Living the Finnish Arctic:teachers’ stories of negotiating their cultural identities

• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Oulu 2021
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfioulu-202112149314

Abstract. This thesis centres around the narratives of five teachers who identify as being from Southern Finland but have lived in the Finnish Arctic for three or more years. Through their narratives, the teachers described their changing cultural identities whilst living in the Arctic and described a range of intercultural experiences that influenced them. The interviews were open to all aspects of the teachers’ lives, rather than purely their professional lives. From this a more nuanced understanding of their experiences was obtained. Cultural identity was the clear theme that became prominent through both the thematic and narrative analysis. From this a deeper understanding of cultural identities, through looking at the multiple layers of context that influence their development, was obtained. To support these findings the Theoretical Framework centred around cultural identities from a social constructivism point of view. A modified version of Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model was utilised to demonstrate the interaction between context, influences, and identity development. The main findings were divided into the three themes of Negotiating Arctic Identity, Attached to the Arctic, and Interacting in the Arctic. Negotiating Arctic Identity examined how participants viewed the Arctic with themes of otherness being present. Participants also reflected upon their own identity and how it is reflected in the place that they live. Attached to the Arctic explored how participants were pulled towards the Arctic despite a contrary migration trend and how they became connected to their respective communities. Interacting in the Arctic explored the intercultural experiences that participants outlined, both challenging and empowering. Integrated in these findings are longer stories from each participant to allow their voices to be heard with less intrusion from the researcher. These findings provide an understanding of where universities can alter teaching courses to ensure that teaching is culturally relevant and how ...