Youth in a Changing Karelia

This title was first published in 2000: The book is aimed at uncovering certain features of the future of Karelia, which is partly situated in Russia and Finland. The authors believe that this can be done by studying in depth the opinions, values, norms, beliefs, fears and hopes of young people living in two neighbouring but profoundly different societies: Russia and Finland. Young people are constructing these societies in the 20th century. The book is based on a comparative research project, financed by the Academy of Finland, which was carried out during 1995-1997 by an international, inter-disciplinary research group. The novelty of the book is based on the use of different research methods and theoretical starting points. One of the crucial questions raised by the book concerns the applicability of Western theories in research into Russian society and people. The analysis shows that many of the concepts applied frequently in Western social sciences do not apply in research relating to Russian specific culture. The book proposes that more attention should be paid to the challenges of comparative research.