FPSA2025 Schedule
Keynote-speakers
Roundtable: Land, Discrimination and Sámi Rights in the context of geopolitical change and green colonialism

In the Nordic countries, discrimination of the Sámi and violation of their Indigenous rights often takes place through seemingly non-violent and neutral laws, policies and regulations which fail to take into consideration, or address the historical, structural and material conditions of settler colonialism and their impact on the Sámi people. For the same reason, Sámi insistence on their rights as an Indigenous people gets easily dismissed as irrelevant, misplaced or even as greed for “special rights” that others are not entitled to. Examples of such attitudes and interpretations are common on different levels of governance as well as in public sphere, including social media platforms, where discussion on Sámi and Indigenous rights, and especially land rights, often provokes outright racism and hate speech, leading to further exclusion of the Sámi from the public sphere, and damage to their freedom of speech.

Recognizing the centrality of land – the ace for land, need for land, rights to land and protection of land - this roundtable seeks to discuss the interplay of Nordic governance, discrimination and Sámi rights in the context of rapidly increasing land pressure and conflict. Ongoing geopolitical change (including militarization) and the so-called green transition/green colonialism are exacerbating colonial pressure on Sámi lands and livelihoods. Bringing together foremost scholars in these topics from Norway, Sweden and Finland, the aim of the roundtable is first, to build a better understanding of how and through what kind of legal and regulatory frameworks the growing corporate, state and military interest in the lands, territories and natural resources in Sápmi is advanced and legitimated in each of these countries. Second, we discuss their impact on the Sámi, i.e. what kind of discriminatory outcomes they produce; and finally, how the Sámi have resisted and what kind of challenges the resistance has to face, given the  Nordic societies’ general lack of acknowledgement of the underlying colonial history and persistent structures of discrimination and disadvantage. 

Roundtable chair: Laura Junka-Aikio, University of Lapland

Participants: Åsa Larson-Bild, (Saami Council, TBC) Mikkel Berg-Nordlie (Oslo Metropolitan University), Kukka Ranta (University of Lapland) and Annette Löf (Stockholm Environment Insititute

When: 15.4.2025 at 15:00-16:30

Where: Esko & Asko -hall with possibility for online participation.

Event link: Roundtable: Land, Discrimination and Sámi Rights in the context of geopolitical change and green colonialism

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Working groups

The 2025 Working Groups Are Now Published!

The theme Earth-sky worlds of politics has challenged researchers to examine the foundations of the discipline and ask: What do the key topics and questions of political science mean now and in the future, when atmospheres shape politics more than ever before?

The event has received a wide range of working group proposals covering all areas of our discipline. Explore the available working groups in the catalog below:

Työryhmät I Arbetsgrupper I Workshops PTP2025.pdf (updated 31.3.2025).

Call for papers

Call for papers for FPSA2025 has ended. You can explore working groups and presentations in the catalogue above.

Working group locations and orienteering in the University of Lapland

Conference room in which a working group is held is seen on bold after working group title.

Naming convention in the University of Laplad is as follows: the letter refers to wing where the room is and first number refers to the floor in which the room can be found. For example conference room A141 is located in A wing, first floor and D242 on D wing, second floor.

During FPSA2025 you can ask help from lobbyservices or from FPSA information desk in A-wing infront of Fellman-hall.

Map of the main campus

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Registration

Registration for the FPSA2025 is closed.

Participation fee

Anyone can participate in the Politics Research Days! Participation is free for members of the Finnish Political Science Association, members of the Nordic Administrative Union, undergraduate students, and session chairs. For others, the participation fee is €120 or €100 (for postgraduate students/PhD researchers).

REGISTER FOR THE FPSA2025 (registration has closed 31st of March)

After registering for the event, you will receive an automatic confirmation email with instructions, including how to book discounted accommodations.

See you in Rovaniemi!

Conference dinner

The Politics Research Days 2025 conference dinner will be held at Café Kauppayhtiö on April 15, 2025, starting at 7:00 PM.

Located in one of the few buildings in Rovaniemi that survived the war, Kauppayhtiö offers a bohemian and relaxed setting for reflecting on the day's events and meeting colleagues, comrades, and friends. The dinner option will be Kauppayhtiö’s pizza buffet. In addition to a salad selection, the restaurant’s chefs will serve New York-style pizzas baked in an authentic wood oven. Food allergies and dietary restrictions will be taken into account.

The dinner price is €25 per person, with drinks charged separately. Please note that the dinner should be paid to the University of Lapland’s account.

To register for the conference dinner, you must complete the general conference registration. If you have already registered for the conference but did not select the conference dinner at the time of registration, you can still sign up by filling out the registration form until April 6, 2025. (Registration has ended 6th of april).