Category
Topic
Year
Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism
Keywords: ethnography, ethnology, nationalism, history of science, Estonian National Museum
The article analyses the relations between Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism ever since the discipline was born until the present day.
Although Estonians had already been of ethnographic interest to some Baltic-German and Russian intellectuals since the late 18th century, Estonian ethnography proper, which has always been mainly concentrated on the material aspect of Estonian folk culture, was not born until the turn of the 20th century, hand in hand with Estonian nationalism. As Estonians belonged to the so-called peoples without history, the intellectuals who started to build a modern Estonian nation…
The article analyses the relations between Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism ever since the discipline was born until the present day.
Although Estonians had already been of ethnographic interest to some Baltic-German and Russian intellectuals since the late 18th century, Estonian ethnography proper, which has always been mainly concentrated on the material aspect of Estonian folk culture, was not born until the turn of the 20th century, hand in hand with Estonian nationalism. As Estonians belonged to the so-called peoples without history, the intellectuals who started to build a modern Estonian nation…
Sovietisation as a preservative for Estonian national folkloristics
Keywords: Sovietisation, Stalinism, research policy, national sciences, folkloristics, fieldwork
In the first post-war decade, Estonian folklore studies were, like the rest of the Estonian humanities, subjected to certain impacts of Sovietisation, which brought along not only institutional reforms but also changes in the research paradigm. As a result, the folklorists had to perform some tricky maneuvers with the words rahvalik ‘popular’ and rahvuslik ‘national; ethnic’, and to withdraw, for a period, from collecting and studying archaic folklore, which used to be the core of Estonian national folkloristics.
Estonian folklorists adapted to the changes so that without bringing practically anything new to the…
In the first post-war decade, Estonian folklore studies were, like the rest of the Estonian humanities, subjected to certain impacts of Sovietisation, which brought along not only institutional reforms but also changes in the research paradigm. As a result, the folklorists had to perform some tricky maneuvers with the words rahvalik ‘popular’ and rahvuslik ‘national; ethnic’, and to withdraw, for a period, from collecting and studying archaic folklore, which used to be the core of Estonian national folkloristics.
Estonian folklorists adapted to the changes so that without bringing practically anything new to the…
Literature, science and nationality
Keywords: national sciences, national identity, model-centered vs. object-centered approach, (de)construction, Estonian literary history, Estonian language
The essay asks what are the relations, if any, between Estonian literary history and the (de)construction of Estonian national identity.
The essay looks at the humanities as sciences with a local object, which can be approached, however, in two different ways. The model-centered approach aims at contributing new knowledge to the model at hand, while the local material serves as a means to that end, whereas the aim of the object-centered approach is to reveal new insights into local material, while international models serve as means to…
The essay asks what are the relations, if any, between Estonian literary history and the (de)construction of Estonian national identity.
The essay looks at the humanities as sciences with a local object, which can be approached, however, in two different ways. The model-centered approach aims at contributing new knowledge to the model at hand, while the local material serves as a means to that end, whereas the aim of the object-centered approach is to reveal new insights into local material, while international models serve as means to…
Finno-Ugric kinship in the Estonian national image: A shared emotion or a fuzzy question?
Keywords: Finno-Ugric kinship movement, identity, Finno-Ugric peoples, research history
The essay is a contemplation on the role and meaning of Finno-Ugric kinship as part of modern Estonian identity. The focus is on the relations between Estonians (in particular, scholars and other intellectuals) and Finno-Ugric peoples since the early 19th century, as well as on the reflections of the kinship concept in the Estonian society in different periods. The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship actually germinated in the theory of language affinity, which emerged and developed in the 19th century. However, a scientifically hermetic theory can hardly function as a single component of either a…
The essay is a contemplation on the role and meaning of Finno-Ugric kinship as part of modern Estonian identity. The focus is on the relations between Estonians (in particular, scholars and other intellectuals) and Finno-Ugric peoples since the early 19th century, as well as on the reflections of the kinship concept in the Estonian society in different periods. The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship actually germinated in the theory of language affinity, which emerged and developed in the 19th century. However, a scientifically hermetic theory can hardly function as a single component of either a…
Literary studies and the nation – sense and sensibility
Keywords: literary studies, humanities, nationalism, academic publishing and administration
The “societal impact” of Estonian literary studies on political and cultural nationalism (nation building, national discourse) has not been as big as corresponding impact of historiography, archeology, folkloristics, and linguistics, not mentioning literature itself. Disciplines dealing with ethnogenesis and political history have contributed more to the national narrative. On the other hand, national sentiments have probably had even bigger influence on literary studies than on any other branch of humanities. Large parts of the input (authors, works and other literary phenomena) and output (essays and their public) of literary research are national,…
