Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues 2026

Date: 27-28 October 2026
Location: Gaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) in Östersund, Sweden.

About the symposium

On 27–28 October, Gaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) will host the second symposium for early-career researchers working on indigenous issues. The event takes place in Staare (Östersund) and is organized by the subject of law at Mid Sweden University.

The Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues 2026 aims to create a supportive and engaging environment where early-career researchers can share experiences, discuss common challenges, and make connections for future collaborations. It also aims to highlight ongoing research at Gaskeuniversiteete concerning indigenous issues, especially in relation to the local Sami population, and to show the work at Gaaltije – South Sami cultural centre and museum.

Who the symposium is aimed at

We welcome applications from early career researchers interested in Indigenous issues. For example, doctoral students and researchers who have recently completed their doctoral studies are invited, but also master's students and postdocs who are engaged in indigenous research. 

Program

The two days in Östersund include both seminars at Gaskeuniversiteete and interesting study visits. The program will include presentations by a number of keynote speakers as well as other invited speakers, such as:

• Hanna-Máret Outakoski, Professor of Sami Language Education at the Sami University of Applied Sciences (Sámi allaskuvla).
• Kamrul Hossain, Research Professor and Director of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM), Arctic Centre, University of Lapland.
• Andrey Danilov, representative of the Russian Sami, who was forced to leave Russia in 2022 and applied for political asylum in Norway.
• Andreas Andersson, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science at Mid Sweden University.

The participants will also visit Gaaltije, Sami museum, where Jerker Bexelius, Director of Operations, will give a presentation and lecture about the museum's work. In addition, the symposium will include participant presentations, providing an opportunity to present research projects in a constructive and collegial environment.

See the preliminary program and presentations of some of the speakers further down this page. 

More about the symposium

The Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues 2026 is funded by the Barents Secretariat and The Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation. The symposium is part of Mid Sweden University's broader investment in Sámi research and education and offers a platform for knowledge exchange, methodological discussions and meetings with representatives from Sámi civil society.

How to apply to participate  

We welcome applications from early career researchers interested in Indigenous issues. 

The symposium will provide accommodation and meals for all selected participants. If you need support for travel due to lack of other funding, please include a separate note in your motivation letter. Applications should be sent no later than 30 June. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 16 August. Please send your application to ekaterina.zmyvalova@miun.se.

We look forward to your application and to welcoming you to Östersund. 

Welcome!

Indicative programme

October 26, 2026

Participants' arrival and check-in at Hotel Gamla Teatern.

Tuesday 27 October 2026

Location: Room B312 at Gaaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) in Staare (Östersund)

08:30–08:35 Opening remarks by Mikael Lundholm, Head of Law at Mid Sweden University.

08:35–08:40 Introduction to the symposium's organization and program by, among others, Ekaterina Zmyvalova from Mid Sweden University. 

08:40–08:50 Short presentation of the symposium participants

08:50–09:20 Camilla Olofsson Bååtas – "Gaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) as a university with a strong focus on Sami research and education"

09:20–09:50 Angelika Sjöstedt – "The Båskoes Network"

09:50–10:10 Questions and discussion

10:10–10:40 Coffee break

10:40–11:40 Hanna-Máret Outakoski – "Conducting research in indigenous contexts offers unique opportunities but comes with many obligations"

11:40–12:00 Questions and discussion

12:00–13:30 Lunch

13:30–14:30 Kamrul Hossain – "Indigenous peoples' rights under international human rights law with special focus on Nordic Sámi"

14:30–15:00 Questions and discussion

15:00–15:30 Coffee break

15:30–16:00 Gwendolyne Knight

16:00–16:10 Reflections from day one.

