Brown Bag seminar: Contemporary Arctic communities

The Arctic is sometimes depicted as an almost mythic region with rich but isolated cultural history and a uniquely harsh yet beautiful, almost untouched environment. However, this idealised view has very little to do with the contemporary Arctic and the people living in the region today. The Arctic is now inseparably tied to the modern global developments as the region faces increasing demands for exploitation of its vast natural resources that become more easily accessible as the climate and environment change rapidly. This creates global and regional tensions that have a direct effect on the communities to whom the Arctic is a home, including the indigenous Sámi people, who strive to get their voices heard in the decisions about their Homeland. What do the contemporary communities in the Arctic think and feel about the present-day developments? How could their perspectives direct the developments in the region and could this lead to a more just and sustainable future?
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Event information

Time

Thu 29.01.2026 11:00 - 12:00

Venue location

Stage, Tellus Linnanmaa & Zoom

Location

Linnanmaa

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Welcome to the first Brown Bag seminar of the year 2026 on Thursday 29th of January in Tellus Stage to hear about the realities of contemporary Arctic communities. The speakers in this seminar are Postdoctoral Researcher Helena Ristaniemi from the Giellagas Institute working with the Frontiers of Arctic and and Global Resilience (FRONT) profi theme and Postdoctoral Researcher Anna Varfolomeeva from the Research Unit for General Education.

Postdoctoral Researcher Ristaniemi will discuss Sámi youth activism and the emotional and affective dimensions of youth political participation. The presentation delves into the relationality of young people, Sápmi, and the Sámi community. Her current research specializes in affective processes through which Sámi youth co-construct naturecultural and social strength and resilience with resistance and everyday life choices.

Postdoctoral Researcher Varfolomeeva will talk about the importance of Indigenous and Northern residents’ participation in resource management of the region. She specializes in human–resource relations and post-industrial transformations in the Arctic, and currently she explores the impacts of energy transition on human-landscape relations in northern Finland.

The seminar will take place on Thursday 29th of January from 11 am to 12 pm at Tellus Stage on Linnanmaa campus. Lunch will be provided for those who register by Monday 26th of January at 12 pm. The seminar will be in English.

If you cannot make it to the Linnanmaa campus, you can also participate via Zoom. If you participate via Zoom, you don’t need to register for the event.

Note UniOGS Doctoral Researchers: You can add Brown Bag Seminars in your personal learning plan and once you have attended 10 Brown Bag Seminars, you can get 0,5 credits of doctoral studies.

Created 19.12.2025 | Updated 19.12.2025