Reindeer herding and commodification of the outfields and commons in Southern-Sámi areas - challenging established rights and practices

Reindeer herding, agriculture and forestry are defined as primary industries, hence policies and administration of these industries are under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The reindeer herding industry constitutes the major material basis for Sámi culture - identity, lifestyle and language. The project focusses on the situation of the Sámi reindeer herding industry and communities in Mid-Norway, under the increasing pressure and marginalisation it is now facing from "inside" the defined agricultur al sector: Rural land owners are encouraged as a part of agricultural policies to diversify farm income through commodification of natural resources linked especially to tourism and recreation. A strong growth in cabin developments may partly be seen as l inked to this. There is a lack of research addressing the underlying political, economic and social processes leading to a situation of increased conflict level between various rural groups of "ethnic" Norwegians and Sámi/reindeer herding groups. Most of all, there is a lack of theoretically and empirically founded research on what legitimate business developments that ought to take place in commons (allmenning) and outfields (utmark). In this respect the project has a commons and land rights oriented ap proach rather than an "ethnic" one. However, the ambition is through comparisons between the challenges crofting systems in the Scottish Highlands and Islands and the Sámi reindeer herding areas in Mid Norway are facing related to changes in policies, inc entives towards a neoliberalist and partly post-productivist approach to rural areas, analyse and if necessary make recommendations for policy changes. This means indirectely addressing the ethnic and cultural dimensions of these two minorities, but we wi ll first and foremost adopt a geographical, economic and legal/policy approach.