Abstract
An ecocritical reevaluation of the Kalevala and its contexts reveals the merging of nationalist discourses with a broader Finno-Ugric environmental aesthetic tradition in the period leading up to Finnish independence. Although the Kalevala and the nationalism it inspired led to oppression of the Sámi minority in northern Finland, analyzing the Kalevala as a “bioregional” epic in light of the environmental aesthetics of the Sámi joik tradition can potentially heal divisions created by Finnish nationalism.
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.
© 2018 Journal of Finnish Studies
2018
You do not currently have access to this content.
