"We don't really talk about them" Finnish art teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and views regarding Sámi culture in a postcolonial framework

• Main Author: Hannula, Liisa
• Other Authors: Kallio-Tavin, Mira, Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Taiteen laitos, Department of Art, Sederholm, Helena, Aalto University, Aalto-yliopisto
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: cultural diversity; kulttuurinen moninaisuus; Sámi; saamelaisuus; postcolonialism; postkolonialismi; indigenous studies; alkuperäiskansatutkimus; sami; Lapland
• Online Access: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/38048

My master's thesis aims to problematise the situation where Finland is seen simultaneously as a country whose education system is praised internationally, but which still often neglects its indigenous people both on a social and educational level. Despite its status as a welfare state, Finland has repeatedly received criticism from the UN about violating the rights of the Sámi. The Finnish education system has responded slowly to the challenges of an increasingly multicultural school. It emphasises cultural diversity, but at the same time ignores our indigenous people. Thus, the education system can be said to maintain a status where very little is known about the Sámi and the relationship between Finland and colonialism. The Sámi and their culture are often represented through the prism of images based on a stereotypical representation of the Sámi living in Lapland. However, the majority of Sami children live, in fact, outside the traditional Sámi areas. My thesis seeks to find answers to how much Finnish art educators know about the Sámi and what kind of attitudes and feelings the topic raises. The material of my thesis has been acquired by means of a semi-structured theme interview and is interpreted within the framework of indigenous research and post-colonial theories. The interviews were conducted in Oulu and Helsinki with four Finnish art teachers. The interview material also appears in my thesis as a separate part, in which each interview forms an independent narrative entity. Not discussing the subject of the Sámi did not appear in the interviews as a conscious choice. Based on the interviews, the three most common explanations for not dealing with Sámi culture in art classes were a general lack of information about Sámi culture, concern about dealing with the subject in an inappropriate manner and focusing on other themes that were considered important or interesting to deal with in visual arts. No general conclusions can be drawn about the operating culture of Finnish schools based on the interviews ...