Allemann, L. The sami of the Kola Peninsula : about the life of an ethnic minority in the Soviet Union / Lukas Allemann ; [transl. by Michael Lomax]. - Rovaniemi : University of Lapland Printing Centre, 2013. - 151 p. : ill., map, portr. ; 25 см. - (Senter for samiske studier, Skriftserie ; 19).

Lukas Allemann Foreword The Sami, the original inhabitants of Lapland, populate an area covering four nation­ al states, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Their history in the twentieth century was dominated on both sides of the Iron Curtain by fateful ruptures. In this context the recent history of Russian Sami, numbering less than 2,000 and living on the Kola Peninsula, remains poorly researched. For the period after World War II, in particular, only isolated items of research exist. It is into this gap that Lukas Allemann steps. His work is based on interviews with five Sami women between 2006 and 2008. Starting from these, he sets out to explore the life world of people in their structural contexts. The personal testimonies are supplemented by an analysis of relevant literature. Lukas Allemann poignantly illustrates how the Sami's life world was colonized. Following the collectivization and the terror of the Stalin era, the resettlements un­ dertaken between the 1930s and 1970s, primarily for military and industrial policy reasons, deeply intruded into their lifestyle. High unemployment, crime, alcoholism and suicides point to the consequences of these actions. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Sami's living conditions deteriorated even further. Even so, a movement to reflect on their own culture has begun. Lukas Allemann has succeeded in achieving a new look at the life of the Sami. The story of this numerically small population shows in exemplary fashion the re­ venge that is taken when no respect is accorded to people's life worlds. Through the fate of the five women and their environment we can begin to understand how their daily lives looked, and how they dealt with the fundamental changes in their lives. Lukas Allemann's exemplary study will hopefully reach a large audience and inspire further research along similar lines. Emeritus Professor of Eastern European and Contemporary General History Dr. Heiko Haumann University of Basel Senter for samiske studier, Skriftserie nr. 19 |(c c )E — 1 BY