Glimpses on the Field of Ethnological Research
Abstract
The study of values, appreciations, and identity has long been of interest to the Finnish ethnological research. At times, it has been more prominent and, at other times, it has remained in the background. Examining these issues is tied to a social and cultural context. There is currently a lot of social and cultural discussion about the nature of Finnish identity in the context of the European Union. The central question in this discussion concerns the degrees of preserving an identity: will our identity be lost or will it perhaps gain more strength under pressure of "becoming European"? One very distinct problem has been the concern for the vitality of the Finnish countryside. The position of the countryside is naturally undermined by our own internal development, which is leading to the desertion of the countryside, while people and services centre in the urban areas.
