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Florian Stammler PhD

Institute Associate

Social Anthropologist, specialist in Arctic Anthropology, particularly the Russian Far North. Interests lie in theories of human-animal relations, anthropology of place and belonging, extractive industries and native populations, arctic economy, nomadism, indigenous knowledge, indigenous movements, northern industrialisation, centre-periphery relations.

Current job: coordinator, Anthropology Research team, at the: Arctic Centre, University of Lapland

Biography

Career

Research

Member of the Polar Social Science and Humanities Group.

Research interests are in the anthropology of nomadic societies with a special focus on reindeer herders, and on the consequences of northern industrialisation. Research projects have focused on the study of reindeer herding, fishing and hunting peoples of Siberia, looking at their adaptations to social, economic, political and ecological change. A monograph Reindeer Nomads meet the Market about the reindeer herders of Yamal (West Siberia) gives a detailed analysis of the people herding the world's biggest herds of domestic reindeer on pastures covering the world's biggest natural gas reserves. Current research focuses on the non-indigenous industrial population in the Russian North, investigating the dimensions of northern identity and attachment to place among urban Siberian city-dwellers. Particular attention is paid to the anthropology of place and belonging among relocated people in Siberia and elsewhere in the Arctic. This research running to the end of 2010 is part of the ESF BOREAS programme in the IPY MOVE project on the role of the state in population movements.

Research goals capture the dynamics of arctic societies from the points of view of local people. The interaction between the nomadic and sedentary parts of the population is a topic of great interest and high dynamics. The relations between reindeer herders and fishermen, oil-and gas workers, administrators and traders tell us about the nomads' adaptability to the changing conditions of their surroundings, as well as about the influence of the north on incomer-identities. The published special volume of the journal Sibirica (5.2, 2006), edited jointly with Institute Associate Dr Emma Wilson, is the first comparative analyses of the complex relations between indigenous communities and the extractive industry in northern Russia. The 'Ilebts declaration of coexistence' that was drafted by Dr Stammler jointly with Prof Bruce Forbes and research partners from reindeer herding, gas industry and authorities provides 'down to earth' guidelines of how indigenous nomads and industrial workers can live together on better terms in times of intensive industrial development of the Arctic. This came out of a research project of Forbes and Stammler at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, funded by the Finnish Academy.

More information on research projects available online at:

Nomadic reindeer herders

Running into an uncertain future: Lev Serotetto and the nomadic reindeer herders of Siberia.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork forms the most important part of the research work of an anthropologist who tries to participate in the lives of the population he studies, while at the same time observing them from an academic point of view. Due to the focus of our research on the interaction between reindeer nomads and their surroundings, extended fieldwork was undertaken in various regions of Northern Russia. Important for a better understanding of the local social dynamics is switching the lines, which means working and migrating with the reindeer herders, living with administrators in villages, with gas workers on drilling stations, with traders in towns, and also talking to regional politicians about their views and initiatives to make arctic economies more stable. Another important aspect of this partnership with the population of the region is not only to engage in extracting information from them, but to engage in an exchange with them, and to reach an optimal level of transparency of the current research. Engagements can be made with the local media (TV, radio, newspaper) to explain this research, as well as sharing other information and videotapes with local people who are interested. More recently interested stakeholders in Russia have also afforded to come to visit us to learn more about our research results and the ways in which interdisciplinary complex research is carried out.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork among reindeer nomads in winter: cold temperatures and warm friendships. Photo: Matt Dyas / BBC

Fieldwork carried out in:

Selected Publications

External activities