Paper short abstract:

Migrating to the urban centres is regarded to be the normal course of life for young persons in many rural regions of Finland. This paper analyses the experiences of young adults from the remote region of Kainuu with settling in and adjusting to life in the vibrant capital of Finland, Helsinki.

Paper long abstract:

Finland is an outlier in the Western World, if urbanization is considered. It started later than

elsewhere, but happened very fast when it was under way. Out-migration has played a crucial role

in the process. It has to be considered that after the Second World War, most Finns were still living in rural regions. Today, the great majority is residing in the urban centres and rural areas are

struggling with depopulation. One region facing the challenge of rural depopulation is Kainuu in

North-Eastern Finland. It is also known as Nälkämaa, the 'hunger land' of Finland. This image

stems from its long history of out-migration, poverty, and remoteness.

In my paper I will be dealing with the experiences of young adults, who have left Kainuu for a new

life in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. I will be showing how those young adults from Kainuu have

re-invented themselves as urbanites, how they have adjusted to city life, what meaning urban

dwelling and life styles have for them and also how they negotiate their peripheral origins in

relation to the often maligning narratives about Kainuu and its inhabitants. I have studied this via

interviews and a participatory research method that enabled the participants to express themselves also visually. This paper is part of an ongoing PhD project about the experiences of young adults from Kainuu with rural-urban-migration.