"You can kill us with dialogue": critical perspectives on wind energy development in a Nordic-Saami green colonial context

This article explores Southern Saami reindeer herders’ experiences and contestations over state consultation and corporate dialogue during a conflict over the Øyfjellet wind energy project in Norway. Informed by a committed research approach and juxtaposition with findings from Indigenous peoples�...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fjellheim, Eva Maria (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Human rights review
Year: 2023, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 25-51
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Keywords:
Dialogue
Consultation
Southern Saami reindeer herding
Jillen Njaarke Sïjte
Green colonialism
Øyfjellet
Description
Summary:This article explores Southern Saami reindeer herders’ experiences and contestations over state consultation and corporate dialogue during a conflict over the Øyfjellet wind energy project in Norway. Informed by a committed research approach and juxtaposition with findings from Indigenous peoples' territorial struggles in Latin-America, the article provides critical perspectives on governance practices in a Nordic-Saami green colonial context. The research draws on ethnography from a consultation meeting between Jillen Njaarke, the impacted reindeer herding community, and state authorities, as well as diverse written material. The study suggests that the state- and corporate-led “dialogues” displaced the root cause of the conflict, revealed epistemic miscommunication, and perpetuated relations of domination which limited emancipatory effects for Jillen Njaarke. The premises and discourses underpinning the “dialogues” further reproduced racist notions which devalue ancestral Saami reindeer herding knowledges, practices, and landscape relations. These findings challenge dialogue as prescription of good governance and conflict resolution in a context where democracy and compliance with Indigenous peoples’ rights are perceived as high.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 47-51
ISSN:1874-6306
DOI:10.1007/s12142-023-00678-4