Category: youth wellbeing

Society 5.0 – new evolutionism towards more inclusive well-being?

On By fstammleIn All, Theoretical Issues, youth wellbeingLeave a comment

Listening to the presentation of Ms Kanae from the Japanese cabinet office at the Japan-Finland Joint Committee meeting on Cooperation in Science and Technology, I was impressed how human social evolution as a concept continues to play such a significant role even in concrete decision making. Japan accepted a holistic radical development plan called society 5.0 which bases on the idea of human evolution since the early hunter-gatherer societies to the future.

The evolutionary aspect of the Society 5.0 concept as introduced in the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan of Japan - source Keidanren paper
Evolution according to Japan’s “society 5.0”, in a paper by the Japanese Business Federation

According to the presentation of Ms Kanae, the distinctive feature of society 5.0 is how cyberspace is integrated with physical space in a sophisticated way. And how economic growth is reconciled with resolution of social issues, which was not as high on the agenda in the previous social development models. The aim is a “human-centered and inclusive society” . The Japanese government plans to work towards this with what they call the “Moonshot Research and Development Programme “. It consists of seven goals, the first of which being mainly about well-being, namely ” Realization of a society in which human beings can be free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050″.

I liked the unconventional way in which a government official presented this vision of their society of the future, where they want to work towards creating conditions where “everyday life is happy and fun”!

Slide 9 of the Japanese government’s presentation on their view of society 5.0

This makes me think that with the prominent position of happiness and fun not only purposeful and eaudaemonic notions, but also hedonistic notions of well-being play an important role in the society of the future. This is probably also very good news for young people, who in our current research project have emphasized the significance of opportunities to enhance the fun-aspect of life in the North, as particularly Lukas Allemann and Ria Adams shall emphasize in their forthcoming publications.

Future of circumpolar youth in a changing climate

On By fstammleIn All, Indigenous Peoples, North American North, youth wellbeingLeave a comment
just wanted to share this, have a look. A nice project, idea to have very short clips of young people talking about life. But as worrying as it is – did they really tell something new? Probably not. But that wasn’t the point maybe. It seems to be more that they think not enough is being done about it.

Future of Arctic Youth in Rural Areas

On By fstammleIn All, Announcements, youth wellbeingLeave a comment

This initiative sounds very promising. I think we would need a publication that explores anthropologically the specifics of gender organisation in Arctic societies, not only in villages but also the tundra / taiga as well as towns and cities.

The podium discussion “Current Challenges and Future Perspectives of Arctic Youth: Rural Areas and LGBTQI+ Communities” will take place on 20 October, 15:00-16:30 GMT

The streaming will be on the Nordic House Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/635203050688920

And also on their website: https://nordichouse.is/en/event/samtal-um-nordurslodir-nuverandi-askoranir-og-framtidarsyn-ungs-folks-a-nordurslodum-dreifbyli-og-hinsegin-samfelog/

Covid-19 arrived in the Yamal tundra

On By fstammleIn Fieldwork, indigenous health, Indigenous Peoples, Russian North, youth wellbeing1 Comment

It was probably a matter of time, but I thought until today ‘how great that the tundra is still free of infections’. The reindeer herders strategy of avoiding dangerous places had worked pretty well since March. Using flexibly nomadic movements to avoid dangerous places has been a strategy among the Nenets for centuries, which has worked well to mitigate impacts of all kinds of diseases and disasters of any sort. But now apparently some student brought the virus in, from a dormitory. The person travelled on a helicopter that was bringing Nenets students back to their home nomadic camps for the summer holiday. This means that the other almost 20 passengers of that helicopter have also been in contact.

Continue reading “Covid-19 arrived in the Yamal tundra” →

Arctic Security and Anthropology

On By fstammleIn All, Announcements, conferences, Extractive Industries, Fieldwork, Publications, Russian North, Theoretical Issues, youth wellbeingLeave a comment

Our colleagues Gunhild Hoogensen Gjorv with Marc Lanteigne  launched the Routledge Handbook of Arctic Security, of which they are the main editors, and where there are some chapters relevant for  (and co-authored by) us. Gunhild said that the starting point for their approach to security is much broader than just hard dominant state approaches to security, focusing on security that matters to people on the ground. The basics is that feeling secure is first and foremost being free from worry. I think in this definition security as a concept is related pretty closely to well-being, another of our focuses. It would be interesting to explore the connections between the two more explicitly. The book has 42 authors, of which seven were at the launch during the Arctic Frontiers conference 2020 in Tromso. The contributions cover the whole range of security issues connected to the Arctic Council, communities and extractive industries, indigenous theoretical approaches to security, legal reform and security in Russia, and in all other Arctic countries, energy security, peace, and many other relevant topics.

