Place Attachment and Its Consequence for Landscape-Scale Management and Readiness to Participate: Social Network Complexity in the Post-Soviet Rural Context of Latvia and Estonia
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Background
- rural communities, their history and the issues they consider important,
- the networks, embedded in heterogeneous communities with diverse views and vested interests, and
1.2. Theoretical Framework
1.3. Research Aims and Objectives
- How do inhabitants, past and present, experience place attachment, the emotional and relational ties, to the place where they live or grew up?
- What are the push and pull factors affecting continued residence in these rural locations?
- What are the important place-related landscape features and values according to inhabitants, and how can these be taken into consideration in landscape-scale management decisions?
- How ready are the communities to participate in (rural/spatial) development?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Analytical Framework
2.2. Case Study Areas
2.3. Research Methods
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Introduction
3.1.1. Lustivere
3.1.2. Adavere
3.1.3. Obinitsa
3.1.4. Tūja
3.1.5. Svētciems
3.1.6. Dagda
3.2. Spheres Within Society
3.2.1. Individual
It is not really the job I want to do myself, but it is a very small town and because I do want to live here in my native hometown, I should take all the possibilities I can for a job.(Female 26)
3.2.2. Family
I moved to Ireland for three years and I came back because I missed home. It is easier to fight the struggles over here.(Female 26)
Our centre used to be Pechory and … even if not on a daily basis, on weekends, almost everyone would have some business there. You would go to the church or the marketplace. People who engaged in agriculture could sell their products there.(Male 51, Obinitsa)
3.2.3. Wider Community
The Estonian is a recluse, does not want to communicate that much, but this is different living in a village. Because in the village we know which porridge is on the table in another farm, and if they have troubles or worries, we would know.(Female 82, Obinitsa)
When I think of Adavere, there is a wide range of people who go from place to place. Rootless people who live in these apartments.(Female 62 Adavere)
You could see back then, when you looked out of the window, there were lights on in neighbouring households and someone was in there. But now there is silence. You don’t hear the cows; this makes me sad.(Male 55, Obinitsa)
3.2.4. Community Cohesion
There is a local generation of criminals; a few of them even are our neighbours. There has been an increasing rate of delinquents. These people are the cause of fear. There are also some “mean” locals.(Female 56)
I can never respect those who say, “Oh how horrible it is here in Adavere”. I mean … what do you do in order for it not to be horrible?(Female 44)
I don’t think community-wise. I am very individualistic, only what involves myself.(Female 62)
They basically buy a house by the seashore and they think that the sea is theirs.(Male 45)
Here we know each other, we help each other out when it is necessary and when we have the chance. My neighbours and colleagues are my friends.(Female 34)
The social environment is not good here and that is why people go away and it goes in circles.(Male 28)
3.3. Influences on Place Attachment
3.3.1. Culture
Basically it [the theatre group] is about communication. People are coming from different corners of the parish. They are coming with different problems. There are solutions made while people are communicating; there are business relationships made.(Female 54, Tūja)
I don’t want to sing an ode to the Soviet era, but ... the sovkhoz … they financed culture. It had a culture centre, it had decent workers; they were invited, they had theatre, whatever. It was strongly represented. When it collapsed, there wasn’t that inner drive anymore that would’ve kept it all together.(Female 56)
When the Soviets came, then things changed. Initially even when they worked in the kolkhoz, they would go and sing after work. You could hear how women sang while returning, they were leelo-ing. Then in the second year all the singing disappeared. Everyone realised what had hit us.(Female 82, Obinitisa)
Some make a living out of culture. You don’t have anything to fear now. Before you were afraid, because if you emphasised your culture too much, you could’ve been repressed. Now you don’t have to fear that, just do it.(Male 51, Obinitsa)
3.3.2. Religion
