Motivated by the increasing recognition of the anti-colonial potential of teacher education (TE), this study examines how Finnish teacher educators engage with and understand knowledge about and from the Indigenous Sámi people (‘Sámi knowledge’). The research delves into the discourses, meanings, practices, and challenges the interviewed teacher educators express regarding the inclusion of Sámi knowledge to TE programmes. Thus, the paper aims to contribute to ongoing Nordic and international discussions about the wicked problem of ignorance about Indigenous peoples and colonial realities ('settler ignorance'), which is documented perpetuating oppressive structures and hindering Indigenous rights (Cook, 2018).

While the phenomenon of settler ignorance and its presence in education has been globally discussed (e.g., Godlewska et al., 2020; Taylor & Habibis, 2020), the issue remains under-researched in the contexts of the Sámi, the only Indigenous people in the European Union. The Sámi inhabit Northern European regions currently spread across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia. National truth and reconciliation processes in Finland, Sweden and Norway all emphasise the goal of better public knowledge about Sámi matters, underlining its significance in overturning the historical and ongoing mistreatment (e.g., Prime Minister’s Office, 2021). Furthermore, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance has repeatedly highlighted the need for education to address the profound lack of knowledge about Sámi people, recognizing mainstream ignorance as a source of hate speech and Sámi discrimination (ECRI, 2019). Acknowledgment of the problematic nature of transnational ignorance has prompted initiatives at both national and EU levels to raise awareness of Indigenous issues (see Saami Council, 2022).

In the Finnish context, the incorporation of Sámi knowledge into education depends largely on teachers, given the minimal support and accountability the curricula and teaching materials assign for Sámi inclusion (e.g., Miettunen, 2020). Sámi scholars Keskitalo and Olsen (2021) reinforce the interconnectedness of stronger Sámi education and Sámi inclusion in mainstream teacher education. Recognizing settler ignorance not as a mere absence of knowledge but as a cognitive, affective and social force (Cook, 2018), it has been highlighted that dismantling such ignorance necessitates proactive and systematic incentives and support at different educational levels, thus deeply affecting TE institutions (e.g., Somby & Olsen, 2022). Together with these conceptualisations, we apply Susan Dion’s (2007) theory of educators’ common ‘perfect stranger’ position toward Indigenous matters as we examine whether future teachers receive both Sámi-related teaching and opportunities for critical reflection, both of which they need to truly access the 'difficult knowledge' related to Indigenous/colonial realities. 

In a preceding sub-study linked to this paper, we discovered that Finnish TE programmes' written curricula often privilege liberal/nationalistic narratives over openings for Sámi knowledge or critical reflections on colonial responsibilities (Mattila et al., 2023). Given the influential role educators play in curriculum interpretation and development, as well as in institution-wide anti-colonial efforts (e.g., Parkinson & Jones, 2019), the perceptions of educators become a highly relevant focus of research. The work of teacher educators is complex and influential considering their multiple intertwining roles and the dripple-down effect of being the teachers of teachers (see Boyd & White, 2017). Through interviews with teacher educators from Finnish TE universities, this study seeks to deepen our understanding of the current state of teaching/learning Indigenous and colonial matters and provide insights for future TE development.

Finnish teacher educators’ perceptions of Sámi knowledge and TE’s role in overcoming settler ignorance are approached through thematic interviews. Thematic interviews are a compatible methodological choice for such a research problem where the subject of study is relatively little known. As the focus is on a structural issue such as settler ignorance, thematic interviews create valuable opportunities to explore not only the questions of whether/how Sámi knowledge is negotiated by Finnish teacher educators, but also go deeper into the why. The data will consist of 15-20 interviews of teacher educators working in different Finnish TE universities. We practice purposeful sampling, i.e., the potential interviewees are approached depending on their positions and teaching areas, weighting how relevantly their courses can be connected to discussions about the Sámi and/or colonial legacies. The interview data is analysed thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006), which allows for addressing both implicit and explicit answers as well as keeping interpretations data-driven. Thematic analysis is complemented by a critical discursive reading (applied from Critical Discourse Analysis by Fairclough, e.g., 2001), which helps to delve deeper into the cultural implications, meanings and powers that may underlie the interviewees' responses. We anticipate that combining thematic and discursive analysis will facilitate access to a deeper explanatory level, identifying the effects of national and international discourses and prevailing power relations. This analytical choice can also help avoid drawing individual-level conclusions; it is important to avoid ascribing elements of the widespread structures of colonial ignorance to the values, motivation, or expertise of individual interviewed educators. As non-Indigenous researchers working to examine questions and contexts relating to Indigenous peoples, we are committed to conducting research ethically, with methods and data that allow us to make our enquiries sustainably. We have sought the informed consent of the Finnish Sámi Parliament to the design and relevance of this research. Considering the collection and preservation of personal interview data, we are set to carefully construe and follow data management plans, in line with EU data protection guidelines and ethical scientific practice.

The interview data for this study is collected during 2024. Based on the current research phase, the data collection is still ongoing by the time of the ECER 2024 conference, but the research process, design, and 'key questions' for the expected findings will be discussed in the presentation. While we look forward to encountering 'unexpected' perspectives from the interviewees’ responses, international ignorance research and our preceding sub-studies allow us to outline interesting 'key questions' for the data and, thus, suggest some expected pointers. Interesting questions that guide our analysis and our emerging understandings of the role of teacher educators include; Do teacher educators' responses reflect resistance and/or agency towards Sámi knowledge? Do the answers reflect a saturation with social or (trans)national narratives, such as the 'exceptionality' of Finnish societal and educational equality or colonial 'innocence'? And do teacher educators perceive TE's role in increasing Sámi knowledge important in general?

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