The summer school program included lectures from different perspectives of the disciplines and field work for exploring the local life and culture of the villages. The key theme was the encounters of tradition and the present in the villages that are in transformation. The log buildings in the villages where the participants lived and worked were originating from the end of the 19th century. The interiors and objects reflected the time of the beginning of the last century, but also marks from the Soviet era and its dissolution were visible.
The aim of the summer school was not only the multidisciplinary study of villages and the life there, but also to develop educational models and methods that could sensitively approach the socio-cultural situations of the northern and arctic regions. The task of the participants was also to gather materials that can be analyzed to find sustainable solutions to the challenges of the environment, population, economy and culture in the region.
Photo: Timo Jokela, University of Lapland
According to Professor Timo Jokela, Director of the summer school, the most important principles of action are in cultural and social sustainability.
The international training model has been built on the network's multidisciplinary know-how in the areas of arts, humanities, science, ecology, anthropology and sustainable development. In addition, the aim of the development of the summer school model is to combine university research and teaching with the expertise of local museums, research and development institutions, says Jokela.
The partners of the summer school along the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Lapland, were Syktyvkar State University, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Uppsala University, Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and National Library of the Komi Republic
Funding for the summer school is provided by the Nordic-Russian Cooperation Program in Education and Research.
For more information on the thematic network, see here.