Finnish people's roots have been in traditional communality, and in times of great historical upheaval the population has rekindled the fire together and survived. Christianity and the co-op ideology, for example, have had a stronger impact on Finnish culture than the rest of Europe throughout the 20th century, and the changes that happened in
Postmodern identity
Identity in the modern age was characterised by attachments to communities and organisations that offered support: family, trade unions, cooperative activities, political parties, voluntary work groups and the Martha Organisation, which was founded in 1899 to raise the quality and standard of life in the home. Taking a flower as a metaphor, the roots of identity were deep in the soil of community, and the colour of all the petals could be deduced from the colour of one. For example, a clergyman most likely lived in the manse or a detached house with his family, raised his children strictly, read the newspapers carefully, and was probably a supporter of one of two political parties.
In postmodern times identities are typically untethered, which has become noticeable in
Personal means of communication help us to reach people no matter where they are. Postmodernism has introduced a new central way of encountering people, which is by nature asymmetrical: one of our many social roles encounters other people’s roles, all of which exist only in a specific time and place. For Finns with their communal traditions, this culture of interaction is not without problems.
Finnish change
On socio-cultural charts, Finns differ most from Mediterranean countries with regards to their reluctance to change. In fact,
Safety is sought in e.g. material goods, which partly explains the growth in sales in entertainment technology as we try to build our homes into safe private havens protected by belongings. Finns are still relatively hopeful about the future though, if economic factors are disregarded. Trends which have a knock-on effect on enterprise and independent initiative, such as a yearning for new challenges and a spirit of competition, have been decreasing for quite some time now, which means that enterprise and new openings are growing on less favourable soil than before.
Limited creativity
Social and political life in
Labour market practices are determined according to the operational model of public limited companies, which use every means at their disposal to run their companies in such a way that they do not receive any surprises. This mechanical way of working emphasises the managers’ responsibility for results - i.e. numbers - and the power of financial managers is growing also in
Finnish working life is not currently able to respond to workers' wishes for significant and content-rich work. Quarterly capitalism is often held responsible for this, but too little attention is paid to the lack of leadership and the fact that workers are no longerinvolved in the overall vision or strategy, only a narrow, unclear part of it.The situation is the same as if the dancers in a ten-member production would only know their own choreography and have no knowledge of the overall idea of and meaning behind the piece as a whole.
Finns are yearning for opportunities for self-fulfilment rather than resource orientation. As these opportunities become rarer in the working environment, will new possibilities open up to the culture? The prevailing situation is as challenging from the perspective of culture as it soon will be for business life. By looking carefully at people's socio-cultural background one can identify the drivers and mechanisms which are in this case linked to creativity. Creativity then is not specific to one's line of business or standing; the starting point is the idea of creativity as a part of any work, profession or lifestyle whatsoever.
Research into socio-cultural change has revealed that, according to socio-cultural indicators, the size of
Perspectives of culture
The economic situation and popularity of high and popular culture do not go hand in hand. The Finnish National Opera's financial problems, which came to light in spring 2006, are significant, while at the same time business directed more sponsorship at culture. Some of the summer season's mass events did very well, while others did not. The media enthusiastically covers events, spectacles and productions which have been made into products that sell well, but how dosmall-scale art and local productions and events cope? Does
Resource focus easily leads to the commodification of art and culture: anything goes if it can be put in a display cabinet or on DVD. Commodifiable art will anyway be commodified because the business world will in the near future be frantically looking for content from art and culture and supporting their transformation into products in its own way. It is therefore essential that art and culture are not reduced to mere commercial processes: if commodifiability is taken as a starting point of a work it will most likely have a withering effect. If on the other hand art productions are created according to the internal dynamics of each art genre, the organisation in charge of the production – enterprise, agent or cultural export project - can find real treasures, also with respect to commercial considerations.
But how will small-scale cultural production fare? It is possible and likely that the welfare state will widen its services from basic social services to services for communities and forums as well as making tighter links to communication media such as the Finnish Broadcasting Company. In order to create an atmosphere of creativity one needs to base it on a community and the trust felt in such communities, which serve as a fertile breeding ground for pilot and experimental projects, informality, independence and unregulated use of time. For that reason the media also needs actors who create platforms for a modern sense community; the Finnish Broadcasting Company could use television, the internet and the radio to create communality among different kinds of groups. Other media could of course do this too, but through the licence fee system the FBC would be the most natural provider of this kind of service, even though it would not be (immediately) financially justifiable.
As Finns become more wealthy it is also likely that a new generation of patrons will begin to emerge. This would be encouraged by bold opening discussions about the role of patrons and emphasising the social importance and value of that role.
The article was published in Finnish Dance in Focus 2006 by Finnish Dance Information Centre.