Jubiläumsjahr 2024

Die Abteilung Skandinavistik der Universität Wien feiert ihr 40‑jähriges Bestehen!

Aus diesem Anlass finden über das Jahr verteilt regelmäßig themenbezogene Veranstaltungen statt, gekrönt von einer Jubiläumswoche im Oktober 2024.

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Postcolonial Ecocriticism and Indigenous Environmental Justice Comparative Studies in Indigenous Literatures and Creative Arts from Northern Europe and North America

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The Seventh Workshop of the Ecocritical Network for Scandinavian Studies (ENSCAN) is an online, transatlantic workshop and will take place from April 3 to 5, 2025. It is convened by Juliane Egerer (University of Augsburg, Germany), Hanna Mattila (Sámi allaskuvla/Sámi University of Applied Sciences, Kautokeino, Norway), and Tim Frandy (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).

Theoretical framework

Postcolonial Ecocriticism and Indigenous Environmental Justice (IEJ) are two closely related fields: The first explores complex intersections of ecological problems and social power structures connected to ethnicity, Indigeneity, gender, national borders, and land entitlement, also focusing on, among others, hegemonic centrisms, ecological imperialism, speciesism, and environmental racism. The latter transcends Eurowestern definitions of Environmental Justice by insisting that Indigenous traditional knowledges, worldviews, epistemologies, ontologies, axiologies, and the agency of non-human beings, such as plants, animals, elements, minerals, spirit beings, and the land, are relevant for creating a future that includes living well with Earth.

Goals

Indigenous literatures and creative arts maintain numerous complex functions for Indigenous artists, as well as both outsider and insider audiences: raising awareness of ecological, social, and political issues; spawning the decolonizing changes of artivism in society; elevating certain cultural aesthetics and discourses; recontextualizing aspects of traditional culture to achieve ecological, social, and political goals; creating art products through which human and non-human community is formed and sustained; and so much more.

The workshop will focus on Indigenous literatures, creative arts, and expressive culture from Northern Europe (Sápmi) and North America (Turtle Island), especially the Indigenous peoples of the North. The emphasis is placed on Postcolonial Ecocriticism and Indigenous Environmental Justice, and on sociocultural, environmental, and political processes as modes of analyzing, interpreting, and reading. The workshop wishes to highlight the role of Indigenous literatures, creative arts, and expressive culture in processes of decolonization, and in nurturing balanced, respectful, reciprocal, and inclusive relationships between humans, various kinds of non-human beings, the land, and the environment.

In the workshop, we will explore the following questions, among others:

• How and to what ends do Indigenous creative arts navigate environmental problems and ongoing colonial power structures?
• How do they deal with relationships between humans, various kinds of non-human beings, and the environment?
• What strategies do they use to represent, imagine, express, and communicate insights into these complex issues and what effects do they achieve? How do they contribute to decolonization?
• How do audiences, writers, and artists relate to each other?
• What are the differences and similarities between various Indigenous literatures and creative arts regarding the aforementioned questions?

Call for proposals

The workshop invites presentations that combine approaches of Postcolonial Ecocriticism and Indigenous Environmental Justice within the fields of Indigenous and Postcolonial Literary and Cultural Studies with a focus on the European and/or American North. Researchers from all career stages are encouraged to submit a paper proposal of up to 300 words and a brief bio of 100 words for a 20-minute paper to enscan.iej.project@gmail.com by November 30, 2024. The language of the workshop will be English. Scholars presenting papers at the workshop will have the opportunity to revise their papers into chapters for a peer-reviewed edited volume.

Workshop organizers If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the workshop organizers Juliane Egerer (juliane.egerer@uni-a.de), Hanna Kristiina Mattila (hannam@samas.no), and Tim Frandy (tim.frandy@ubc.ca).

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Invitation to the panel discussion “Working for our rights”

Barents Working Group of Indigenous Peoples has the pleasure of inviting you to observe the
panel discussion “Working for our rights”, which is held during the 20th European Cultural Days:

Sápmi 2024, at Museum Europäischer Kulturen, Saturday 14th September at 17:00 – 19:00.

Sámi representatives from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council’s Working Group of Indigenous Peoples and members of the organization “Sámi Youth” will reflect and discuss current topics such as the green shift and Sámi rights, the northern policy of the European Union and the repatriation of Sámi objects.
After the discussion, a small reception with refreshments will be held at the same venue as where the talks will take place. DJ iDJa from Sápmi will be performing in the MEK garden from 19:00. In his sets he combines Sámi musical tradition with new technology.

The discussion partners will include:
Janne Hirvasvuopio (Chair of the Barents Working Group of Indigenous Peoples)
Mihkkal Hætta (Sámi activist and filmmaker)
Anne-Maria Magga (political scientist)
Nils-Gustu Kuhmunen (Barents Regional Youth Council)
Johannes Rimpi (Sami Youth Parliament of Sweden)
A joik performance by artists Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman and Biret Haarla Pieski will bring the
spirit and support of the ancestors into the room.
The talks will be held in English.

More information about the event can be found here:
https://www.smb.museum/en/events/detail/working-for-our-rights-2024-09-14-170000-144998/
More information about the 20th European Cultural Days: Sápmi 2024 can be found here:
https://www.smb.museum/en/events/event-series/20th-european-cultural-days-sapmi-2024/

On behalf of the Barents Working Group of Indigenous Peoples it is a pleasure for me to invite
you to our event 14th September. Please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you think
could find this invitation relevant!

Yours Sincerely
Janne Hirvasvuopio
Chair of the Barents Working Group of Indigenous Peoples

Alfried Krupp Fellowships 2025/26