Participation and Museums Featuring Sámi Culture

The purpose of this paper is to explore museum officials’ perceptions of participation with Indigenous Sámi communities portrayed in their museums. This study draws on Goodnow’s (2010) framework, which classifies participation in museums along four dimensions: access; reflection; provision; and, structural involvement. The findings are linked to Fraser’s (2007) social justice condition of recognition and its related affirmative and transformative remedies. Interviews with museum officials indicated that they adopted participation practices that reversed dominant narratives to create more inclusive spaces (affirmative remedies). Participants also influenced change in institutional structures (transformative remedies), such as allowance of tangible and intangible contributions from Sámi community members (provision), as well as, employment (structural involvement) of Sámi Peoples. Implications for further research are discussed.