Educational Leadership in Indigenous Sites – stories from below

Educational Leadership in Indigenous Sites (ELIS) – Stories from Below explores the role of schooling in relation to Sámi rights, identities, and experiences at a time when questions of Indigenous rights, recognition, and reconciliation are increasingly prominent in public discourse. Drawing on narratives from Sámi coordinators and former students, the project examines how educational leadership, school organisation, and everyday practices shape understandings of Sámi rights, responsibilities, and belonging. 

The project is grounded in the experiences and stories emerging from schools located in Sámi administrative areas. Through a narrative research approach, it investigates how responsibility for Sámi issues is understood, negotiated, and enacted within educational settings, as well as how schools may both reproduce and challenge dominant perceptions of the Sámi as both an Indigenous people and a national minority. 

The study is situated within a broader context in which the Truth Commission for the Sámi People has highlighted the historical role of the education system in processes of assimilation and marginalisation, while also identifying schools as key sites for knowledge-building, recognition, and future-oriented change. By relating participants’ narratives to contemporary educational and minority policy contexts, the project generates insights into how schools can strengthen understanding of Sámi perspectives and contribute to preventing future tensions between Sámi communities and wider society.

Ultimately, the project seeks to deepen understanding of the role of education in advancing Sámi rights and recognition, while providing knowledge that can support school leaders, teachers, municipalities, and other educational stakeholders in developing more inclusive and rights-based educational practices.