The “societal impact” of Estonian literary studies on political and cultural nationalism (nation building, national discourse) has not been as big as corresponding impact of historiography, archeology, folkloristics, and linguistics, not mentioning literature itself. Disciplines dealing with ethnogenesis and political history have contributed more to the national narrative. On the other hand, national sentiments have probably had even bigger influence on literary studies than on any other branch of humanities. Large parts of the input (authors, works and other literary phenomena) and output (essays and their public) of literary research are national,…
The contribution of the student members of the Mother Tongue Society to the Estonian national discourse in the early 1920s
Keywords: national discource, language planning, language renewal, personal names, Estonian
The Mother Tongue Society, founded at the university of Tartu in 1920, became a leading institution for the development of Estonian as the national language. Besides its scientific and language planning activities the society initiated various campaigns to promote the Estonian language. The humanities students August Annist, Oskar Loorits, Julius Mägiste, Paulopriit Voolaine etc., who belonged to the most active members of the society, soon became designers of a terminological system for the discourse of Estonian national ideology. The article discusses their contribution to Estonian nationalism and its terminological aspect. More…
The Mother Tongue Society, founded at the university of Tartu in 1920, became a leading institution for the development of Estonian as the national language. Besides its scientific and language planning activities the society initiated various campaigns to promote the Estonian language. The humanities students August Annist, Oskar Loorits, Julius Mägiste, Paulopriit Voolaine etc., who belonged to the most active members of the society, soon became designers of a terminological system for the discourse of Estonian national ideology. The article discusses their contribution to Estonian nationalism and its terminological aspect. More…
Should the state be the only focus of language-policy research?
Keywords: language policy and planning (LLP), language, policy, state, globalization, Estonia
The article examines, and questions, the centering of the state as the primary language policy actor particularly in the context of Estonia. In responding to several paradigmatic shifts in the field of language policy and planning, including a critical turn that shifted researchers’ attention to language users, the authors explore the multiple expressions of language policy and introduce language policy actors other than the state. The article opens with an introduction to the core concepts of language, policy, and state with attention to the multiple interpretations and examples that challenge…
The article examines, and questions, the centering of the state as the primary language policy actor particularly in the context of Estonia. In responding to several paradigmatic shifts in the field of language policy and planning, including a critical turn that shifted researchers’ attention to language users, the authors explore the multiple expressions of language policy and introduce language policy actors other than the state. The article opens with an introduction to the core concepts of language, policy, and state with attention to the multiple interpretations and examples that challenge…
Estonians’ own historical research
Keywords: historical writing, historical research, Estonian history
The article addresses some recent discussions on the relations between historical research and national interests in Estonia. In a general case, professional historians and the public have approached the problem differently. By the public, scholarly discussions on different scientific approaches as well as on whether this or that publication is fully based on professional standards or not have sometimes been interpreted as political debates. Well-known examples are the analysis of 13th-century Estonian history in the historical context of the Crusades, or evaluation of the activities of President Konstantin Päts in the 1930s. Due to…
The article addresses some recent discussions on the relations between historical research and national interests in Estonia. In a general case, professional historians and the public have approached the problem differently. By the public, scholarly discussions on different scientific approaches as well as on whether this or that publication is fully based on professional standards or not have sometimes been interpreted as political debates. Well-known examples are the analysis of 13th-century Estonian history in the historical context of the Crusades, or evaluation of the activities of President Konstantin Päts in the 1930s. Due to…
Is there a place for a nation in a linguist’s brain?
Keywords: linguistics, ethnos, nation state, Estonian
The article discusses whether a linguist’s attitude to language as an object of research may entail a valorising attitude to a language community, its past, present and future. Typical proportions and relations between the analytical and ethnic approaches to the language are broken down by periods of research of Estonian, language components and schools of linguistics. The functions of linguistics in a nation state are also pointed out.
Helle Metslang (b. 1950), PhD, University of Tartu, Professor of Modern Estonian Language, helle.metslang@ut.ee
The article discusses whether a linguist’s attitude to language as an object of research may entail a valorising attitude to a language community, its past, present and future. Typical proportions and relations between the analytical and ethnic approaches to the language are broken down by periods of research of Estonian, language components and schools of linguistics. The functions of linguistics in a nation state are also pointed out.
Helle Metslang (b. 1950), PhD, University of Tartu, Professor of Modern Estonian Language, helle.metslang@ut.ee
Making the nations: A humanities point of view
Keywords: nations, nationalism, national disciplines, humanities
This essay aims to offer a framework for discussing relations between nationalism and humanities. Nation-creation is a constant process, even if its intensity can vary over time. In this essay, four aspects of the process of nation creation from humanities perspective are examined: how nations are made through narration, performance, visualization and research.
