Titel
Hunting a ‘good life’: young lifestyle migrants in Finnish Lapland
Autor*in
Abstract
This article focuses on young lifestyle migrants in Arctic Finland, individuals who can be described as active agents of their own fate in having made a conscious choice to move to a place they consider worth living in. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, the study brings to light newcomers’ motivations for migrating to a geographically remote area and discusses structural conditions that support the process of moving to Finnish Lapland. The search for personal wellbeing and a desire to construct “authentic” lifestyles in rural environments emerged as driving factors for young people who consider moving to the Arctic. While access to nature and nature-based leisure activities proved to be the most attractive feature of the region, opportunities to work in the tourism industry, well-connected transport infrastructures and educational opportunities also figured significantly in the migrants’ decisions. Social media channels play a pivotal role as a platform promoting their lifestyle. In engaging regularly with young people who have moved to the Arctic, where they pursue their chosen lifestyle in a harsh climate with high living costs, the research challenges the prevailing argument in the lifestyle migration debate whereby middle-class people move to places with lower living costs and sunny climates.
Stichwort
Arctic immigrationArctic
youthlifestyle migrationFinnish Laplandyouth wellbeing
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:1953411
Erschienen in
Titel
Polar Geography
Band
46
Ausgabe
2-3
ISSN
1088-937X
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Seitenanfang
139
Seitenende
156
Publication
Informa UK Limited
Fördergeber
Universität Wien — uni:docs
Europäische Union (alle Programme) — 885646
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© 2023 The Author(s)
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