This will eventually enhance knowledge of Sámi cultures, languages, and ways of life [51][52][53]. This also applies to the educational system in Norway, where there is a process of incorporation and recognition of the rights of the Sámi [54] and knowledge of Sámi language and culture. Additionally, this means that the majority population in Norway must increase its knowledge to stop the ongoing racism and negative attitudes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hopeful, but Worried for the Future: An Analysis of the Lived Consequences of Colonisation as Narrated by Older South Sámi in Norway

Mentsen Ness,

Munkejord

2024

Societies

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Various forms of colonisation and discrimination processes are unfortunately common to Indigenous Peoples worldwide. In this article, the focus is the lived consequences of colonisation in the Norwegian part of Sápmi (the Sámi traditional lands), where systematic state-imposed colonisation officially ended decades ago. Thus, based on a thematic analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews with 12 South Sámi aged 67–84, the aim was to examine how stories about hopes and worries for the future can shed light on how colonisation is experienced among older South Sámi today. The voices of these participants are important, as they can be considered triply muted, due to (a) ageism and (b) continued yet unconscious colonising practices against the Sámi in general and (c) against the South Sámi people in particular, a minority within the minority. Inspired by decolonising perspectives, this article reveals that older South Sámi are worried for the future, not only due to memories from the past but also their experiences with persisting colonial practices such as the ongoing enlargement of windmill parks and cabin areas in the midst of the winter pastures of the South Sámi reindeer herders. Hopefully, the time has come to finally put an end to colonial practices and take collective responsibility for creating a more just future for both coloniser and colonised. Similarly to the participants in this study, the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission also stresses issues such as loss of language, experience of racism, and reindeer husbandry being under pressure. This report may therefore be used as an important tool to ameliorate the conditions of the Sámi people if taken into consideration in the time to come.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hopeful, but Worried for the Future: An Analysis of the Lived Consequences of Colonisation as Narrated by Older South Sámi in Norway

Mentsen Ness,

Munkejord

2024

Societies

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“…For more than a decade in the Nordic context, there has been both legislation and curriculum supporting the inclusion of Sami-related themes in schools in various subject areas (e.g., Svonni and Spjut 2023;Somby and Olsen 2022;Spjut 2021), although quite meager in relation to the overall ambitions of policy directed towards Indigenous peoples (Svonni 2015). However, today, there are no systemic instruments that place demands on how to teach such topics, let alone how TE shall support such parts of the profession.…”

Section: Systemic Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This can be seen as creating barriers when it comes to cross-national cooperation and exchange within teaching in the focused area, which might be viewed as specifically important when it comes to Indigenous people living across national borders. Moreover, on a systemic level, Norway has, for instance, come further with a reframing policy to include Sami-related knowledge in HE and TE, although much work is still to be conducted regarding actual implementation (Somby and Olsen 2022).…”

Section: Systemic Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Truth Commissions and Teacher Education in Australia and the Northern Nordics

Norlin,

Keynes,

Drugge

2024

Genealogy

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In Australia, like in several of the Nordic countries, truth commissions (TCs) are becoming part of the political and educational landscape. These developments are related to a global phenomenon over the past 40-odd years, where states are examining their relations to minority groups and/or Indigenous people, including acknowledging historical mistreatment and addressing remaining injustices. A common aim of these processes is to spread knowledge to the broader public via institutions for education. This paper focuses on ongoing TC processes in the Australian and Nordic contexts, with a specific focus on their potential consequences for teacher education (TE). By addressing barriers and possibilities on systemic, institutional, and practical levels of TE, the paper aims to develop an understanding of (1) how new knowledge produced through TCs meets the organization of teacher training; possible ways for TE to respond to new requirements; and (2) of the pedagogical and didactical challenges that might entail. The main argument is that a closer professional dialogue is needed between scholars engaged in TCs and TEs for TE to better respond to the requirements of TCs and for TCs to better recognize conditions for organizing TE.

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The Sámi Pathfinders: Addressing the Knowledge Gap in Norwegian Mainstream Education

Walsh-Knarvik

2024

Genealogy

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For at least two decades, lack of knowledge about the Sámi in Norway has been recognised as a reason for the perpetuation of stereotypes and discriminatory acts and hate speech towards them. Education about the Sámi, their lifeways, culture and rights is posited as a means of closing this gap, with the intention of influencing the majority Norwegian society’s attitudes towards the Sámi. The relatively new Norwegian curriculum (LK20) reflects this understanding. It requires teachers at every level of the educational system to include Sámi perspectives and themes in all subjects. This paper looks at how Indigenous Education is included in mainstream schools in Norway. It asks, if Indigenous Education can provide a counterbalance to existing stereotypes and discrimination of the Sámi People, then what kind of knowledge is sufficient to this end? To explore this, I specifically consider the efforts of the Sámi Pathfinders—a group of young Sámi adults (18–25 years) who visit and provide lectures about Sámi history, language and culture for Norwegian high school pupils. Through semi-structured interviews with five Pathfinders, I explored what kind of Indigenous Education they provide, how the Pathfinders interpret their role in relation to combatting stereotypes and discrimination, and their perception of the impact they have. Through reflexive thematic analysis, this study confirmed that there is a lack of knowledge about the Sámi in mainstream education. It also shows that most teachers did not prepare their pupils for the Pathfinders’ visit. Although the Pathfinders’ visit arguably improved pupils’ and teachers’ knowledge about the Sámi, this research suggests that how and how often knowledge is presented matters. It also suggests that who presents knowledge is a factor. Indigenous knowledge that is coupled with contact that is sufficiently close, positive and frequent has greater potential in altering discriminatory tendencies towards the Sámi.

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Inclusion as indigenisation? Sámi perspectives in teacher education

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Hopeful, but Worried for the Future: An Analysis of the Lived Consequences of Colonisation as Narrated by Older South Sámi in Norway

Hopeful, but Worried for the Future: An Analysis of the Lived Consequences of Colonisation as Narrated by Older South Sámi in Norway

Truth Commissions and Teacher Education in Australia and the Northern Nordics

The Sámi Pathfinders: Addressing the Knowledge Gap in Norwegian Mainstream Education

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