15.5.2025
Doctoral thesis on the life-views and identity motives of current and former Sweden-Finnish Conservative Laestadians
M.A. Anoo Niskanen’s doctoral thesis in study of religions will be put forth for public defence at The Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology at Åbo Akademi University.
The thesis is entitled Trygghet i utanförskap. Livssyn och identitetsmotiv hos nuvarande och före detta sverigefinska gammallaestadianer.
The public defence of the doctoral thesis takes place on 22 May 2025 at 1PM in auditorium Armfelt, Arken, Tehtaankatu 2, Turku. You can also follow the doctoral defence online. Professor Bengt-Ove Andreassen, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway, will serve as opponent and Professor Marcus Moberg, Åbo Akademi University, as custos.
Summary
The dissertation examines the life-views and identity motives of current and former Sweden-Finnish Conservative Laestadians. Using life story interviews and the Faith Q-Sort method, the study analyses participants’ subjective perspectives on religion, spirituality, and life-views. Three prototypes or consensus groups are identified: Religiously Devout and Committed, Critical Former Laestadian, and Tradition-Bound Hybrid.
The results emphasise the significance of family, the group, and minority status in shaping identity processes, as well as the interaction between individual and cultural factors in participants’ religious life choices. The motives of continuity and belonging emerge as particularly important, especially from a minority perspective. The study is based on theories such as the Identity Process Theory, Motivated Identity Construction Theory, Self-categorisation Theory, and Role Exit Theory, which deepen the understanding of the mechanisms behind religious identity processes. The Faith Q-Sort method, combined with life story interviews, proved to be an effective approach for identifying patterns and fostering a deeper understanding of complex identity processes. Thus, the dissertation contributes new knowledge about both individual and collective identity processes within an ethno-religious minority and lays a foundation for further research on minorities’ religious identities and their relationship with culture and society.
Anoo Niskanen was born in 1975 in Borås, Sweden. She can be reached by phone +46 737 122 779 or email anoo.niskanen@gmail.com.
The doctoral thesis can be read online through the Doria publication archive.
Click here for a press photo of the doctoral student.
Instructions for following the doctoral defence remotely:
To follow the defence, you need the Zoom software or the Google Chrome browser. You do not need to create a Zoom account to follow the defence. If you install the application, you participate by clicking on the meeting link, after which you should allow the link to open in the Zoom app.