[Bilimsel Haber] International Workshop: Indigenous Identity in Demographical Sources

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

International Workshop:
Indigenous Identity in Demographical Sources
September 29 – 30, 2006
Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,


Indigenous identity in demography is the main theme of an international 
workshop
held at and organised by the Centre for Sami Research and the Centre for
Populations Studies, Umeå University, September 29 – 30, 2006.

In censuses or parish records ethnic markers show great differences between
nations, regions and parishes and over time. The reasons for adding or not
adding, ethnic markers have sometimes been forthright, sometimes been 
veiled.
And put into practise the registration has been dependent on various
circumstances. Colonization, political and cultural processes have 
excluded or
devalued representations of indigenous people in official statistics. 
When we as
researchers want to study indigenous populations we are depending on the 
highly
variable way in which states or territories enumerate, categorize and
differentiate indigenous people. One of the intentions with this 
workshop is to
discuss the statistical construct of “the indigenous people”. We
welcome theoretical approaches on how to handle differences between 
genealogical
or cultural markers, groups and individuals and subjective and objective
opinions of ethnic identity. How have different social and institutional 
systems
defined indigenous groups, in terms of inclusion and exclusion? What 
were the
reasons for these decisions and how is this mirrored in the demographic 
sources?

It is also needed to move beyond simplistic models of ‘which 
people’
arrived first or second, as is often discussed in circumpolar areas, in the
press and in some academic work. Instead, we encourage contributors to 
discuss
how a set of ethno demographic tools can be developed which can be used to
categorize how households build themselves within complex ethnic and 
economic
environments. Along with how these factors can be read into statistical 
data. To
what extent can historical identity markers also mark social status and
profession? How reliable are the data and how do we control the reliability?

The workshop committee welcomes qualitative and quantitative approaches 
based on
historical as well as contemporary material. The Centre for Sami 
Research and
the Centre for Population Studies at Umeå University, Sweden invites 
scholars in
the field to submit a 200 word abstract and Curriculum Vitae before May 
2, 2006.
The number of participants is restricted to 25. The committee has limited
funding and encourages participants to cover for travel expenses while the
organisers will pay for accommodation.

Abstracts/CV and enquiries should be sent electronically to Per Axelsson
per.axelsson@cesam.umu.se

Workshop Committee:
Anders Brändström, Peter Sköld and Per Axelsson, Umeå University and Gunnar
Thorvaldsen, University of Tromsø

Per Axelsson
Centre for Sami Research/Centre for Population Studies
Umeå University
SE-90187 Umeå
SEWDEN

Phone: +46 90 7867195
Fax: +46 90 7867852
Email: per.axelsson@cesam.umu.se

Visit the website at http://www.cesam.umu.se