Anchors of belonging and the logics of othering of young Finns

ABSTRACTTo better understand the ways the youth perceive ‘us’ and ‘them’ in twenty-first-century Western societies, this article looks at belonging and othering in the wider context of research on self-other identification and distantiation by exploring values, as anchors of belonging, and the logics of othering of young Finns. The analysis of interview data (N = 45) shows that young Finns studying in upper secondary education hold values of self-transcendence and openness to change in importance and see people holding values related to conservation and self-enhancement as their other. In their reasoning, the values of conservation and self-enhancement are typically related to and become manifest as (1) epistemic vices, (2) social injustices, (3) decadent behaviors, and (4) alienation from the status quo. These logics of othering are thus not based on identity, (sub)culture, religion, or ethnicity, but on characteristics and ideologies that feel alienating and condemnable, because they jeopardize the values, rights, and wellbeing of others. Furthermore, this article brings forth that while the values of the contemporary young Finns have not changed much compared to the previous generations of youths, their criteria for depicting the other have shifted.KEYWORDS: Logics of otheringvaluesbelongingFinlandFinnish students Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 The war in Europe that erupted in winter of 2022 witnessed an international increase in feelings of benevolence and solidarity in people, but also enhanced prejudices and othering, especially in Finland (YLE News 2022). It may be that examined in 2022, the logics of othering of Finnish young people may have been slightly different.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Academy of Finland [grant number 315860].