Post-war memories in the cross-border region of Tornio River Valley

The Lapland War with the evacuation to Sweden left deep traces in the people’s minds and memories on the both sides of the Tornio River, which has since 1809 formed a border river between Finland and Sweden.  In my research case, both places and identities have been produced by borders; this sense of place and identity are challenged by the transnational movements across borders. The movements have made it possible to observe how identities have been and are constructed and how, gradually, a different narrative started to be told on both sides of the border, a narrative about ‘us’ and ‘them’. People living on both sides of the border have used different border strategies and have pursued different cross-border activities at different times, also during and after the war. 

In my paper my aim is to discuss the narratives focused on the post-war period in the Tornio River Area. How people experienced the post-war time (in this case firstly the evacuation to Sweden) and different encounterings during this period. How they are remembering it and what has been forgotten. What is the role of post-war memories in the contemporary bordering and de-bordering processes? How they are used today to create or separate collective identities and collective memories? Currently, identity negotiations and interpretations are constantly taking place in the cross-border area.

This paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork and oral history.