I go for inner peace; basically I simply have to do that because I am a Christian. Not that I really like it or enjoy it, I simply need to.(Male 39, Dagda)
3.3.3. Characteristics of Place
It is peaceful, it is calm, there is nature and there is everything you need. There is a grocery store, a doctor, there’s a pharmacy, and the big city is not for me.(Male 73, Dagda)
When you think about it, there is not much to say about it. But this “ordinary” landscape has its own charms as well.(Female 50, Lustivere)
When you look at the grain field moving in the wind. Is there anything more beautiful than that?(Female 78, Adavere)
What is a whole different topic is the highway. I don’t even want to talk about that. This divides the community and goes right through these beautiful fields here … splits them in half.(Female 44)
The current technology cannot handle the hills and cultivate these. But otherwise … in every possible place they push their ploughs into the soil and start cultivating. Only our unique landscape keeps them at bay.(Male 51)
The sea is coming towards the land. My basement door is 2 metres away from the beach. After the storm, it comes closer and closer.(Female 63)
We get confused when we go to pick berries and mushrooms and there is no forest any more.(Female 53, Dagda)
Where my forest ends is the State forest and the State forest is cut down to the ground. (laughing) and the bugs do not go any further right?(Male 45, Tūja)
3.3.4. Sense of Home and Childhood Memories
Oh, yes, I have lived here all my life. I have been a fisherman all my life. As my house is close to the sea, I can say that the place I work is not so far. Basically, you can say I work at home.(Male 70, Svētciems)
The hills dominate, and from whichever side you approach Obinitsa, you have to cross a valley, a deep valley. These are exciting valleys; the locals always have some memories connected to them.(Male, 51)
3.3.5. The Importance of Location
3.3.6. Participation in Local Community Politics
“Participation is more a formality here. In the end, the municipality acts as they see fit”.(Male, 49 years)
I will have an event tomorrow (Easter) at my guesthouse, to motivate people to act. I am going to grill herrings and invite people over like old times.(Male 53, Svētciems)
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- How do inhabitants, past and present, experience place attachment, the emotional and relational ties, to the place where they live or grew up?
- What are the push and pull factors affecting continued residence in these rural locations?
- What are the important place-related landscape features and values according to inhabitants and how can these be taken into consideration in landscape-scale management decisions?
- How ready are the communities to participate in (rural/spatial) development?
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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1 | Vald (pl. vallad) is the smallest administrative subunit in Estonia. Many of the smaller vallad have now been amalgamated into larger subunits. In this paper the original smaller unit was examined. |
2 | Pagasts (pl. pagasti) was the smallest administrative subunit in Latvia. Administrative reform in 2009 merged pagasti into larger subunits called Novadi (sing. Novads). |
Area | Population | School | Public Resources | Commercial Facilities | Main Employment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Estonia | |||||
Adavere | 567 | Primary school kindergarten | Cultural centre, library sports centre, doctor | Small grocery store, petrol station, chemists | School, grocery store, agricultural work, most work in Põltsamaa (the nearest large town) |
Lustivere | 444 | Primary school, kindergarten | Cultural centre, school has a gym and stadium | Small grocery store, visiting hairdresser | School, grocery store, local agricultural enterprise, most work in Põltsamaa |
Obinitsa | 135 | Kindergarten | Cultural centre, museum, gym, library, ATM, local church, doctor | Post office, hairdresser, small grocery store, bakery | Stores, local agriculture |
Latvia | |||||
Tūja | 298 | None | Library, meeting hall | 2 shops, café | Café, shops |
Svētciems | 379 | Kindergarten | Library with meeting hall | Furniture shop | Shops, most work in Salacgrīva (the nearest large town) |
Dagda | 2178 | 7–19 years | Municipality office, library, meeting hall/cultural centre, doctor | 3 supermarkets, café (summer only), chemists, 2 ATMS | Municipality, school, shops |
Section | Subsection |
---|---|
3.1 Introduction | 3.1.1. Lustivere |
3.1.2. Adavere | |
3.1.3 Obinitsa | |
