Ethnofuturism and Place-Making : Bengt Pohjanen's Construction of Meänmaa

The article examines the Tornedalian author Bengt Pohjanen’s construction of Meänmaa [literally ‘Our land’] through an analysis of a selection of texts in which the concept “Meänmaa” is used. Meänmaa refers to the border area between Sweden and Finland in the Torne Valley. The making of Meänmaa is r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Heith, Anne
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper 2018
Subjects:
ethnofuturism
place-making
Meänmaa
Tornedalian identity formation
ethnicity
minority status
Meänkieli
General Literature Studies
Litteraturvetenskap
Journal of Northern Studies
meänkieli
Online Access:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-152178
Description
Summary:The article examines the Tornedalian author Bengt Pohjanen’s construction of Meänmaa [literally ‘Our land’] through an analysis of a selection of texts in which the concept “Meänmaa” is used. Meänmaa refers to the border area between Sweden and Finland in the Torne Valley. The making of Meänmaa is related to ethnofuturism, an aesthetic program launched in Estonia in the 1980s. Its aim is to strengthen threatened Uralic cultures and languages. The conclusion presented is that ethnofuturism provides a framework for present-day identity formation and the making of a specific place called Meänmaa against the backdrop of a history of assimilationist policies and marginalisation.

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