by Helge Chr. Pedersen


Vol. 2 2011, pages 45–73
Published April 20, 2011

helge-chr-pedersenAbstract

Although Sámi sport has not attracted a huge sports following, SVL’s activities have been of importance for the individual athlete’s understanding of his/her own (Sámi) identity, and for the collective understanding of what Sámi sports identity entails. In about 2000, Sámi sport also became an important arena for asserting that Sápmi belonged to the international society of indigenous peoples. Through the Viva World Cup and through participation in the Arctic Winter Games (AWG), self-understanding of the Sámi as an indigenous people was strengthened. These international competitions stressed fellowship with other minorities and indigenous peoples, at the same time as marking the contrast with ‘Norwegian’ sport. Thus I would maintain that the traditional view of sport as cementing pre-existing differences between competitors does not apply to the international environments in which the Sámi sports movement participate. On the contrary, these competitions helped to create an understanding of fellowship and a sense of belonging among the competitors. The Viva World Cup and AWG were experienced as events in which competition was characterized by cultural and historical fellowship. This in turn emphasized the contrast with ‘Norwegian’ sport and helped to strengthen the understanding of the Norwegians as “the others”.


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About the Author

HELGE CHR. PEDERSEN är högskolelektor vid Høgskolen i Finnmark. Han fick sin utbildning där och vid Universitetet i Tromsö. Pedersen undervisar sedan år 2000 i samhällskunskap, historia och kultur, framför allt inom lärarutbildningen. Dessförinnan arbetade han som lärare i historia, samhällskunskap och idrott i gymnasieskolan. Forskningsintresset är särskilt inriktat på idrottens kulturella betydelse, dess betydelse för identitetsskapande och i mötet mellan minoriteter/ursprungsbefolkningar och samhället i stort. Han arbetar på en doktorsexamen i historia som handlar om sport, identitet och etnicitet i Finnmark under de senaste 100 åren. Pedersen har skrivit flera artiklar om vikten av idrott för olika typer av identitetsskapande i nordnorska sammanhang. Det är särskilt vikten av sport för olika lokala, regionala och etniska identiteter som tematiseras. Han har även forskat om engelsk fotbollshuliganism.

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