Weeping out Loud:: Embodiment in the Contemporary Lament Learning Process

Lamenting is a bodily experience, a means of expressing grief or sorrow, involving the shedding of tears and crying while singing. It stands as a deeply communal expression of grief and other profound emotions. This tradition is global and has been found in different parts of the world, from rural China (McLaren 2008) to Bangladesh (Wilce 2009) and from Ireland (McLaughlin 2019) to Greece (Caraveli-Chaves 1980). While some variation exists across traditions, a common thread worldwide is that laments have predominantly been oral traditions among women (McLaren 2008, 2). In this article, we look at the learning process of lamenting in contemporary Finland from a bodily and experiential perspective using somatics and somaesthetics as our framework

The change in the researcher’s position in the study of shamanism

Since the 1960s, shamanism has become one of the landmarks for a new way of life and a more respectful relationship of humans with nature in the Western world. Both researchers and practitioners regard the foundation of shamanism as being animism – an understanding of the connection of all living beings. The role of the community is highlighted in shamanism as the shaman is expected to work for his community. Shamanistic techniques vary according to the society or place where it is practised. In the study of neo-shamanism in the post-modern world, autoethnographic research has been seen as necessary, especially in order to explore the experience of the shaman. In this article we ask what has changed in the perceptions of the community in the study of shamanism and how this change has influenced the position of the researcher. Our article reflects on the resolution of the diversity and sameness through autoethnography, where the researcher is located not only in the experience, but also in its interpretation – which highlights great challenges in contextualizing the study, in writing on the concepts concerned, and indeed in the entire research process

Sounds of learning: Soundscapes - teacher perceptions of acoustic environments in Finland's open plan classrooms

The construction of new schools has undergone much debate as children and teachers spend a significant proportion of their lives in physical learning environments in schools. The school soundscape is central but often underestimated. In this study, we investigated teachers' experiences of soundscapes in two modern Finnish comprehensive schools by interviewing teachers (N=10). In addition, we analysed the data by the constant comparative method. According to the results, the school architecture influenced the soundscape and organisation of teaching. The designs of the schools encouraged collaborative learning through open plan learning spaces and flexible classrooms. Yet, the open plan learning environment and its soundscape did not always support the instructional needs of all children. We conclude that soundscape design should consider both the learning needs of children, and the well-being of both children and teachers.</p

Kyynelkanavat : Nykyajan itkuvirret ja itkuvirsiperinteen merkitykset modernissa suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa

Kyynelkanavat -hankkeen esittelyteksti

Book review: Perspectives on Anthropology of Music and Dance from the British Isles

Stephen Cottrell (ed). 2021. Music, Dance, Anthropology. Canon Pyon: Sean Kingston Publishing. 280 p. ISBN: 978-1-912385-31-7 (hardback)

”Miulla on vahva perintö Karjalasta”: Nykyitkijöiden suhde karjalaisuuteen Suomessa

“I have a strong heritage from Karelia.” A lamenter’s relationship to Karelianness and Ingrianness in modern Finland In this article, I shall examine the meanings that folk musicians performing and teaching laments in Finland today give to their Karelian background. In a single interview, being Ingrian also came up, but as this remained clearly in the minority in the material, this example is now discussed in the text under the Karelian theme without a broader scrutiny of Ingrianness. In other words, the article examines what kind of ideas contemporary lamenters have about their relationship with Karelian. This theme emerges through the following questions: For what reasons is a musician or an actor once interested in laments? Has Karelianness played a role in this process? The research material for this article is based on interviews with ten actors who perform and teach lament songs. The material is mirrored in the way the interviewees talk about Karelianness and its importance for their emergence of interest in laments. In this paper, I shall try to show that the dirge serves as a tool for rebuilding lost connections to Karelia or Karelianness in today’s Finland. Thus, for some respondents, the lament serves as a way to explore and strengthen ties to lost Karelia or Karelianism, while other respondents emphasize the dirge as part of their own wide-ranging professional expertise as musicians and artists