Introduction
From the website: My name is Coppélie Cocq. I grew up in France (Flanders) and moved to Umeå, Sweden in 1997. I have a PhD in Sámi Studies from Umeå University, and my research interests are Storytelling, Folklore and Minority Studies. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in digital humanities at HUMlab, Umeå university.
My research project focuses on digital environments for language and culture revitalization, with the contemporary Sámi situation as an example. I am interested in expressive culture on the Internet and its role for the articulation of Sámi identity. Based on online fieldwork and qualitative data, I investigate how digital environments may provide a scene for creation and adaptation of Sámi cultural expressions and how new modes of communication manage to convey aspects of Sámi traditions and culture. Further, I am looking at how these may contribute to ongoing processes of cultural and linguistic revitalization in Sápmi (Sameland).
“We can’t save languages by collecting samples, by categorizing and archiving them. An application, software or any technology is a means toward an end – for instance, revitalization. As a means, it is not enough. Language revitalization is a long-term process. The key to language survival is in the speakers.” [source]
