Historians without Borders in Finland acted as a local partner for the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity's (ENRS) project In Between, an educational project focusing on oral histories of European borderland regions which took place in September 2024.
During their study visits to Masuria in Poland and Helsinki/Tallinn along the Finnish/Estonian border, the project participants explored the subject of invisible borders, and created two audio documents that depict their findings and reflections, using their own research, excerpts of the interviews with time witnesses, local experts and activists, as well as sounds collected during their journeys.
The group’s discoveries were shared in a podcast titled ‘(Un)common Borderland: Stories from Finland, Estonia and the Journey In Between.’ The podcast reveals personal stories of those who lived through the period of the Iron Curtain and exploring the various physical and symbolic meanings of the border.
Listeners will have the opportunity to learn about the intertwined history of the Ingrian Finn minority and their ambivalent relationship with border crossing between Finland, Estonia and Russia; they will also discover why the banana became a symbol of freedom for many Estonians.
The podcast is available on Spotify and Simplecast:
‘In Between’ is an educational project for students and young professionals interested in oral history, organised by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS). Since 2016, the participants of the programme have explored 26 regions in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. In 2018, ‘In Between’ received a special mention during Europa Nostra Awards. You can find more information about previous editions at enrs.eu/inbetween. For details about this year’s edition of the programme, please visit enrs.eu/edition/inbetween2024.
