Christer Karlsson

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Vetenskap som politik

THE MAIN THEME of this book is the relation between science and government policy-making. In the centre of all three essays is Karl Bernhard Wiklund (1868-1934), professor of Fenno-Ugrian languages at Uppsala University in the beginning of the 20th century, and his research on the Sami population in northern Sweden. In the first essay, Wiklund's role as an expert used by the Swedish state for Sami related questions is examined. For a long time he was the only one with specific scientific knowledge in these matters, and as such he was frequently consulted by, for example, committees in all kinds of questions, cultural and otherwise. The second essay analyzes Wiklund's views of the Sami, as they appear in his writings addressed to a general public. His publications show that in writing the history of the Sami population, Wiklund is as much writing the history of Swedes. The development over time of the former is very much in Wiklund's writings presented as a result of the presence of ethnic Swedes, thus making the Sami dependent rather than independent in history. Nationalism is an underlying theme also in the third essay, which deals with the origin of Nomadskolans läsebok, a textbook written by Wiklund and used by children in the Sami-schools in northern Sweden. Its origin is characterized by a distinct idea that only the Sami living in the mountains had a future in Sweden as Samis while other groups of Samis, living elsewhere, were to be assimilated with the Swedes. Therefore the contents of Nomadskolans läsebok is directed toward the mountain Samis. The book ends with a bibliography of the works of Wiklund, presenting more than 400 of his writings.