Arktis research seminar debates on possibilities and challenges of local knowledge
1.4.2011 14:28
The theme of this year’s Arktis Research Seminar is local knowledge and participatory research in the Arctic. The 9th Annual Seminar is held at the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi, on April 4–5.
Among other things,
participants discuss what participatory research means to different
scientists and disciplines or research fields and how it can be applied
in different studies.
The organizers of this year’s seminar,
senior scientist Päivi Soppela and senior scientist Elina
Helander-Renvall emphasize that the arctic research can no longer ignore
the local knowledge holders and their knowledge traditions and
innovations.
“Today it is widely accepted that science is just
one partner of knowledge systems and production of solutions in a
society. There is a need for broadening of a scientific and stakeholder
base through the acknowledgement of local knowledge and policy
articulations.”
Päivi Soppela is a program coordinator of the
Arctic doctoral programme Arktis, and Elina Helander-Renvall is chair of
the Arctic Indigenous and Sami Research Office at the Arctic Centre.
She is also one of the key note speakers.
“There are a number of
obstacles such as contextual, epistemological, cultural and synergistic
differences – imagined or real – between western science and traditional
knowledge”, Helander-Renvall says.
The seminar gathers together
Arctic scientists and PhD students from different countries and
different fields of research. One of the key note speakers is Dr. Iulie
Aslaksen who works as a Senior Researcher in the Statistics Norway.
“Participatory
approaches are needed to include diverse economic, ecological, social
and ethical values when assessing the sustainability of Arctic local
communities”, Aslaksen states in the abstract of her speak.
Other
key note speakers of the seminar are Professor Janne Hukkinen from the
University of Helsinki, Professor Hannu Rintamäki from the University of
Oulu and Senior Scientist Jan Åge Riseth from the Norhern Research
Institute, Tromsø.
In the seminar PhD students of the Arctic
doctoral programme Arktis present their own studies in relation to local
knowledge and participatory research. Researcher Ilona Mettiäinen is
doing her PhD research on the use of knowledge in environment and
regional development related strategic planning processes. Her current
case study is about Lapland’s regional climate change adaptation
strategy process.
“The main source of knowledge about the effects
of climate change is science, particularly natural sciences. In
addition we need information about what the climate induced changes in
the natural environment mean to Arctic communities”, Mettiäinen says.
Mettiäinen
will give a presentation at the Arktis annual seminar on climate change
motivated planning from actor-network theory’s viewpoint. The theory
has a different view on agency than social sciences usually have as it
sees also nature and technological devices as actors, not only humans.
“Seen
from actor-network theory’s viewpoint climate change is an actor that
has power to make a difference in the current practices.”
Arktis and Researcher Training
The
Arctic doctoral programme (Arktis) is a multidisciplinary PhD programme
at the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland. The theme of the
programme is social and environmental impacts of modernization and
global change in the Arctic. Arktis started in 2003, and at the moment
it has 19 doctoral students. It is funded by the Ministry of Education
and the Academy of Finland. The main joint activity of Arktis is the
annual research seminar every spring. The seminar serves as a forum to
students, supervisors and other members of the Arktis for scientific
interaction.
For more information, please contact:
Senior Scientist, Coordinator of ARKTIS Päivi Soppela, tel. +358 400 138 805
Senior Scientist Elina Helander-Renvall, tel. +358 400 138 878
Researcher Ilona Mettiäinen, tel. + 358 40 484 4273
firstname.lastname (at) ulapland.fi
The seminar programme
The Arctic doctoral programme Arktis
ULapland/Arctic Centre/ML
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