Ethnic remigration from the former Soviet Union to Finland - patterns of ethic identity and acculturation among the Ingrian Finns
Keywords:
ethnic remigration, Ingrian Finns, Soviet Union, remigration policy, ethnic identity, psychological acculturation, integration, age groups, nationality, citizenship, FinlandAbstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the patterns of psychological acculturation and ethnic identity of Ingrian Finns - the remigrants from the former Soviet Union - in Finland. The article is based on a study that focused on finding out the relationship between objective criteria of ethnic identity (language, nationality, citizenship, religion) and subjective ethnic identity (self-identification, commitment) in a certain social context. The relationship between acculturation attitudes and psychological well-being was also studied. The approach of the study was qualitative, the methods used were in-depth interviews, and participant observation. The sample consisted of 40 adult Ingrian Finns living in Finland and 10 leaders of the Ingrian Association in St. Petersburg and the Ingrian Church. The results suggest that different age groups have different ethnic self-perceptions. Younger remigrants identify themselves mostly as Russians or Estonians depending on which linguistic and social environment they have lived in. Middle-aged Ingrian Finns are dealing with identity conflict: they have problems in identifying themselves ethnically and also difficulties in integrating into the Finnish society.
