Rural Generations on the Move. Cultural History of Rural Youth, 1950–2020 (GenR)

GenR focuses on one of the most profound, yet overlooked social changes that Finland has encountered during the last century: the drastic transition from a predominantly agrarian society into an urban society. This cross-disciplinary project regenerates methodologies of history, youth studies, and rural studies in order to track the legacy of rural roots from World War II up until the present. Important cultural and social shifts in the construction of rural youth and rural identity formation will be identified through three generations: 1) contemporary youth (b. 2000–2004), 2) the middle-aged (b. 1970s) and 3) the baby boomers (b. 1945–1955). The project tackles a highly topical and incompletely studied in contemporary European research. Many Western societies face similar challenges concerning rural areas that have faced a negative trend following the financial crisis of 2008. GenR contextualizes the current development in a longer historical perspective