Rausing, Sigrid; (1997) Reforming habitus: Identity and the revival of the Estonian Swedish cultural heritage on a former collective farm in NW Estonia. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

In August 1991 Estonia became, once again, an independent nation. The subject of this thesis is an investigation of the subsequent processes of reforming habitus, or in other words the changing aspects both of everyday life and of a deeper sense of identity, in relation to the Soviet past and to the new state. More specifically, the thesis investigates the local project of restoring the Swedish cultural heritage in Estonia, in the context of the social life on a former collective farm, which, for historical reasons, was the centre of the revival. The Swedes formed Estonia's third largest minority group before the war, totalling some 8,000 people, primarily fishermen and farmers. They did not form a coherent minority until the 1920s, when interest from Sweden led to various measures to preserve the Swedish cultural heritage in Estonia, and to improve the condition of the people. During the war, the majority of the people were evacuated to Sweden, and the ones who remained rapidly became assimilated to avoid discrimination. The present revival of the culture is analysed in this thesis in the context of other aspects of Estonian identity. Throughout the thesis, the relationship between the collective farm and the larger entities of Estonia and Sweden, is central to the analysis. Following the introduction, and a discussion of place, methodology, and context, the thesis presents a historical overview, addressing the question of the cultural heritage of the Estonian Swedes, roughly from the 1870s to the Second World War. This is followed by an analysis of Soviet notions of culture, looking particularly at the objectification of ethnicity and traditional culture. The thesis then moves to the local and ethnographic, beginning with a semiotic analysis of the post-Soviet changes, followed by a chapter on the restitution of the pre-war festivities, and the abolition of the Soviet ones. Finally, two chapters deal specifically with the restoration of the Swedish cultural heritage, beginning with an analysis of the events of the revival, followed by a consideration of its economy, looking specifically at exchange, consumption, and aid. The reformations of the present, including the contemporary process of decollectivisation, is predominately a process of normative and collective change, which tends to be presented as a national movement towards 'normality'. The conclusion, therefore, focuses on the notion of the 'normal', looking at the meaning of the aspiration towards normality in the context of the post-Soviet changes.

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