3.1.4 Tūja | |
3.1.5 Svētciems | |
3.1.6 Dagda | |
3.2 Spheres within society | 3.2.1. Individual |
3.2.2. Family | |
3.2.3. Wider Community | |
3.2.4 Community cohesion | |
3.3. Influences on place attachment | 3.3.1 Culture |
3.3.2 Religion | |
3.3.3 Characteristics of Place | |
3.3.4 Sense of home and childhood memories | |
3.3.5 The importance of location | |
3.3.6 Participation in local community politics |
Rural Identity | ||
---|---|---|
Lustivere | I am completely a rural person. We grow cucumbers, cabbages, potatoes by ourselves. I could not imagine things otherwise (Male 58). | I am a rural person. Perhaps with having children I have realized that rural life has more values, but I have never had the need to make a popular decision to “go rural” since I have always been a rural type (Female 36). |
Adavere | In the city you bump into people. I am shoved and pushed more during one day than I am here for a whole year. I have freedom here. (Female 78). | Generally, I am not such a … crowd person. I like to do things alone or things where I have my friends by my side (Female 62). |
Obinitsa | When I go to the city, I always want to come back as soon as possible. The city life is horrible (Male 64). | When I go to the city sometimes, I get tired fast and I am much more calm here. I would not ever want to go and live there (Female 30). |
Tūja | In a city I am only a guest for a few days, I like living here, I like the people here, nature, and I wouldn’t want to live in a city (Female 51). | I don’t like Riga; it is just for work (Male 45). |
Svētciems | I always would want to live close to sea, close to nature. I don’t like big city’s rush and noise (Female 34). | I have not lived in a big city, and I wouldn’t want to (Male 47). |
Dagda | I wouldn’t want to live in the city with all the noise and the rush and the public transport (Female 26). | I don’t like big cities; I have tried to live there but if you don’t like them you cannot maintain yourself there (Male 28). |
Obinitsa Traditions | |
---|---|
Traditions Connected to Nature | My grandmother used to go to the forest, and she communicated with the forest god. The first berry would always be left for the forest god and the first mushroom (Female 82). |
Even nowadays they believe that when you wash your eyes in the stream of Meeksi, it will heal your vision (Female 30). | |
Community Traditions | Interviewee 1: Yes, we have watchful eyes here: “Why are you working on a holiday?” Interviewee 2: It is very important to follow these traditions. They will tell you if you make an error (Female 37). Interviewee 1: But you should not take it as a negative thing. Since the youth have their busy lives, they come and help you. You should not take the scolding seriously. (Group interview with Female 30 [interviewee 1] and Female 30 [interviewee 2]). |
Architectural Traditions | We used to have those wooden gates, which are now made of iron. Wooden curtain rods have also been replaced with metal. A lot of archaic things have been replaced (Female 52). |
Borrowed Traditions | The Setu folk have a lot of things borrowed from the Russians. Words, choice of colours, clothing. They are quite close by (Female 37). |
Connection to a Physical Place | |||
---|---|---|---|
Lustivere | It is kept tidy. The park is very tidy. The pond has a fish ladder, it is lovely. The human factor. It is beautiful (Female 36). | Clean air, birdsong, peace, quiet … which keeps the person healthy (Female 36). | I think Lustivere is a beautiful place. There is a manor park where one can walk which is definitely a plus. There are many pleasant places near Umbusi river and plenty of springs around (Female 60). |
Adavere | I don’t say that I go to the countryside every time. But it is a safe place to retreat to, I know that (Female 56). | I don’t know... the peace and quiet. I like when I go to jog in spring and how the first flood water is gurgling (Female 20). | When we go and clean the park with our school staff and students, then the elderly ones always join in (Female 44). |
Obinitsa | I think this liberty and a greater personal space [connects me to this place]. But then again, I notice that those who come here, don’t really engage in [local events as much as] perhaps those who have been here their entire life (Male 55). | I like the varying landscape. Vast plains so you can see far. And then there are those hills and valleys. And there are lakes, river Piusa. The riverbanks are beautiful, those sandstone cliffs. And old water wheel ruins. The sandsea of Piusa is also close by, even though it is artificial. But it is a lovely place (Female 24). | You can do your own thing. There is room to breathe (Male 40). |
