In this seminar – ”Out of the Ordinary or Business as Usual? Preparing the Truth Commission for the Sámi people in Sweden” – Malin Arvidsson, senior lecturer in Human Rights Studies, will present an article draft (co-authored with Astrid Nonbo Andersen).

This presentation will focus on how the international Truth and Reconciliation Commission model has been imported to the Nordic context. Although the Canadian TRC has been an important source of inspiration in this context, there is a fundamental difference: the Nordic commissions are not the result of a legal settlement, but of political deliberations. In the Nordic countries, claims for historical justice from indigenous groups and minorities have been handled by the established welfare state and been filtered through the state bureaucracy. Using the theoretical framework ”administrations of memory” (McQuaid & Gensburger 2019; 2023), this article will focus on the role of the Swedish state bureaucracy in handling claims for truth and redress brought forward by indigenous and minority representatives. More particularly, we will trace the policy process leading up to the appointment of the The Swedish Truth Commission for the Sami People.

A paper will be circulated beforehand and can be obtained by contacting Malin Arvidsson or Lena Halldenius (see contact person).

Find out more about Malin Arvidsson here.

Find out more about Astrid Nonbo Andersen here.  

This study is a part of the research project Truth & Reconciliation in the Nordic countries.