Sámi Histories, Colonization and Today Lecture 1

The Sámi (Northern Sámi: Sámit or Sápmelaččat, sometimes spelled Saami) are the only recognized Indigenous people in Europe, whose lands, Sápmi, are claimed and divided by the Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Russian nation-states. Despite the central roles they’ve played in Fennoscandia, The Sámi are commonly rendered as marginal, ahistorical wildlings whose lands are a mismanaged frontier, ripe for the taking.

This lecture series illuminates how untrue those renderings are. Starting with situating the Sámi within the larger Nordic geographical and linguistic landscape, students will learn about Sámi oral and archaeological histories, diversity, and land tenure. In the second installment, we’ll dive into colonial histories in Sápmi, learning about land encroachment, boarding schools and borders, among others. In our final installment, we’ll trace their legacies to the present to learn about contemporary forms of colonialism, Sámi resistance and sovereignty and other current events in Sápmi.

This live, 3-part lecture series will be held on the 3rd Wednesdays of January, February, and March over Zoom. Attendance requires a reliable internet connection and a device with audio and video functionality.