This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to... more This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to give an overview of how this kind of subjective dimension is present in the fieldwork diaries of Estonian ethnographers kept in the archives of the ENM. Ideas about the role of scholar’s individuality in knowledge production have transformed in the course of disciplinary history. In the early days of ethnology, it was understood that using appropriate methodology would provide objective descriptions of how things really are. Postcolonial and feminist theories and the discussions leading to and stemming from the reflexive turn made it clear that scholar’s personal background and characteristics inevitably influences both the dynamics and results of research. This article also stems from the understanding that ethnographical knowledge and the formation of museum collections always to some extent reflect the individuality of the people who created them, their subjective choices and motivat...
The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship is based on the linguistic affinity of the languages spoken by th... more The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship is based on the linguistic affinity of the languages spoken by these peoples. The fact of Finno-Ugric linguistic affinity was academically established in the 18th century, and this inspired further scholarly searches for historical links between these peoples. Not only material and spiritual culture, but also the study of physical anthropology was regarded as potential sources for demonstrating the Finno-Ugric kinship and its historical developments. The focus of this article is on the darker side of tracing Finno-Ugric connections through material evidence. The quest for knowledge included search for material proof and thus, ritual and holy objects as well as human remains were conceptualised above all as scientific data that was to be acquired by any means and regardless of the sentiments and ideas that the local people might have had about it. The occasionally gruesome methods used to gather evidence for the development of Finno-Ugric kinship demonstrate the power of scholarly constructions and ideas. In this, the early ethnography of Finno-Ugric peoples echoes the attitude and strategies of the budding discipline of cultural anthropology more generally. The idea of kinship did not have effect on the fieldwork methods – the attitude of Finnish and Hungarian scholars towards their Eastern kin remained colonial. Moreover, operating in the framework of imperial Russia and benefitting from this, the scholars can be considered as agents of colonial power.
This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to... more This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to give an overview of how this kind of subjective dimension is present in the fieldwork diaries of Estonian ethnographers kept in the archives of the ENM. Ideas about the role of scholar’s individuality in knowledge production have transformed in the course of disciplinary history. In the early days of ethnology, it was understood that using appropriate methodology would provide objective descriptions of how things really are. Postcolonial and feminist theories and the discussions leading to and stemming from the reflexive turn made it clear that scholar’s personal background and characteristics inevitably influences both the dynamics and results of research. This article also stems from the understanding that ethnographical knowledge and the formation of museum collections always to some extent reflect the individuality of the people who created them, their subjective choices and motivations in collecting process, and their relationship with the research subjects. Various sensory experiences and emotions shape the researcher’s impressions and attitudes in the field, but they also influence the interpretation of fieldwork materials and the subsequent analysis. Analysing the subjective bodily and sensory experiences reflected in ethnographic fieldwork diaries can thus broaden our knowledge about the context of collecting and contribute to the understanding of the process of creating sources and museum collections.
Since early 1990s foreign missionaries have eagerly visited the Russian Federation to disseminate... more Since early 1990s foreign missionaries have eagerly visited the Russian Federation to disseminate God’s word among the subjects of the formerly atheist state. Different Protestant denominations have been among the most successful in gathering followers. However, the Russian Orthodox Church and its supporters have not welcomed the evangelising work of Protestant missionaries. The present article aims to examine some aspects of the development of this relatively new religious diversity at the grass-roots level by analysing the role of an American missionary in forming an evangelical congregation in a small rural community in the Republic of Komi. Drawing on fieldwork materials, I intend to discuss both the missionary’s perspective and the local response to his presence.
The Role of Women in the Contemporary Religious Life of Village KomisО роли женщины в религиозной... more The Role of Women in the Contemporary Religious Life of Village KomisО роли женщины в религиозной сельской жизни КомиThe Soviet period witnessed a nearly complete destruction of official religious structures in the Komi Republic. There was no longer a single Orthodox clergyman or working church in the Ust-Kulom raion in the post-war period. This in turn led to the rise in the importance of religious rituals in the household. The importance of the role of women in religious life also increased.In spite of the fact that all of the people interviewed in the course of field work conducted in the Komi area over three years were born and raised in Soviet conditions, they are all – to a greater or lesser extent – encultured by the (folk) Orthodox belief. The primary ones responsible for this are mothers and grandmothers, along with other women of advanced age seen as authorities and matriarchs of a kind in religious matters.Old religious women who administered religious rituals in the abse...
Book review for the publication Gendered Rural Spaces. Studia Fennica. Ethnologica 12. Edited by ... more Book review for the publication Gendered Rural Spaces. Studia Fennica. Ethnologica 12. Edited by Pia Olsson and Helena Ruotsala. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society 2009, 158 pages.