Inspiring stories help create nations and keep them together. A nation is intrinsically a narrative community, whose identity is largely based on “stories to live by”. Narrative patterns allow a nation to see itself as continuous, and agglutinate separate events into a meaningful…
This essay aims to offer a framework for discussing relations between nationalism and humanities. Nation-creation is a constant process, even if its intensity can vary over time. In this essay, four aspects of the process of nation creation from humanities perspective are examined: how nations are made through narration, performance, visualization and research.
Inspiring stories help create nations and keep them together. A nation is intrinsically a narrative community, whose identity is largely based on “stories to live by”. Narrative patterns allow a nation to see itself as continuous, and agglutinate separate events into a meaningful…
To be and to work as an Estonian
Keywords: imagined communities, civic nationalism, Fridebert Tuglas
The article deals with the relevance of the idea of the nation in the contemporary Estonian public debate about language, culture and and belonging. It first offers a brief overview of the most important contemporary theories of nationalism and argues that in the recent decade the critical humanities internationally have seen their role in the critical reflection and in the political critique of different ways of imagining the nation. The article then moves on to examine the current Estonian public debate which is often mistakenly framed as an opposition between nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Instead,…
The article deals with the relevance of the idea of the nation in the contemporary Estonian public debate about language, culture and and belonging. It first offers a brief overview of the most important contemporary theories of nationalism and argues that in the recent decade the critical humanities internationally have seen their role in the critical reflection and in the political critique of different ways of imagining the nation. The article then moves on to examine the current Estonian public debate which is often mistakenly framed as an opposition between nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Instead,…
The depiction of war in modern Estonian literature
Keywords: war literature, representations of war, modern Estonian literature, Leo Kunnas
Unlike the traditional Estonian papers on war literature, which mainly deal with the so-called two big wars of the 20th century, the focus of this article lies on more recent wars and conflicts and their representations in modern Estonian literature, with closer attention to the works of Leo Kunnas. Modern Estonian literature is rich in war themes and representations of various conflicts (e.g. the Soviet-Afghan War, social upheavals, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hypothetical wars of the future, an abstract threat of war) while their genre diversity is also considerable…
Unlike the traditional Estonian papers on war literature, which mainly deal with the so-called two big wars of the 20th century, the focus of this article lies on more recent wars and conflicts and their representations in modern Estonian literature, with closer attention to the works of Leo Kunnas. Modern Estonian literature is rich in war themes and representations of various conflicts (e.g. the Soviet-Afghan War, social upheavals, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hypothetical wars of the future, an abstract threat of war) while their genre diversity is also considerable…
On the dictionary of Estonian surnames
Keywords: onomastics, surnames, dictionaries, etymology
In 2016 a new project was started aiming at compiling a dictionary of Estonian surnames. Most of the Estonian surnames were given in 1826–1834, while a significant part of the surnames were Estonianized in the 1920s and 1930s. The dictionary will comprise about 6 000 surnames that are selected based on the frequency of surnames in the Estonian population register (in order to be included the frequency has to be 30 or more) and the availability of historical records (only names given in Estonia will be included). Besides etymology, a surname entry will include data on…
In 2016 a new project was started aiming at compiling a dictionary of Estonian surnames. Most of the Estonian surnames were given in 1826–1834, while a significant part of the surnames were Estonianized in the 1920s and 1930s. The dictionary will comprise about 6 000 surnames that are selected based on the frequency of surnames in the Estonian population register (in order to be included the frequency has to be 30 or more) and the availability of historical records (only names given in Estonia will be included). Besides etymology, a surname entry will include data on…
Eventful life stories
Keywords: life stories, memory, autobiography, narrativity, World War II in Estonia
This paper focuses on a contextual analysis of a 250-page manuscript life story written by an Estonian man born in 1921, who survived mobilization into both World War II occupation armies, subsequent imprisonment in the Siberian Gulag, and later, after a failed escape attempt, several years of imprisonment and resettlement in the Kolyma mining district in the Far East. The text was submitted posthumously to an Estonian life story collection competition in 2004. In this paper, Erich Arak’s manuscript is used as an example to develop the concept of an…
This paper focuses on a contextual analysis of a 250-page manuscript life story written by an Estonian man born in 1921, who survived mobilization into both World War II occupation armies, subsequent imprisonment in the Siberian Gulag, and later, after a failed escape attempt, several years of imprisonment and resettlement in the Kolyma mining district in the Far East. The text was submitted posthumously to an Estonian life story collection competition in 2004. In this paper, Erich Arak’s manuscript is used as an example to develop the concept of an…