The ApproFI Project
Welcome to our project website!
We are in the process of building and updating this website – stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks!
Our project examines the phenomenon of cultural appropriation, which in recent years has sparked media controversies both in Finland and globally. In Finland the appropriation of Indigenous cultures has particularly sparked scandals, as exemplified by cases involving imitations of Sámi gákti garments or the feather headdresses of Native North Americans. Although the concept of cultural appropriation has come to Finland relatively recently, Finns have borrowed symbolism from Indigenous cultures throughout the 20th century and used these visual elements in constructing Finnish identities. Our research team explores the kinds of meanings Finns have attached to Indigenous cultural symbols, objects, and practices at different time periods throughout the 20th century when borrowing and imitating them.
Using archival research, oral history, and yoik as methods, our project team aims to understand what is so fascinating about Indigenous cultures, and in what ways and for what purposes individuals and communities from majority cultures borrow from them. By focusing on Finland, we can compare differences in how and what is appropriated both from the Sámi community living partly within Finnish national borders and transnationally from Native North American cultures. Our project studies this phenomenon during the 20th century with three main objectives: (1) to map the changing and complex meanings associated with Indigenous cultures in Finland over the decades; (2) to produce new research knowledge on cultural appropriation; and (3) to clarify this knowledge for the general public to foster more informed and in-depth discussion. Rather than focusing on issues of morality, we draw attention to the ways in which appropriation, inspiration, and borrowing have occurred: Why have these cultures been sought after? In what ways has this been done, especially in expressing Finnishness? And how can we identify the difference between harmful and harmless use?
