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Accepted Paper:
The many meanings of the countryside
Maria Vanha-Similä
(University of Jyväskylä)
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new interest in the countryside. Statistics afford important information on rural change, but oral history research provides information on people´s everyday lives, experiences, and expectations.
Paper long abstract:
Finland is one of the most rural of the OECD countries. In recent decades, people have moved from the countryside to the cities. The countryside can also be important for urban dwellers. Finland urbanized quite late, so many people have experience of living in the countryside. Nostalgia is part of many rural memories.
The pandemic period has led people to turn their attention to the countryside. There are also many types of countryside: villages far from everything, villages near towns and cities.
The paper discusses the different meanings of the countryside. The analysis is based on written memories focusing on rural experiences. I pay attention to how people describe the impact of countryside on their lives, even if they live in urban environments. In my presentation I focus especially on experiences and memories of food.