The consortium Towards Multibeing Justice. Humanity and Human Responsibility in Indigenous Societies (CoE of Multibeing Indigenous Societies), led by Professor Sanna Valkonen, has been granted the status of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) by the Research Council of Finland. The subprojects of this research initiative are led by Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Helsinki and Lotta Viikari, Professor of Public International Law at the University of Lapland.

The Research Council of Finland selected eleven Centres of Excellence for the programme period 2026–2033 through a two-stage application process. The new CoE entitled Towards Multibeing Justice. Humanity and Human Responsibility in Indigenous Societies (MultiBEING) explores humanity and human responsibility as they are understood and lived in Indigenous societies, and on that basis, seeks to advance multibeing justice as planetary co-existence from political and legal perspectives.

The research conducted at the CoE is based on Indigenous thinking and concepts, which are brought into dialogue with research in the humanities, social sciences, and law. The international research groups of the CoE develop the concept of multibeing justice that, on the one hand, advances an understanding of justice based on the Indigenous idea of being in the world as quintessentially relational, and, on the other hand, provides an opportunity to radically rethink the Western legal system.

The MultiBEING CoE brings together scholars in Sámi and Indigenous studies and international law working at the University of Lapland and experts in Indigenous studies working at the University of Helsinki.

At the University of Lapland, the CoE is hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences as part of the Sustainable Naturecultures and Multispecies Futures research community and by the Faculty of Law. The members from the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Social Sciences are Sanna Valkonen, Áile Aikio, Saara Alakorva, Anne-Maria Magga, Jarno Valkonen, Mikko Äijälä, and Stina Roos, while the members from the Faculty of Law are Lotta Viikari, Leena Hansen, and Kamrul Hossain. The University of Helsinki research team consists of Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Jelena Porsanger, Victoria Soyan Peemot, Francisco de Moura Cândido Apurinã, Outi Laiti, Nicola Renzi, Maria Fedina, and Riho Grünthal. Doctoral researchers will also be recruited to the CoE.

The research carried out at the CoE focuses on Indigenous political and legal systems, sustainable human–environment relationships and environmental practices, and consideration of Indigenous practices and values in national decision making and international law.

”This CoE also enables the continuity of the long-term efforts of Sámi and Indigenous researchers, the development of the discipline, and an ongoing dialogue with international Indigenous law,” notes Valkonen.

The CoE forms an international network of cooperation combining Indigenous studies and researchers of the Arctic region and the regions of Central Asia and Amazonia.

 “The underlying idea of our research is to examine how Indigenous thinking and Indigenous political and legal systems enable people to construct shared societies together with other beings. After all, humans do have a greater responsibility to ensure the good and equitable life of all beings, and it is this responsibility that we set out to investigate further,” Virtanen says.

The Centre of Excellence of Multibeing Indigenous Societies is the first Centre of Excellence that has been awarded to the University of Lapland.

 “The highly competed funding for the Centres of Excellence literally refers to first-rate research, which testifies to the high quality of Indigenous studies and the research carried out at our university. Also, it is very important to understand other types of societies and human–environment relationships and to strive to establish solutions for a more sustainable future based on them,” states Antti Syväjärvi, Rector of the University of Lapland.

The Centre of Excellence programme of the Research Council of Finland aims to enhance the quality of research conducted in Finland, to renew science, and to promote the societal impact of research. According to the Council, the units chosen for the programme are scientifically first-rate research communities that have capacity for renewal and high societal impact. The research communities of the CoEs are reaching or have already reached the highest international academic level of their disciplines.

Further information

Professor Sanna Valkonen, Sámi studies, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lapland, +358 40 484 4238, sanna.valkonen@ulapland.fi

Professor Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki, +358 50 318 2400, pirjo.virtanen@helsinki.fi

Rector Antti Syväjärvi, University of Lapland, +358 40 060 6244, antti.syvajarvi@ulapland.fi

Press release of the Research Council of Finland

Sustainable Naturecultures and Multispecies Futures research community