Symposium for research on indigenous issues
The Discipline of Law and the Network for Research on and with the South Saami Society at Gaskeuniversiteete (Mid Sweden University) will host the Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues on 26-27 August 2025 at Campus Staare (Östersund).
The Symposium for Early Career Researchers Working with Indigenous Issues is a new conference that is being organized for the first time. It will take place at Mid Sweden University's Campus Staare (Östersund) on 26-27 August 2025 and will bring together 16 early career researchers at the master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral levels who work on Indigenous issues from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including law, language, history, and other fields. The participants are affiliated with universities across Saepmie and beyond.
The symposium is organized in connection with Mid Sweden University's 20th anniversary and is supported by the university's Jubilee Fund and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. The event is part of the university's broader focus on Sami research and education and will offer a platform for knowledge exchange, methodological discussions and meetings with representatives from the Sámi civil society. The program includes both seminars at Gaskeuniversiteete and study visits to Jamtli and Gaaltije – South Sami Museum. Since the field of research on indigenous issues is still relatively small, there is often a lack of structured opportunities for collaboration. The symposium therefore aims to create an arena for academic exchange and networking.
The idea is that the symposium will return regularly and be integrated into a new summer course on indigenous peoples' rights that is currently being developed by the section of jurisprudence, with the course planned to start in 2026. In parallel, work is underway to apply for formal recognition of BÅSKOES – Network for Research on and with the South Sami Society as a university forum, which would strengthen its position within the university's structure and support the continued work with Sami-related research.