18.00–evening Symposium dinner

Wednesday 28 October 2026

Location: Room B312 at Gaaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) in Staare (Östersund)

08:30–09:00 Mirkka Ollila – "Mapping discrepancies between legal frameworks and corporate statements in the development process of the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit"

09:00–10:00 Andreas Andersson

10:00–10:30 Questions and discussion

10:30–11:00 Coffee break

11:00–12:30 Presentation of the participants' own projects in two groups (10 minutes per presentation)

12:30–14:00 Lunch

14:00–14:20 Walk to Gaaltije

14:20–15:30 Jerker Bexelius

15:30–16:00 Discussion on future cooperation and closing remarks

About some of the lecturers/participants during the symposium

Hanna Maarit (Hanna-Máret) Outakoski

Hanna Maarit (Hanna-Máret) Outakoski holds the title of Docent of Sámi languages at Umeå University, Sweden and is at present tenure professor in Sámi language and language didactics at the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Norway. In her current position at SUAS, Outakoski works within the Sámi teacher education that is the only teacher education that is based on Sámi values and is taught fully in Sámi language. Outakoski is a member of the Indigenous Sámi community and originates from Northern Finland. She teaches and does research on the endangered Sámi languages with special emphasis on multilingualism and literacy development in Sápmi, learning and teaching of writing in an Indigenous context, e-learning, and various questions concerning multilingual educational and other potential learning contexts. Her latest research projects concern the role of language in teaching aesthetic subjects such as duodji, and the systems understanding of Sámi children's literature and its role in sustainable linguistic and cultural recovery.

Kamrul Hossain

Kamrul Hossain is a leading scholar of international law whose work focuses on Arctic governance, environmental law, human rights, and the legal status of Indigenous peoples in the Arctic and Polar regions. He serves as Research Professor and Director of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) at the Arctic Centre and chairs the University of the Arctic's Legal Research and Education initiative while leading the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law. His research examines how international legal frameworks can better protect Indigenous peoples' rights in the Arctic, particularly in relation to climate change, environmental governance, biodiversity, ocean governance, and human security. Over the years, Hossain has published extensively on Arctic governance and Indigenous rights, including works on Indigenous knowledge systems, human rights protections, and the role of Indigenous peoples within Arctic legal structures. His scholarship has significantly advanced international legal understanding of Indigenous participation, self-determination, and environmental justice in the Arctic region.

Jerker Bexelius

Jerker Bexelius is a South Sámi cultural leader and director of the Gaaltije – Saemien Museume. His work focuses on strengthening Indigenous knowledge systems and ensuring Sámi perspectives are integrated into sustainable societal development. Through cultural institutions, policy dialogue, and cross-border collaboration in Saepmie, he advocates for Indigenous rights, cultural resilience, and community-driven development. Bexelius has extensive experience connecting Indigenous knowledge with contemporary governance, regional development, and cultural policy, highlighting how Indigenous worldviews can contribute to more sustainable and inclusive futures.

Andrey Danilov 

Andrey Danilov represents the Saami people who live in the Kola Peninsula. He joined the Saami movement in 2003. This year Andrey became a member of the Saami Association of the Murmansk Region, and later he organized an organization's unit in Monchegorsk. In 2007 he became one of the founders of the Sami national cultural autonomy in Monchegorsk. In 2008, he was elected to the Council of the Saami Representatives of the Murmansk region (the Sámi Parliament of the Kola Peninsula) at the First Congress of the Saami People. Since 2011 he has worked as a director of the Saami Heritage and Development Fund. From 2013 to 2017, he was a member of the international indigenous organization Saami Council, where he was vice president. In 2022, due to repressions from the Russian security service FSB, he was forced to move to Norway, where he sought political asylum.

Mirkka Ollila

Mirkka Ollila is a Finnish doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki's Aleksanteri Institute and has served as a visiting researcher at the University of Lapland's Arctic Centre since 2024. Her geographical focus has been on the easternmost Saami land Saa'm jiemm'n'e since the early 2020s. Specifically, her work in sociology examines the entanglements among extractivist governance, environmental assimilation, and Indigenous rights in Arctic Russia. 

Read more about last year's symposium

Here you can read an article about last year's Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues and interviews with some of the participants.