Paper short abstract:

The special interest of this paper is to consider the power of transnational networks influencing the local interpretations of universal human rights and how the global discourse is translated to the local desires. The presentation is based on my current research project which aims at understanding how power relationships are debated, negotiated and decided in municipalities where inhabitants belong to different majority and minority populations.

Paper long abstract:

The special interest of this paper is to consider the power of transnational networks influencing the local interpretations of universal human rights and how the global discourse is translated to the local desires. The presentation is based on my current research project which aims at understanding how power relationships are debated, negotiated and decided in municipalities where inhabitants belong to different majority and minority populations. In this context, ethnographic research in three Barents Sea area municipalities in the north Europe, Lovozero (Russia), Inari (Finland) and Porsanger (Norway), provide interesting material for comparison: the rights of the Sámi as indigenous peoples have caused unrest among the other inhabitants of the region. During the project, I am interested in understanding how global processes can be studied through the ethnography of local interpretations. What are the forms of ethnographic inquiry that make collaboration with activists in a conflict-oriented field possible? In a field where politics determine the personal relationships and the ethnic alliances, how can the researcher find ways of radical collaboration without becoming blind for the diversity of interpretations of every-day culture?