The island monastery of Valaam in Finnish homeland tourism: Constructing a 'Thirdspace in the Russian Borderlands

Mikula, MH

The island monastery of Valaam in Finnish homeland tourism: Constructing a 'Thirdspace in the Russian Borderlands

Mikula, MH

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Publisher:: Geographical Society of Finland
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Fennia, 2013, 191 (1), pp. 14 - 24
Issue Date:: 2013-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Mikula, MH	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Fennia, 2013, 191 (1), pp. 14 - 24	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0015-0010	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/23975
dc.description.abstract	The Orthodox island monastery of Valaam in Russian Karelia is today a popular destination for Finnish tourists visiting Russias western borderlands. Many of these tourists are descendants of the Karelians who had evacuated the area following World War II. The monasterys institutionally sanctioned genealogies construct it as the civilizing force, which had brought Christian enlightenment to the local heathen population. This discursive template is played out in the way the place is presented to visitors, with each highlight telling a carefully constructed story that promotes the monasterys significance for the Russian religious and national identity. Yet, drawing on lived experience, as well as on popular culture, family lore and meanings from collective memory, the Finnish visitors break the monolithic official discourse and produce a complex thirdspace in their own measure. This paper is based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted during a homeland visit to Ladogan Karelia in June 2010.	en_US
dc.publisher	Geographical Society of Finland	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Fennia	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.11143/7031	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Geography	en_US
dc.title	The island monastery of Valaam in Finnish homeland tourism: Constructing a 'Thirdspace in the Russian Borderlands	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	191	en_US
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Cultural Studies Group
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.volume	191	en_US

Abstract:

The Orthodox island monastery of Valaam in Russian Karelia is today a popular destination for Finnish tourists visiting Russias western borderlands. Many of these tourists are descendants of the Karelians who had evacuated the area following World War II. The monasterys institutionally sanctioned genealogies construct it as the civilizing force, which had brought Christian enlightenment to the local heathen population. This discursive template is played out in the way the place is presented to visitors, with each highlight telling a carefully constructed story that promotes the monasterys significance for the Russian religious and national identity. Yet, drawing on lived experience, as well as on popular culture, family lore and meanings from collective memory, the Finnish visitors break the monolithic official discourse and produce a complex thirdspace in their own measure. This paper is based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted during a homeland visit to Ladogan Karelia in June 2010.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/23975