| Summary: | Narratives of extinction surrounding “primitive” peoples have long been a subject of historical study. There is however a gap with regards to researching the response of the so called “primitive” peoples themselves. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to examine the way in which the Sámi magazine Samefolkets egen tidning during the years 1918-1945 navigates the model of cultural hierarchy which defines the Sámi as a primitive people heading towards extinction. Drawing upon the theories of Johannes Fabian and Walter Mignolo the study finds that the magazine appropriates the model of cultural hierarchy by asserting the Sámi people not as a people of nature but as a people of culture capable of moving upwards in the hierarchy. The model of cultural hierarchy interacts with the strategies of the magazine in several ways. It is used to re-establish the coevalness of the Sámi as well as performatively developing Sámi identity through a self-proclaimed project of enlightenment. It also counters the narratives of extinction by stressing the unique cultural contribution of the Sámi to world history as well as using racial biology to scientifically disprove the supposed weakness of the Sámi. The use of racial biology is also a way of partaking in scientific language thus demonstrating the intellectual and cultural capabilities of the Sámi. The use of the model of cultural hierarchy also results in the magazine reproducing the idea of the primitive savage as well as adapting a paternalistic stance towards the “unenlightened” Sámi. In sum, the magazine tries to establish the Sámi as equals, politically and culturally, to the Swedes. Living together in the same place and, most importantly, in the same time. Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning: Forskning om historiska diskussioner kring att naturfolk är dömda till undergång har länge gjorts på förtjänstfulla sätt. Det är dock ovanligt att studera hur de så kallade naturfolken uppfattar utsagorna om sin egen undergång. Ett av de folk som åsyftades av dessa utsagor var ...
|
|---|