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The editors launching the book at the Arctic Frontiers 2020 conference in Tromso

Continue reading “Arctic Security and Anthropology” →

WHO/ВОЗ

1st December: “World Aids Day” Всемирный день борьбы со СПИДом – ВИЧ и коренные народы Севера в России HIV and indigenous peoples in Russia

On By Stephan DudeckIn All, indigenous health, Indigenous Peoples, Russian North, youth wellbeing2 Comments

(English version see bеlow, after the end of the Russian text)

WHO/ВОЗ
picture: WHO/ВОЗ

В связи с этой датой хотелось бы обратить внимание на один аспект эпидемии ВИЧ-инфекции в России, который еще недостаточно изучен и мало известен широкой общественности.  Я и сам относительно недавно узнал о нем.

Как показывают исследования у коренного населения Севера риск заразиться ВИЧ выше, чем у остальных жителей России (см. Буторов 2018, Волова и Родиниа 2016, 2014 Истомин и Мефодьев 2015). Эта инфекция в России встречается гораздо чаще, чем в странах Европы, а среди коренного населения Ямало-Ненецкого и Ханты-Мансийского округов ВИЧ распространяется еще быстрее. Continue reading “1st December: “World Aids Day” Всемирный день борьбы со СПИДом – ВИЧ и коренные народы Севера в России HIV and indigenous peoples in Russia” →

Is there something “Arctic” to youth well-being in northern settlements?

On By fstammleIn All, Announcements, conferences, Fieldwork, Russian North, youth wellbeing1 Comment

This was one of the guiding topics discussed at the session hosted by our WOLLIE project during the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference 2019. On the one hand, the session served as a meeting spot for all the project members, to introduce their preliminary results to a broader audience. On the other hand, we engaged more broadly with concepts and debates in Arctic youth research.

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audience discussed seriously:)

Continue reading “Is there something “Arctic” to youth well-being in northern settlements?” →

We don’t survive – we live here!

On By fstammleIn All, conferences, Extractive Industries, Fieldwork, Indigenous Peoples, Russian North, youth wellbeing

These were the introductory words of Alexandr Ivanov, the head of the Olenek district in Yakutia, in his discussion during our session on indigenous people’s territorial governance under industrial development at the Northern Forum for sustainable development in Yakutsk, 25 – 26 September 2019 (full session programme).

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practicing governance on the land: herding reindeer through a gold deposit in Neryungryi District, Yakutia

He thought it is useful to remind researchers from any field and country that there is a tendency in scholarship to portray indigenous life in the Russian Arctic as a struggle for survival, rather than a quest for harnessing opportunities, achieve well-being and happiness, and just living at home. This stems from the old idea that the Arctic is a resource frontier with a tough climate rather than home for people. Social scientists doing Arctic Studies have acknowledged this long ago, and published on it before. Continue reading “We don’t survive – we live here!” →

Arctic youth well-being reserach project WOLLIE goes to Kola Peninsula

On By lukasallemannIn All, Extractive Industries, Fieldwork, Russian North, youth wellbeing

Last week, the mid-term meeting of our research project on youth in Arctic industrial settlements (WOLLIE) took place in Kirovsk and Revda, two mono-industrial cities in the Murmansk Region, North-West Russia. While discussing our project goals and achievements so far, we also visited several places. Being highly industrialised, densely populated and relatively compact, the Murmansk Region showcases the huge diversity of mono-industrial settings in the Arctic.

The WOLLIE team in Revda, where the local teenagers showed us their favourite hang-out place: the ruins of a Soviet-time building project

Single-industry towns are widespread all over the Arctic. What can they offer to their young generation inhabitants? Why do young people want to leave, or to stay? What can be done to make them stay, or return? These are the main questions that WOLLIE is trying to answer. Continue reading “Arctic youth well-being reserach project WOLLIE goes to Kola Peninsula” →

Does anthropology need to engage with well-being as a concept?

On By fstammleIn All, Announcements, youth wellbeing1 Comment

 

This is the topic of our next reading circle discussion, to which you are all welcome, 23 April 2019, 13-14.30.  We first meet in Florian’s office on the top floor or Arktikum, Rovaniemi, and if we are more people than fit there, we go to a bigger room. The reading for the discussion is Thin2009_Colby2009_well-being_anthro Thin, Neil 2009. Why anthropology can ill afford to ignore well-being. Chapter 1 in Pursuits of Happiness: Well-Being in Anthropological Perspective, ed by Gordon Mathews, Carolina Izquierdo. Oxford, New York: Berghahn books, pp. 23-44.

Cookies and tea will be served:)

You can also look this up at the ‘lectures and events, Rovaniemi’ page of this blog.