Anchors of belonging and the logics of othering of young Finns

Abstract

ABSTRACT To 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.