Metaphors we work with: reflections of collection methodology in the Finno- Ugric expedition diar... more Metaphors we work with: reflections of collection methodology in the Finno- Ugric expedition diaries of the Estonian National Museum in 1975–1989 Art Leete, Piret Koosa Our aim is to examine how the principles of museum collecting are reflected in ethnographic fieldwork diaries. In recent decades, scholars and representatives of indigenous peoples have sharply criticized earlier modes of ethnographic collection and representation. The earlier acquisition policy was based on the understanding that ethnographers had a kind of prerogative to collect objects and that people had to relinquish their possessions in the name of science. By now such collecting practices have changed, but the analysis of the ethnographers’ earlier techniques enables us to gain a clearer sense of the historical context of museum collection. In this article, we study various metaphors related to museum collecting that we found in Soviet-era Finno-Ugric expedition diaries kept in the manuscript archive of the Es...
Body, Personhood and Privacy: Perspectives on the Cultural Other and Human Experience, 2017
In this chapter I discuss my experiences as a non-believer doing ethnographic fieldwork among eva... more In this chapter I discuss my experiences as a non-believer doing ethnographic fieldwork among evangelical Christians in Komi Republic, Rus-sia. While acknowledging the limits of objectivity, an empathic and impartial approach is generally still valued as a scholarly ideal within the principles of conducting ethnographic research and presenting field data. However, the attempt to hold a noncommittal stance in questions of belief is strongly challenged by the evangelicals. I will consider the interplay of my own and believers' motivations for and tactics relating to mutual interaction and examine the problematic that is involved in negotiating diverging values and understandings of the ethnologist and the research subjects in the field. This chapter aims to provide an account of an open-ended methodological sketch that enables an outline of a few trends within a researcher's behaviour and cognition while doing ethnography among believers.
This article addresses some aspects of the social tensions that have accompanied religious plural... more This article addresses some aspects of the social tensions that have accompanied religious pluralism that emerged in post-Soviet Russia. The paper presents a case study of Evangelical Christians’ attempts to position themselves as legitimate actors in the local religious landscape in the Komi Republic, where Russian Orthodoxy is considered to be traditional. In the first part of the paper, I will consider how discourses learned from the media are used to conceptualise contacts with non-Orthodox believers and what aspects of Evangelical practice and ideology seem alien to the Komi villagers and provoke reproachful attitudes. The second part of the paper discusses the Evangelical responses to criticism and the strategies they use to diminish it.
This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to... more This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to give an overview of how this kind of subjective dimension is present in the fieldwork diaries of Estonian ethnographers kept in the archives of the ENM. Ideas about the role of scholar’s individuality in knowledge production have transformed in the course of disciplinary history. In the early days of ethnology, it was understood that using appropriate methodology would provide objective descriptions of how things really are. Postcolonial and feminist theories and the discussions leading to and stemming from the reflexive turn made it clear that scholar’s personal background and characteristics inevitably influences both the dynamics and results of research. This article also stems from the understanding that ethnographical knowledge and the formation of museum collections always to some extent reflect the individuality of the people who created them, their subjective choices and motivat...
The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship is based on the linguistic affinity of the languages spoken by th... more The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship is based on the linguistic affinity of the languages spoken by these peoples. The fact of Finno-Ugric linguistic affinity was academically established in the 18th century, and this inspired further scholarly searches for historical links between these peoples. Not only material and spiritual culture, but also the study of physical anthropology was regarded as potential sources for demonstrating the Finno-Ugric kinship and its historical developments. The focus of this article is on the darker side of tracing Finno-Ugric connections through material evidence. The quest for knowledge included search for material proof and thus, ritual and holy objects as well as human remains were conceptualised above all as scientific data that was to be acquired by any means and regardless of the sentiments and ideas that the local people might have had about it. The occasionally gruesome methods used to gather evidence for the development of Finno-Ugric kinship demonstrate the power of scholarly constructions and ideas. In this, the early ethnography of Finno-Ugric peoples echoes the attitude and strategies of the budding discipline of cultural anthropology more generally. The idea of kinship did not have effect on the fieldwork methods – the attitude of Finnish and Hungarian scholars towards their Eastern kin remained colonial. Moreover, operating in the framework of imperial Russia and benefitting from this, the scholars can be considered as agents of colonial power.
This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to... more This article focuses on fieldwork as a personal, emotional and corporeal experience. My aim is to give an overview of how this kind of subjective dimension is present in the fieldwork diaries of Estonian ethnographers kept in the archives of the ENM. Ideas about the role of scholar’s individuality in knowledge production have transformed in the course of disciplinary history. In the early days of ethnology, it was understood that using appropriate methodology would provide objective descriptions of how things really are. Postcolonial and feminist theories and the discussions leading to and stemming from the reflexive turn made it clear that scholar’s personal background and characteristics inevitably influences both the dynamics and results of research. This article also stems from the understanding that ethnographical knowledge and the formation of museum collections always to some extent reflect the individuality of the people who created them, their subjective choices and motivations in collecting process, and their relationship with the research subjects. Various sensory experiences and emotions shape the researcher’s impressions and attitudes in the field, but they also influence the interpretation of fieldwork materials and the subsequent analysis. Analysing the subjective bodily and sensory experiences reflected in ethnographic fieldwork diaries can thus broaden our knowledge about the context of collecting and contribute to the understanding of the process of creating sources and museum collections.
