Work Packages
The main question of the research project was: How and in what ways will the Truth and Reconciliation Commission lay the foundation for truth and reconciliation between the Sami and the Kven / Norwegian Finns on one side, and the majority population on the other? This question was addressed in three work packages:
Work Package (1) The Truth Commission's Background (historical analyses and power analyses)
WP 1 aimed to illuminate the history and political processes behind the establishment of the commission, with the following research questions:
What is the background for the establishment of this commission? Why was the mandate formulated as it was? Work Package (2) The Commission's Work
Work package 2: The operations of the TRC
WP 2 followed the commission's ongoing work from its initiation in 2018 until its conclusion with a final report to the Storting in 2022. This work package is the core of TRUCOM and will answer three main questions:
What are the expectations of the commission? How do various interest groups and stakeholders mobilize around different issues that the commission looks at, and how does this affect the commission's work? How will the commission's work achieve its goals of "truth" and "reconciliation"? The research questions in Work Package 2 were answered through surveys, participation in public hearings, semi-structured interviews with key informants, and by monitoring media debates.
Work Package (3) Findings and Recommendations - Towards Reconciliation?
WP 3 focused on the commission's final report delivered to the Storting on June 1, 2023. The work package was to perform a content analysis of the report, analyze the connections between the commission's findings and its mandate, and see if/how the recommendations align with expectations. To do this, it asked:
What are the commission's findings in the final report? How is the report distributed and communicated? In what way does the report lay a foundation for "truth" and "reconciliation"?