Getting to grips with Scandinavia’s past
Truth and reconciliation commissions have been established in several Scandinavian countries to deal with historical injustices committed against the indigenous Sámi people and Finnic speaking minorities. Researchers in the TRiNC project are exploring how these commissions function and their role in shedding new light on the past, as Dr Astrid Nonbo Andersen explains.
The indigenous Sámi people and national minorities the Kven, NorwegianFinns and Forrest-Finns in Norway, as well as the Kven, the Tornedalians and the Lantalaiset in Sweden, have historically been subject to discrimination and injustice by the states of Norway, Sweden and Finland. These practices include often harsh assimilation policies that marginalised or even suppressed indigenous and minority cultures. Truth- and Truth and Reconciliation commissions have been established in these three countries to investigate what happened and deal with the legacy of the past, although the scope of the mandate varies in each case. “The Norwegian mandate is quite tight and is focused on assimilation policies. The commission was asked to identify the truth about those policies, get an overview of their long-term effects, and make recommendations on reconciliation,”
TRiNC project
As part of her work on the TRiNC project, an initiative funded by the Danish Research Council, Dr Nonbo Andersen is looking at how these commissions came about, how their reports are received in the public and which types of political action they generate. The Sámi and minorities themselves initiated the processes that led to the establishment of the commissions. “The Sámi achieved some major political and legal victories in the 1980s , particularly in Norway, and the minorities a little later,” says Dr Nonbo Andersen. However, their languages and culture are still under pressure, and the commissions are part not only of the struggle to set the historical records straight, but also solve ongoing conflicts. The Nordic TRCs share this in common, but there are also major differences. “The Scandinavian nations are often grouped together and thought of as pretty similar, yet there are actually some pretty big differences between them. That is
“The Scandinavian nations are often grouped together and thought of as pretty similar, yet there are actually some pretty big differences between them. That is related to their history, and how these states treated the Sámi people and the Finnic speaking minorities.”
outlines Dr Astrid Nonbo Andersen, a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The Swedish and Finnish mandates by contrast are longer. “The Swedish mandate for the Truth commission for the Sámi is focused on truth while it was stipulated that a separate reconciliation process could only take place after the Truth had been uncovered,” continues Dr Nonbo Andersen. “The Finnish mandate is very broad and includes a focus on rights, which is absent in the Norwegian mandate.”
related to their history, and how these states treated the Sámi people and the Finnic speaking minorities,” explains Dr Nonbo Andersen. “This is directly reflected in the mandates and on how the TRC processes unfold in the three countries.”
The project team have been following the work of the commissions as they have progressed, with Dr Nonbo Andersen and her colleagues seeking to take a comparative, trans-state perspective. The papers written by team members reflect on how international experience with TRC processes reflect in the
Nordic TRCs. But also to inform a broader international audience about how the Nordic TRCs differ from previous TRCs, which may not be obvious at first glance. “We hope to shed light on how the concept of reconciliation is translated into practice in a Nordic context, through detailed analysis of the processes. This may also be useful for other activists, practitioners and policymakers considering how to deal with instances of historic injustice,” she outlines.
TRiNC
Truth & Reconciliation in the Nordic Countries
The project is funded by The Danish Research Council’s Sapere Aude Research Leader Program
Dr Astrid Nonbo Andersen, Senior Researcher Peace and Violence
Danish Institute for International Studies Gl. Kalkbrænderi Vej 51A
2100 Copenhagen O
Denmark
T: +45 9132 5594
E: asan@diis.dk
W: https://www.diis.dk/en/projects/trinctruth-reconciliation-in-the-nordic-countries
Astrid Nonbo Andersen is a Senior Researcher in the Unit for Peace and Conflict at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Her research focuses on historical justice, reconciliation and restitution in the Nordic region as well as current and historical relations between Denmark and its former colonies.
