Paper short abstract:

By attending to the changing roles, representations, and receptions of Ingrian folklore and historical memories of Ingrians in Finland the paper analyzes how ideologies concerning folklore and memory connect to highly selective and exclusive processes behind cultural relevance and solidarity.

Paper long abstract:

Ingria was a historically multicultural region surrounding the present day city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, inhabited by various ethnic groups including Izhorians, Votes, Finns, Russians, Germans, and Estonians. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Ingria and Ingrians (typically understood as Finns or Izhorians), were ascribed a role in constructing the Finnish nation through folklore. At the time, members of the emerging Finnish intelligentsia wrote down oral folk poetry sang by rural people in Finland but also from Ingria and Karelia, areas located outside of Finnish borders. This folklore was imagined to represent and testify to the existence of the ancient unified Finnish culture and nation. Later in the 20th century, Ingrians suffered from Stalinist repression and multiple displacements leading to the dispersion of Ingrian communities. In Finland, the public acknowledgement, societal and political relevance, as well as perceived significance of these experiences has fluctuated several times over the course of decades. This paper analyzes the changing roles, representations, and receptions of Ingrian folklore and historical memories of Ingrians in Finland from the perspective of relatability and memorability. By drawing from my research on Ingrian literary testimonies and their reception in Finland as well as on the recent museum exhibition on the persecution history of Ingrians, I will show how understandings and ideologies concerning folklore and memory connect to highly selective and exclusive processes behind cultural and aesthetic relevance as well as sense of solidarity.