Tūja | It has been my family’s property from somewhere around 1890s, so a long time ago (Male 45). | You can see the beach, the forest, these bicycle lanes and these old roads that do not have any asphalt they go right beside the seashore. So, if anyone wants to see something beautiful, he will because each place has its own beauty (Female 51). | I like the sea, so we decided to build a house here (Female 56). |
Svētciems | It is hard to say; it is just my home now. I have lived all my life in this area, I always would want to live close to sea, close to nature (Female 34). | As my house is close to the sea, I can say that the place I work, is not so far. Basically, you can say I work at home (Male 72). | I have lived all my life in this area, I always would want to live close to sea, close to nature. [Female 34] |
Dagda | I want my children to grow up here because it is much better here in Latgale, not so much polluted air (Female 26). | It is a place of many islands there are many important sites in Dagda … it is very special … (Female 57). | I cannot imagine (living) anywhere else, the people, the nature is unique in such a small place. For example when my daughter brought her fiancé here for the first time I told him, “Oh wait I will take you to Dagda’s park,” and he was amazed and said, “The whole of Dagda is like a park, do you still have a special place called a park?” (Female 64) |
Childhood Memories | ||
---|---|---|
Lustivere | I used to go and see where the first primulas would bloom, where they used to be. I go to see different flowers. I know where they bloom during spring (Female 36). | In my youth I used to herd cows and walk through all the fields with my herd. And those riverbanks where I played with the flowers. All of my youth plays a part. It is probably the reason why I feel connected to this environment (Female, 60). |
Adavere | I am glad that I am from a rural place. I like that I have not grown up in a city. I think it gives the children so much more when they can grow up in the countryside and play in the open and have no boundaries. I remember how we had running and bicycling competitions and played near the fields. I have fond memories of my childhood games and I think the countryside is a good place to grow up in (Female 20). | |
Obinitsa | I remember what was done back then. I remember how we went to the forest when I was 5, I remember how we visited the forestry crew. And how we used to make things of alder bark. And how I rode downhill with my bicycle and fell over. And how the locals were speaking their stories of things that had happened in the village recently (Male 55). | There are fields. I remember in my childhood how we would pick the barley heads when father had harvested and stored them. And we had to pick it all, it was taught very early to us. And how we kept the land when we made hay. It was all quite spiritual (Female 82). |
Svētciems | I cherish that I have had a chance to live so close to sea and enjoy summers on the beach (Female 23). | Wonderful childhood! The sea, fresh air, nature, peace. Memories (Female 49). |
Dagda | I have dear memories in the school in Ezerrnieks by the shore it is very beautiful and it is in a park and the school itself is like a historical heritage (Female 53). | I was born here and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else (Female 57). |
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Storie, J.T.; Uusna, E.; Eglāja, Z.; Laur, T.; Külvik, M.; Suškevičs, M.; Bell, S. Place Attachment and Its Consequence for Landscape-Scale Management and Readiness to Participate: Social Network Complexity in the Post-Soviet Rural Context of Latvia and Estonia. Land 2019, 8, 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8080125
Storie JT, Uusna E, Eglāja Z, Laur T, Külvik M, Suškevičs M, Bell S. Place Attachment and Its Consequence for Landscape-Scale Management and Readiness to Participate: Social Network Complexity in the Post-Soviet Rural Context of Latvia and Estonia. Land. 2019; 8(8):125. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8080125
Chicago/Turabian StyleStorie, Joanna T., Enri Uusna, Zane Eglāja, Teele Laur, Mart Külvik, Monika Suškevičs, and Simon Bell. 2019. "Place Attachment and Its Consequence for Landscape-Scale Management and Readiness to Participate: Social Network Complexity in the Post-Soviet Rural Context of Latvia and Estonia" Land 8, no. 8: 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8080125