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Project description: The consequences of forced migrations are felt worldwide and faced by millions of people each year. The plight of migrants has come to the forefront recently as masses of people have migrated to Europe seeking asylum from predicaments faced at home. We will investigate the World War II evacuation of Karelians to southern and central Finland to determine the long-term outcomes of forced migration in order to learn from the past. The evacuees encountered much the same traumas and faced similar prejudices and resentment that current migrants face, making this population particularly appropriate to gain insight into the present and future of European migrants. Using an untapped data set from hundreds of thousands of displaced migrants and resident Finns, we will investigate the effect of forced migration on family relations and childbearing and assess the integration of migrants into society. In this project we will assess: 1) whether marital and reproductive behaviour of evacuees and resident Finns differ, 2) the consequences of mobility on reproductive behaviour, 3) whether the presence of neighbours or kin (e.g. grandmothers or siblings) mitigates effects on reproductive behaviour, 4) the socio-economic and social integration of migrants into society through marriage and the accumulation of wealth. These questions will be assessed relative to the study subject age at migration and gender, to determine the characteristics of sensitivity to forced migration.
In this research project we intend to investigate the Karelian evacuees from a perspective never before considered and gain insight into general questions important to modern society by studying past events. There are few population level studies available on forced migrants’ marital and reproductive behaviour, and none that can assess marital and reproductive behaviour, kin relationships, and mobility before and after forced migration and at a multigenerational level.
Workgroup members
Monthly grant recipients:John Loehr, Pettay Jenni, To be named To be named
Other members: Anna Rotkirch, Johanna Mappes, Mirkka Danielsbacka, Tuomas Salmi, Virpi Lummaa
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