Login

Publications  •  Project Statistics

Glossary  •  Schools  •  Disciplines
People Search: 
   
Title/Abstract Search: 

Dissertation Information for Zoe-hateehc Durrah Scheffy

NAME:
- Zoe-hateehc Durrah Scheffy

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Folklore

SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (2005)

ADVISORS:
- Henry Glassie

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Beverly Stoeltje
- Barbro Klein
- Paula Girshick
- Gyula Decsy

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: Sami artistry, identity, and indigenism in museums and markets

Abstract: This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the display of Sámi handicraft in Sweden and the roles that museum personnel and handicraft artists are playing in the modern construction of Sámi ethnicity, gender, identity, and nationhood. Through analysis of displays and drawing upon interviews and conversational walk-throughs in museums, open-air markets, tourist shops, and artists' homes and studios, my discussion highlights the cultural, economic, political, and artistic issues that both institutions and individuals are choosing to interpret and present, and the ways that handicraft artists are enriching the narratives created by the displays by asserting individual expressions and interpretations of ethnicity and becoming public voices for the Sámi nation.

The dissertation familiarizes the reader with Sámi culture and explores the colonialist, post-colonialist, indigenous, and Nordic discourses at work within the exhibition of Sámi culture. I approach handicraft as a creative process that draws on heritage and ethnicity, community, gender, and inspiration, and I then consider the act of representation as a dialogic action within museums and tourism.

The heart of the dissertation features five Sámi individuals working within Sweden: three men--Helge Sunna, Lars Pirak, and Thomas Magnusson--and two women--Sara Walkeapää Olsson and Lisbeth Kielatis. I present their unique stories, perspectives on handicraft, aesthetic sensibilities, and bodies of work offered through their own thoughts and words and illustrated through their art. These artists are featured in exhibits at the Nordic Museum ( Nordiska museet ) in Stockholm, Ájtte - Swedish Mountain and Sámi Museum ( Ájtte - Svenskt fjäll- och samemuseum ) in Jokkmokk, the National Museum of Ethnography ( Folkens museum ethnografiska ) in Stockholm, and the Silver Museum ( Silvermuseet ) in Arjeplog, as well as the Jokkmokk Winter Market. Each artist represents a different voice in the context of display. Taken together, they demonstrate the potential that diverse representations have for the narration of Sámi identity and culture in public spaces.

The discussion of Sámi artistry and exhibition adds new perspectives within the discourses of ethnicity, nationalism, indigenism, and tourism, highlighting the centrality of creativity, tradition, and innovation within the construction of personal and group identity, and privileging indigenous perspectives and agency in the public sphere.

MPACT Scores for Zoe-hateehc Durrah Scheffy

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2010-10-18 15:12:27

Advisors and Advisees Graph