Since early 1990s foreign missionaries have eagerly visited the Russian Federation to disseminate... more Since early 1990s foreign missionaries have eagerly visited the Russian Federation to disseminate God’s word among the subjects of the formerly atheist state. Different Protestant denominations have been among the most successful in gathering followers. However, the Russian Orthodox Church and its supporters have not welcomed the evangelising work of Protestant missionaries. The present article aims to examine some aspects of the development of this relatively new religious diversity at the grass-roots level by analysing the role of an American missionary in forming an evangelical congregation in a small rural community in the Republic of Komi. Drawing on fieldwork materials, I intend to discuss both the missionary’s perspective and the local response to his presence.
The Role of Women in the Contemporary Religious Life of Village KomisО роли женщины в религиозной... more The Role of Women in the Contemporary Religious Life of Village KomisО роли женщины в религиозной сельской жизни КомиThe Soviet period witnessed a nearly complete destruction of official religious structures in the Komi Republic. There was no longer a single Orthodox clergyman or working church in the Ust-Kulom raion in the post-war period. This in turn led to the rise in the importance of religious rituals in the household. The importance of the role of women in religious life also increased.In spite of the fact that all of the people interviewed in the course of field work conducted in the Komi area over three years were born and raised in Soviet conditions, they are all – to a greater or lesser extent – encultured by the (folk) Orthodox belief. The primary ones responsible for this are mothers and grandmothers, along with other women of advanced age seen as authorities and matriarchs of a kind in religious matters.Old religious women who administered religious rituals in the abse...
Book review for the publication Gendered Rural Spaces. Studia Fennica. Ethnologica 12. Edited by ... more Book review for the publication Gendered Rural Spaces. Studia Fennica. Ethnologica 12. Edited by Pia Olsson and Helena Ruotsala. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society 2009, 158 pages.
Metaphors we work with: reflections of collection methodology in the Finno- Ugric expedition diar... more Metaphors we work with: reflections of collection methodology in the Finno- Ugric expedition diaries of the Estonian National Museum in 1975–1989 Art Leete, Piret Koosa Our aim is to examine how the principles of museum collecting are reflected in ethnographic fieldwork diaries. In recent decades, scholars and representatives of indigenous peoples have sharply criticized earlier modes of ethnographic collection and representation. The earlier acquisition policy was based on the understanding that ethnographers had a kind of prerogative to collect objects and that people had to relinquish their possessions in the name of science. By now such collecting practices have changed, but the analysis of the ethnographers’ earlier techniques enables us to gain a clearer sense of the historical context of museum collection. In this article, we study various metaphors related to museum collecting that we found in Soviet-era Finno-Ugric expedition diaries kept in the manuscript archive of the Es...
Body, Personhood and Privacy: Perspectives on the Cultural Other and Human Experience, 2017
In this chapter I discuss my experiences as a non-believer doing ethnographic fieldwork among eva... more In this chapter I discuss my experiences as a non-believer doing ethnographic fieldwork among evangelical Christians in Komi Republic, Rus-sia. While acknowledging the limits of objectivity, an empathic and impartial approach is generally still valued as a scholarly ideal within the principles of conducting ethnographic research and presenting field data. However, the attempt to hold a noncommittal stance in questions of belief is strongly challenged by the evangelicals. I will consider the interplay of my own and believers' motivations for and tactics relating to mutual interaction and examine the problematic that is involved in negotiating diverging values and understandings of the ethnologist and the research subjects in the field. This chapter aims to provide an account of an open-ended methodological sketch that enables an outline of a few trends within a researcher's behaviour and cognition while doing ethnography among believers.
This article addresses some aspects of the social tensions that have accompanied religious plural... more This article addresses some aspects of the social tensions that have accompanied religious pluralism that emerged in post-Soviet Russia. The paper presents a case study of Evangelical Christians’ attempts to position themselves as legitimate actors in the local religious landscape in the Komi Republic, where Russian Orthodoxy is considered to be traditional. In the first part of the paper, I will consider how discourses learned from the media are used to conceptualise contacts with non-Orthodox believers and what aspects of Evangelical practice and ideology seem alien to the Komi villagers and provoke reproachful attitudes. The second part of the paper discusses the Evangelical responses to criticism and the strategies they use to diminish it.
Uploads
Papers by Piret Koosa