ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book concernes the types of empowerment and constructions of subjectivity that can be found, and the kinds of preconditions and possibilities northern societies and communities have constructed. Mirja Hiltunen's and Lars Elenius' contributions clearly demonstrated the role of higher education in promoting social change. At the level of macro-economics, the northern regions of Finland, Sweden and Norway have been relatively successful in comparison to other remote areas around the world. After the Second World War, the Nordic welfare state model guaranteed rapid development, and this included the peripheral areas of these states. The book illustrates the emancipatory perspectives for communities and shown the prerequisites for achieving improved conditions of life. The contributors have participated in reconstructing historical necessities, and providing alternative attitudes to the issues of social change and progress in the North.
