In recent years, the Nordic countries have launched national truth and reconciliation processes to address the historical injustices experienced by the Sami people and other minorities.These efforts have brought to light the deep and lasting impacts of assimilation policies, cultural erasure, and systemic discrimination across institutions-including education (Norlin & Lindmark 2021).In this context, historical research takes on renewed significance.It provides the empirical and analytical foundation necessary to understand how past policies and practices have shaped the experiences and identities of the Sami and other minority peoples, and it plays a vital role in grounding contemporary efforts toward justice and institutional accountability in historical knowledge.Charlotta Svonni's doctoral dissertation, Utbildning för samer.Ambitioner och praktiker i nomad-och sameskolan från 1950-tal till 2010-tal 'Education for Sami.Ambitions and school practices in the nomad and Sami school from 1950s to 2010s', is a timely and essential contribution to ongoing discussions concerning Indigenous education, historical responsibility, and institutional change.Through an in-depth examination of Sami education policy and practice over six transformative decades, the study not only documents institutional ambitions and reforms but also interrogates the ideological frameworks behind them.It demonstrates how historical trajectories in Sami schooling have affected the possibilities for cultural continuity, transmission, and the assertion of Sami identity.Historical research such as Svonni's enables a deeper understanding of educational systems that have functioned as both sites of colonial assimilation and potential spaces for Indigenous renewal.Her work illustrates how educational reforms-though often framed as progressive or democratic-have frequently fallen short of supporting Sami self-determination.By revisiting and critically analyzing the shifting goals and practices of Sami education, the dissertation offers crucial insights into the long-term structural challenges that continue to shape Indigenous education today.Svonni's research is not only of scholarly value but of societal relevance.It speaks directly to questions raised by Indigenous communities, policymakers, and historical inquiries into colonial educational practices, policymakers, and historical inquiries into colonial educational practices alike: What happened?How did it happen?And how can we ensure that education becomes a space of healing, justice, and empowerment rather than erasure?This review will highlight the structure, methodology, and significance of Svonni's dissertation and its contributions to Sami educational history, Indigenous studies, and curriculum research.
Pigga; id_orcid 0000-0002-7722-9482 Keskitalo (Wed,) studied this question.