The Nordic countries face a colonial reckoning

When the Swedish Truth and Reconciliation Commission on November 15, 2023 handed over its final report to the Swedish Minister of Culture and to representatives of the minorities Kven, Lantalaiset and Tornedalians in the North Swedish town of Pajala, near the border to Finland, this was just the latest in a string of attempts to reckon with past and present injustices committed by the Scandinavian countries towards Indigenous Peoples and minorities living in the Northernmost parts of Scandinavia. In recent years, the truth commissions have been established in Norway, Sweden and Finland and historical inquiries agreed between the governments of Greenland and Denmark.

In this essay in Current History, Senior Researcher Astrid Nonbo Andersen explores the background of the recent and ongoing truth and reconciliation efforts – both the historical backdrop that have made Indigenous and minority representatives call for truth, justice and reconciliation – and how the processes are unfolding.