ABSTRACT
The current article is based on an interview with three women living in the Northern parts of Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia, Finland, who admit to being doubtful about and refusing immunizations. Thus, the article deals with the question of vaccine hesitancy in the so-called “Ostrobothnian Bible Belt.” This area stands out as a pocket or a cluster where vaccine hesitancy is more prevalent than elsewhere in the country. Utilizing the concept of “vernacular authority,” the article sets out to identify and analyze the women’s motives not to vaccinate their children. In doing so, it uncovers various explanations, ranging from personal experiences of alleged, unfortunate secondary effects of vaccines to pragmatic arguments based on the women’s feelings. As it takes into consideration these kinds of non-institutional traditions, the article lays bare the actual empowering forces by which these women orient themselves when it comes to vaccines. One question that runs throughout the investigation is whether or not the so-called “strong religion” that characterizes the area serves as one of these above-mentioned empowering forces. Is it, in other words, fair to speak of vaccine hesitancy specifically in the Ostrobothnian Bible Belt? At least when it comes to the three women interviewed here, such a link seems missing.
