Abstract
Sweden’s dominant self-narrative has tended to marginalise its historical colonisation of Sápmi. This aspect of Swedish history sits uncomfortably with prevalent understandings of that self-identity. Indeed, there has been little emphasis on the historical subordination of Sámi people in political science scholarship on Swedish exceptionalism and internationalism. This article problematises this absence by centring the analysis on Sámi musician Sofia Jannok’s efforts to decolonise Sápmi through her music. The first part examines Sweden’s colonisation of Sápmi and the tensions between Sámi reindeer herding communities, mining interests and the Swedish state. This is followed by an exploration of the constitutive relationship between music, politics and celebrity, as sites of political communication. A two-step analysis follows, investigating the broad themes in Sofia Jannok’s personal narrative and the discursive markers defining her music and politics. The analysis shows how her narrative intersects with the discursive themes of her musical expression and other engagements.
Highlights
Sweden’s dominant self-narrative has tended to marginalise its historical colonisation of Sápmi
Underpinning this article is the ontological position that music and politics are co-constitutively linked and do not exist in separate realms
Rather than offering neutral descriptions of the world around us music provides venues for political activism and contestation by touching people’s emotions, souls and thought processes. In this piece I have focused on the musical and visual expressions of Sofia Jannok, an indigenous artist who is located at the boundaries of mainstream popular culture and the indigenous music scene
Summary
Scholarship on popular culture and politics holds that the two fields are constitutively linked rather than existing in separate realms (Weldes & Rowley 2015). The song challenges gendered and often misogynous conceptions of female beauty in favour of acceptance of different body types and looks Such musical interventions are located within mainstream popular culture with the artists having access to big record contracts, transnational audiences, recognition and star power. Sofia Jannok seeks to “denaturalise the dehumanisation” of her people through music which “has always been an essential part of the decolonisation work that Sápmi has undertaken for as long as I have lived and long before my time.” Blomqvist 2016, 2) In her view music can disrupt colonial narratives that tell the story about a particular community in singular language, and, contribute to “a more fair and true image of reality because it is told through the eyes of the ones who experience it” (Blomqvist 2016, 2). In what follows I unpack the discursive themes that prevail in Jannok’s musical and non-musical interventions
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