DIIS presents Truth and Reconciliation in the Arctic conference

The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions(TRCs) in the Nordic countries, Greenland and Canada share more than a conjunction of mandate periods. They all deal with historical injustices committed against indigenous peoples in the Arctic taking place in roughly the same period, namely the 20th century. Common to the Nordic countries and Greenland is also the fact that the injustices were committed by Scandinavian welfare states in their making. Characteristic to all cases is the role assimilation policies played: in Canada through the Residential Schools, in Norway through Norwegianization policies (fornorskningspolitik) and in Greenland, the Danification or Modernization policies carried out after 1950. The extinction of language and/or indigenous cultures and an attempt to replace these with modern Western lifestyles and the language of the state, is thus a common feature.

This 2-day conference, gathering experts and practitioners from all five countries, will explore commonalities and differences between the above-mentioned TRCs. Researchers from Greenland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark will present and discuss the TRCs and invited members of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, The Greenlandic Reconciliation Commission and the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation will tell about their work and experiences with the processes, findings and outcomes.

The seminar is held in collaboration with Ilisimatusarfik – The University of Greenland and Aarhus University.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use our online registration form no later than Monday 16 September at 12.00 noon.

A live stream will be available and does not require registration.

To learn more about the event schedule and to view the live stream visit the DIIS event page.