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An Exercise in Sámi Philosophising: Indigeneity, the Young Child and an Ethics of Cultural Translation

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Conceptions of Childhood and Moral Education in Philosophy for Children

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Abstract

In this chapter I will think of these scenes—the translation of the sticks, lives in seasons of Sápmi and the difficulties of a life with words—to explore how philosophy is exercised by Sámi children and how such philosophising can be translated into further contexts. These scenes will be considered in relation to how children play at traditional Sámi activities and the philosophising lives present in such play. In doing this, I will also explore what it means to be a scholar philosophising from the experience of encountering Sámi children’s thoughts and lives. I will consider how such philosophical thinking is a form of translation and how philosophising with children can be thought of as being in a process of translation.

Dat ii leat nu álki/ garccastit dovdduid/ sániide

Dovddut/ máŋggalágánat/ girjjagat

Sánit/ vánit/ ovttageatdánat

It is not easy/ snare feelings/ with words

Feelings/ many/ variegate

Words/ few/ one-minded

(R.-M. Huuva 1999, p. 104; my translation)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As there are so many different editions of Thoreau’s Walden, I will follow Stanley Cavell’s reference system by giving the chapter in roman letters and the paragraph in numbers. For example, Chap. I, paragraph 7 will be (I, 7).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, School of Culture and Education, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden

    Viktor Johansson

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  1. Viktor Johansson
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Correspondence to Viktor Johansson .

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  1. Instituto de Filosofia da Nova, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Dina Mendonça

  2. Instituto de Filosofia da Nova, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Florian Franken Figueiredo

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Johansson, V. (2021). An Exercise in Sámi Philosophising: Indigeneity, the Young Child and an Ethics of Cultural Translation. In: Mendonça, D., Franken Figueiredo, F. (eds) Conceptions of Childhood and Moral Education in Philosophy for Children. Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven. J.B. Metzler, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64180-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64180-4_6

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