240502 PR Fieldwork Seminar Northern Fennoscandia (P1) (2020S)

Although geographically remote, the Scandinavian North is central to discourses and processes of resource and tourism development, geopolitical strategies, indigenous issues and climate change. The region has, however, been largely dismissed in anthropology - with the exception of Saami studies. Due to COVID-19 restrictions we have changed this seminar into a full online ethnographic research seminar. The students will be guided throughout their online research finding contacts and information about different localities across the region. In a follow-up seminar in autumn 2020 we plan the excursion to Northern Fennoscandia as originally planned.

The aim of the course is to get to know the region and get an insight into current issues and challenges, as well as to train students in ethnographic methods. In the course of the excursion and the complementary methods seminar, students will prepare, carry out and do a first rough analysis of minor fieldwork. The fieldwork will be prepared during the methods seminar and will include the use of different kinds of qualitative research methods, supervised by the three course instructors. The output of the research results could be used as a basis for Master’s theses focusing on Northern Fennoscandia and for the postponed fieldwork trip in the upcoming semester 20/21.
There will be three further virtual meetings (11.5., 18.5. and 25.5.) in addition to the planned sessions to guide students through their online researches. The focus remains on the towns that we planned to visit, which are Rovaniemi (Finland), Kirkenes, Karasjok, Tromsø and Longyearbyen (Norway) and Kiruna (Sweden).