Sara Næss Elleskov

What’s the work that you do?

I am a PhD researcher at Ilisimatusarfik studying how Kalaallit Inuit descendants experience the research and exhibition of their Ancestors’ remains. My work focuses on the social and ethical impact of research on Ancestral remains in Kalaallit Nunaat on living communities, especially questions of identity, memory, repatriation, and Inuit perspectives in science. I explore how research can be conducted more respectfully and collaboratively with local communities, adressing past colonial injustices in research of Ancestral remains and the epistemic asymmetries present in the field.

What keeps you going?

What keeps me going is learning about how my work as a researcher has real impact. I want to acknowledge the responsibility and authority that comes with producing knowledge and shaping how research is carried out and understood. My position allows me to challenge harmful practices, bring Kalaallit perspectives into academic discussions, and influence how institutions engage with communities and cultural heritage. I want to use my priviliged position as a researcher to critically examine existing systems and contributing research that can create more ethical and respectful approaches. Being able to use my voice and expertise to try to make a difference in both academia and society is what motivates me most.

What’s your message to the world?

Research is never neutral. The stories we choose to tell, the people we listen to, and the histories we preserve all shape who holds power, whose voices are valued, and whose histories are remembered. I believe researchers have the responsibility to challenge harmful systems and forefront Indigenous voices and perspectives.