Ethnic representations and social exclusion: Sáminess in Finnish Lapland tourism promotion

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the complexity and multidimensionality of ethnic representations in tourism promotion. In existing studies of indigenous tourism it has been emphasized how the representations of ethnicity are created, implemented and filtered through certain cultural and ideological structures, connected to wider political processes of othering and marginalization. This paper analyzes the representations of Sáminess in Finnish Lapland tourism brochures by counter-reading material against the theoretical viewpoints in which Sámi culture and people are perceived as othered discourses within Finnish Lapland tourism promotion. Through the analyses of Sámi representations it is demonstrated how tourism brochures not only promote places but that they can also produce politically loaded discourses and present power issues that reflect the political structures of the surrounding society. The paper also discusses the social aspects of the prevalent media climate in ethnic and indigenous issues from a wider perspective and, furthermore, ponders in what ways these touristic representations reflect the general discourse of minority and indigenous issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Finland
• Lapland tourism
• indigenous peoples
• ethnic tourism
• tourism promotion
• Sámi
• representations
• marginalization

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Jarkko Saarinen, Vilhelmiina Vainikka, Eva Kaján, Miisa Pietilä and Joni Vainikka have also given useful comments on this paper.

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to thank the Academy of Finland's RELATE CoE [Project grant number: 272168] for financial support.