Back to search

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu

Experiences of place and movement among reindeer herders in Norway and Siberia Mobile researcher: Evelyn Landerer, UK

Awarded: NOK 0.13 mill.

I study the cultural implications of changes in movement in relation to reindeer herding contrasting indigenous reindeer herding people in Norway (Sami) with those (Evenki) in a remote region in Eastern Siberia who primarily walk on foot. I follow the mov ement of both groups of indigenous people by sharing their distinctive means of transport (more based on mechanized transport in the case of the Sami, walking on foot leading their reindeer in the case of the Evenki) and investigate how they conceptualize , perceive and order their movements. I ask questions about human-animal relations, enskilment and the anchoring of morality in the landscape. How does the way one moves, with or without reindeer, influence the choice of location and the attachment to pla ces? What kind of moral messages are encoded in dynamic trajectories of movement? This research will be the first full study comparing means of movements and their implications within two reindeer herding settings, one in Europe, the other in Asia, one ma king use of available technological means (snowmobile, all terrain vehicles, helicopters,ships, mobile communication), the other dealing with ever-changing landscapes (due to oil exploration) with hardly any mechanized support. This application is for fun ding of the phase of my doctoral research which involves the reindeer herding Sami in Norway. This phase constitutes of research at the Sami Centre at the University of Tromso, interviews with herders, participant observation during a reindeer migration, as well as writing up of the results.

Funding scheme:

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu