Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the opportunities available to people individuals and communities living in a geographical and mental borderland, where cultures, systems of norms, and life practices collide, intersect and merge. It concentrates on Finnish Lapland, but in many cases, the themes and arguments raised could be generalized to other parts of northern Scandinavia and other remote areas. Marja Tuominen applies a cultural history approach to progress. It begins by taking a look at different notions of time in various periods of European history, and by questioning progress as a trans-historic concept. Aini Linjakumpu, the voices of ordinary people is examined in terms of progress. Progress is often understood as a structural and macro-level phenomenon, but in the book it is analysed as a human-based activity. Sandra Wallenius-Korkalo examines how the war has been remembered.