Unfolding Reconciliation in South Saepmie : investigating tourist actors’ understanding of reconciliation and their perceived role in a potential reconciliation process in Saepmie

Due to the lack of previous research on reconciliation in Saepmie and the fact that the tourism sector are a source of tensions in South Saepmie, this thesis aims at investigating how tourist actors in the Swedish part of South Saepmie understand the concept of reconciliation and what their role might be in a potential reconciliation process in the area. The data collection has been done via interviews with tourist actors in the Swedish part of South Saepmie and the results have then been thematically analysed. The findings indicate that the participants think reconciliation is a very complex issue, which is also taboo in the tourism sector. Further, the findings show that reconciliation can and should occur in different spaces simultaneously and that it is both a personal- and structural process, arguably contrasting the previous literature on the subject. Only non-Saami participants framed reconciliation as reciprocal in its nature. Moreover, all participants think that tourist actors have a role, mainly entailing knowledge sharing and cooperation with Saami villages. Some meant that bigger tourist actors have a bigger role than small ones whilst others highlight the role of the individual regardless of how big they are as a tourist actor. The Swedish state and the Church are perceived to have a role and must have their own reconciliation processes in order for reconciliation to happen, the tourism industry does not have the whole responsibility. The most important thing regarding reconciliation is that one tries to change one’s behaviour as an individual or/and tourist actor, everyone agreed with this.