“You Can Kill Us with Dialogue:” Critical Perspectives on Wind Energy Development in a Nordic-Saami Green Colonial Context

Abstract

This article explores Southern Saami reindeer herders’ experiences and contestations over state consultation and corporate dialogue during a conflict over the Øyfjellet wind energy project in Norway. Informed by a committed research approach and juxtaposition with findings from Indigenous peoples' territorial struggles in Latin-America, the article provides critical perspectives on governance practices in a Nordic-Saami green colonial context. The research draws on ethnography from a consultation meeting between Jillen Njaarke, the impacted reindeer herding community, and state authorities, as well as diverse written material. The study suggests that the state- and corporate-led “dialogues” displaced the root cause of the conflict, revealed epistemic miscommunication, and perpetuated relations of domination which limited emancipatory effects for Jillen Njaarke. The premises and discourses underpinning the “dialogues” further reproduced racist notions which devalue ancestral Saami reindeer herding knowledges, practices, and landscape relations. These findings challenge dialogue as prescription of good governance and conflict resolution in a context where democracy and compliance with Indigenous peoples’ rights are perceived as high.

Green colonialism and decolonial feminism: A study of Wayúu women’s resistance in La Guajira

“…Our final contribution is in advancing the discourse on the intersection of green colonialism and the coloniality of power within Indigenous territories (Fjellheim, 2023; Quijano, 2000) by critically examining how these systems manifest within the Wayúu territory of La Guajira (Barney, 2023). Our findings suggest that green colonialism is a novel form of exploitation and domination, with governments and corporations using climate change mitigation efforts to reinforce systemic oppression and perpetuate power imbalances in Indigenous territories.…”

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Arctic Indigenous Peoples and International Law

“…The project first broke ground in April 2020 after a fiercely contested licensing process. 45 The construction and presence of the subsequent windmills has compromised indigenous knowledge and Sámi capacity to continue traditional herding practices. Yet some litigious action has succeeded in halting such developments.…”

Neo‐extractivism, (de)growth and resurgent pink tide governments in Latin America

“…Going beyond this, conditions of extractivism can be found in the global North, from Extremadura in Spain (Zografos, 2022) to lithium mining in northern Portugal (Dunlap & Riquito, 2023) to wind energy projects in Saami lands in Norway (Fjelheim, 2023). At the same time growth remains the benchmark for policy construction in the global south especially when it comes to maintaining a political party's position.…”