The Sámi Peoples of the North: A Social and Cultural History

While this is a copy of the book that is in excellent condition, it's really not a very good book. It has quite a bit of disinterested research, but it is like a compilation of a lot of sources in somewhat mixed up order, has reasonably good references, but leaves a reader cold, without really telling the reader about the truly complex lives and history of the Saami people. There are several much better books by actual Saami scholars.

Excellent study of a people who aren't well known. I am using it in an anthro class I teach at a high school

What a disappointment. I wanted to learn about the people, what their everyday lives were like, what they valued, who they were and are. Instead I got dates, statistics, and names, all derived from documents written by outsiders.

book arrived in excellent condition as advertised

I purchased this book following my return from a trip to Finland during which I visited the Siida Museum (Sami Musuem), Inari. My visit to the museum had been very much time limited but had raised my interest in the Sami peoples. This explains my purchase of the book and is an admission of my former lack of knowledge on the subject of the Sami.I found the book very informative and clearly the information comes from an academic who has thoroughly researched the subject. I did find the style and reading rather dry and academic in places. It says on the cover ' a social and cultural history' and that is what you get and you also get many pointers to further reading.I've gained knowledge but perhaps I required something a bit lighter at this stage. I certainly felt that a printed map would have added a great deal to the book for someone who doesn't know the area of Lapland well. In my opinion if your really into study of this area you will really appreciate this book, if not, like me you may appreciate something a bit lighter.

Great read as part of my research for a fiction novel. But also in general, great to find Sámi history all in one place.

Loved it! So well written, hooked from the first chapter.

Livre intéressant, mais le titre n'est pas tout à fait adéquat : il s'agit moins d'une synthèse sur l'ethno-histoire des Sami que d'une histoire détaillée, souvent au niveau du groupe dialectal de leurs relations avec les Etats qui ont dominé ou dominent la région (Russie-Suède-Norvège-Finlande), et dont on peut dire que les extorsions, les tentatives de contrôle géographiques, les frontières, voire les mesures administratives spécifiques, plus ou moins dictées par de bonnes intentions, ont invariablement mis en péril la survie des communautés sami en tant que telles, sans pour autant réussir à les détruire complètement. Le livre fait également un point relativement détaillée de la situation actuelle, en particulier sur l'art contemporain. C'est un ouvrage qui complète donc avantageusementLapps and Labyrinths: Saami Prehistory, Colonization, and Cultural Resilience (Anglais)de Noel D. Broadbent (Auteur), Jan Stora (Avec la contribution de)Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2010plus précis sur l'histoire au sens strict, en particulier les modes de production anciens (chasse aux mammifères marins en Baltique) ou l'apparition précoce de la métallurgie en Laponie.

This present for my daughter-in-la was greeted with cries of delight because she has visited these peeople and wants to know more of their history