Recent truth and reconciliation processes in Norway (2023), Finland (2025), and Sweden (2026) have drawn attention to the historical role of education in the assimilation of the Sámi and positioned teacher education as a key site for redress (Sønneland and Lingaas, 2023; Norlin et al. 2024). While official reports identify significant intergenerational knowledge gaps concerning Sámi histories, cultures, and languages, there remains limited research on how teacher educators themselves understand and enact the teaching of Sámi perspectives within contemporary teacher education. This chapter addresses this gap through a comparative qualitative study of 18 teacher educators working in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm (Schwartz-Shea and Yanow, 2013), the study examines how teacher educators make meaning of their responsibilities for teaching Sámi knowledges and shared histories, and how they interpret discourses of truth and reconciliation in relation to their local institutional, political, and community contexts. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically using an inductive, reflexive approach (Braun and Clarke, 2017). As a pilot study, the research does not aim for representative coverage, but instead seeks to identify common themes and points of divergence across national settings. The paper is structured around three comparative themes. First, participants described inflexible and crowded teacher education curricula as a key barrier to the meaningful inclusion of Sámi perspectives, though the nature of these constraints varied across countries. Second, persistent knowledge gaps among teacher educators, teachers, and the wider public were identified, alongside varied assessments of the capacity of truth commission processes to address these gaps. Third, participants across all three contexts described rising racism and political backlash. This shaped both institutional responses and individual educators’ sense of risk and responsibility when engaging with Sámi-related content. In conclusion, the paper calls for the development of Nordic- and Sámi-specific approaches supported by sustained institutional and systemic commitment.

Sønneland, A. M., & Lingaas, C. (2023). Righting Injustices Towards the Sámi: A Critical Perspective on the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 30(4), 588-616. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718115-bja10105 Norlin, B., Keynes, M., & Drugge, A.-L. (2024). Truth Commissions and Teacher Education in Australia and the Northern Nordics. Genealogy, 8(2) https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy8020068 Schwartz-Shea, P., & Yanow, D. (2013). Interpretive research design: Concepts and processes (2nd ed.). Routledge. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2017). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE