An Ålander amid the North Norwegian language debate
Tromsø, 3.3.2011. Petra Granholm is a project researcher at the Åland Islands Peace Institute within the ELDIA project- European Language Diversity for All. Right now, she is researching the legal status of North Sámi and Kven in Norway, but multiculturalism on Åland has previously and presently occupied her mind. petra@peace.ax The blog is written by the peace institute’s present or former staff, guest researchers, board members or invited guest writers. The opinions are the author’s own. At the moment, I find myself at the University of Tromsø of Northern Norway, with the task of writing about the legal status of North Sámi and Kven languages in Norway. As a guest researcher, I have the privilege to take part in the dynamics of this border region, both from a professional but also from a personal perspective. I think few of us down “south” think about how international and multiethnic the North Calotte is. Border regions are exciting, that’s where it happens, as we also know on Åland.Right now, there is a heated language debate in Tromsø. This is because according to law, a municipality can choose to enter the Sámi administrative area, which means certain language rights for the speakers […]