ABSTRACT
In many parts of the world, ethical guidelines designed specifically for Indigenous studies have become an established aspect of research involving Indigenous peoples. The main aim of such guidelines is to address asymmetric power relations that have, for long time, characterized the relationships between Indigenous people and the dominant society, and to increase research accountability to Indigenous peoples themselves. Also in the context of Sámi research, the need to establish such guidelines, and the ways in which this could be done, have been long discussed, but forming shared guidelines and finding a way to supervise their implementation in a multi-disciplinary and multi-state setting across the Sámi homeland region, has been challenging. Chapter twelve examines how the task of developing Ethical Guidelines for Sámi Research has been approached within the Nordic context, and analyses the main challenges that have prevented the emergence of shared guidelines so far. It traces down how responsibility for the task of developing and supervising such guidelines has been juggled in different national settings between different disciplines, institutions, councils and boards, none of which has felt fully appropriate, capable, or committed for the task. In addition, this chapter will bring light to the work of a recently established working group in Finland, which is currently drafting a proposal for Sámi research ethical guidelines for the social sciences and humanities.
