NEWS Gudrun Norstedt, researcher at Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research, has been awarded ERC Starting Grant. This prestigious funding enables in-depth research into the history of Sámi living in farming areas.
Gudrun Norstedt, Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research, has been awarded ERC Starting Grant.
ImagePer MelanderThe grant provides five years of funding for the project Sesame — Unlocking Hidden History: The Sami in Swedish Farming Areas. The research focuses on Sámi people who lived and worked in farming areas outside the traditional Sámi territories (known as “lappmarker”) prior to the 20th century. Through this project, Gudrun Norstedt aims to increase knowledge about where and for how long Sámi have lived in these areas. The project seeks a broad understanding of this group—not only in Sweden, but also by examining their social ties and family connections with similar groups in Finland and Norway.
“I want to present a multifaceted picture of Sámi life and conditions outside the traditional Sámi districts, and above all understand the role that Sámi played in agrarian society,” says Gudrun Norstedt.
Gudrun will work with historical material such as church records, court documents, and royal letters. These sources allow the research back to the mid-1600s. For even earlier periods, the origin of place names will be studied.
“My previous experience identifying individuals and locations in historical material and reconstructing kinship and networks will be of great importance in this work,” she says.
Some research of Sámi living in farming areas already exists, but it is mostly focused on southern Norrland, portraying that group as isolated from the traditional Sámi territories. Gudrun hopes her research will fill previous gaps in knowledge and deepen the understanding of how different Sámi groups interacted.
“I want to investigate to what extent Sámi living in farming areas descended from and interacted with Sámi living in the traditional Sámi territories," Gudrun explains.
Historically, Sámi living in farming areas have been a highly mobile group, making it difficult to trace their family ties and social networks. Such research requires extensive efforts to provide a coherent picture of the group's history. Thanks to the funding now received from the European Research Council (ERC), this type of in-depth research is possible.
“This means that over the next five years, I will be able to devote most of my time to researching a subject that I am truly passionate about," says Gudrun.
“Gudrun Norstedt’s receipt of this prestigious grant is truly gratifying. It is important for her research, and for the entire research environment at Várdduo. I hope that Gudrun's success will inspire other researchers at the faculty to submit applications to the ERC,” says Christer Nordlund,
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
The ERC Starting Grant is a research grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to support outstanding researchers in the early stages of their academic careers.
Applications are evaluated by an international expert panel, focusing on the scientific quality of the research project and the researcher’s potential to contribute to the field.
