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Interdisciplinary curricula on indigenous and tribal peoples' studies: A collaborative initiative between Finland and India

The Sámi inhabiting Finland and the other Nordic countries are the only Indigenous peoples of the European Union. At the same time, India is home to over seven hundred groups of recognized communities enjoying the character of indigeneity, officially known as Schedule Tribes. This joint project addresses common concerns of indigenous peoples worldwide, including Finland and India.
Interdisciplinary Curricula on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Studies
Participants from the Finland-India joint seminar titled "Perspectives on Indigenous and Tribal peoples from India and the Arctic: Politics, Culture, and Social Identity”. Swami Vivekananda Administrative Bhawan, Amarkantak, India, 20 September 2022.

The project titled Interdisciplinary Curricula on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Studies focuses on a consistent structure of curricula to compare the concerns of Indigenous and Tribal peoples from the Arctic-Finland, and India. According to Prof. Kamrul Hossain-University of Lapland , the principal investigator (PI) of the project, “ The curricula integrates an interdisciplinary approach from diverse disciplines, including law and human rights, anthropology, history, gender studies, international relations, and political science”. 

The project is a collaboration between University of Lapland and Oulu University from Finland, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), North Bengal University, and Sikkim University from India. This project is funded by the Finnish National Agency for Higher Education (EDUFI). 

Based on the agreed curricula the project builds a network of senior and young scholars from Finland and India to collaborate on issues common to participants. The partners have organized a learning satellite; a series of online lectures focusing on indigenous and tribal peoples' studies highlighting comparative perspectives from India, the Arctic, and Finland, implemented student and staff mobility plans, and executed India-Finland joint seminars. The collaborators have implemented two India-Finland joint seminars titled "Perspectives on Indigenous and Tribal peoples from India and the Arctic" held at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland on 27 May 2022, and "Perspectives on Indigenous and Tribal peoples from India and the Arctic: Politics, Culture, and Social Identity," held at the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Amarkantak, India. The seminars focused on similarities in addressing Indigenous and Tribal peoples' issues between the Arctic and Himalayan region. More information about the seminar is available here.

The project has also produced a short documentary film entitled Sherpas Amidst the Mist on the livelihood practice of a Tribal pastoral family in the Himalayas. More information about the project is available here.

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