Film: The Flag of Åland and Identity
Watch a film about the flag of the Åland Islands and its significance for the identity of this group of Swedish-speaking islands that are a part of Finland.
In this group of films, students ask researchers to talk about an object, book or place that represents their research. Hasan Akintug, researcher from the University of Helsinki, chooses the flag of Åland, and he is interviewed by Sóley Eliasdottir, a student from Aarhus University.
To Hasan, the flag represents the complex relationship that these islands in the Baltic Sea have to other countries, both near and far, but especially Finland, of which they are a part.
Meet the students and researchers!
Sóley Eliasdottir is a student from Aarhus University, who moved from the Faroe Islands to study in Denmark. Sóley travelled to Helsinki to take part in this film, and has also been involved in two podcasts for the New Nordic Lexicon.
Hasan Akintug was a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Nordic Studies at the time of the film. He has also worked at the Åland Islands Peace Institute. He is originally from Canada and Cyprus, and he has a fascination for multilingual communities on the margins.
Further reading:
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Saila Heinikoski, “The Åland Islands, Finland and European Security in the 21st Century”, Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies, Vol.1,1, 2017, pp. 8–45
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Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, “The puzzle of collective self-defence: dangerous fragmentation or a window of opportunity? An analysis with Finland and the Åland Islands as a case study”, J Conflict Security Law Vol. 22, 2, 2017, pp. 249–274