Greening Greed? : A Study on Sweden’s Green Transition and Sami Rights in the Shadow of Green Colonialism

• Main Author: Nyqvist, Hanna
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för statsvetenskap (ST) 2024
• Subjects: Indigenous rights; green colonialism; green transition; democratic theory; liberal democracy; Sami People; Sweden; multiculturalism; Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalisation Studies); Statsvetenskap (exklusive studier av offentlig förvaltning och globaliseringsstudier); sami
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-131536

While the global green transition is promoted as inclusive and just, Indigenous geographic needs are commonly exploited to facilitate this transition, a phenomenon increasingly termed green colonialism. Sweden can be observed in this regard, criticised for overlooking Sami rights in its green trajectory. Drawing on democratic theory and green colonialism, this thesis strives to (1) theoretically understand the relationship between the neglect of Indigenous rights and green colonialism in a liberal democracy by using the case of Sweden, (2) explore how Sweden's green transition impacts the Sami People's ability to exercise their right to self-determination and land by examining the mining concession of the proposed mine in Gállok. It addresses two central questions, (1) “What impact does Sweden’s efforts toward a green transition have on the Sami Peoples' ability to protect and retain the rights to self-determination and land, as indicated by the Gállok mining concession?â€, (2) “To what extent can Sweden’s efforts toward a green transition be described as green colonialism, as indicated by the Gállok mining concession?â€. The findings in this deductive case study validate the hypotheses (1) Sweden's green transition reflects aspects of green colonialism, (2) Sweden therefore, negatively impacts and limits the access that the Sami have to their right to self-determination and land, as indicated by the Gállok mining concession.Â