Bunikowski on Sámi Reindeer Husbandry and Its Legal, Philosophical, and Cultural-Anthropological Dimensions

Dawid Bunikowski, University of Eastern Finland Law School; Cardiff University, Centre for Law and Religion; and University of the Arctice, has published Sámi Reindeer Husbandry - Legal-Philosophical and Cultural-Anthropological Dimensions. Here is the abstract.

In this short statement, I claim that it is impossible to understand what reindeer husbandry means for the Sámi people without good understanding of the Sámi laws, culture, philosophy, and cosmology. The aim is to shed some light on Sámi reindeer husbandry from the point of view of philosophy, anthropology, culture, and law. However, my point of view is Western and legal-philosophical-anthropological. As a non-Sámi but Western scholar, the philosopher of law, I may only try to understand them, their culture, and their understandings. Thus, as much as possible, Western scholars should follow narratives and language of some chosen Sámi scholars and herders in this respect. However, in this paper I also follow my reason, which is deeply rooted in Western traditions and intellectual heritage, and this kind of way of interpretation of facts.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.