The spirit of sauna : legitimating the Finnish place brand
Tillotson, Jack S.; Tassiello, Vito; Rome, Alexandra S.; Helaniemi, Katariina (2020-06-23)
Emerald
23.06.2020
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020101384011
http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020101384011
Kuvaus
vertaisarvioitu
© Jack S. Tillotson, Vito Tassiello, Alexandra S. Rome and Katariina Helaniemi. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcode
© Jack S. Tillotson, Vito Tassiello, Alexandra S. Rome and Katariina Helaniemi. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Tiivistelmä
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate inhabitants of Finland and their continuing efforts to narrate a national identity within the constraints imposed by discursive meanings of Finnish culture through the experience of sauna.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection comprised of semi-structured interviews with Finnish local residents and entrepreneurs; these were supplemented with secondary data including books, articles, advertisements, and documents referencing sauna in the context of Finland.
Findings
The analysis and interpretation by the authors show that the symbolic resource of sauna constitutes the legitimation of Finnish nation branding discourses at three levels: regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive; we label these (i) sauna governance; (ii) communal identity creation; and, (iii) mythmaking, respectively.
Originality/value
The research contribution reveals that nation branding discourses are also forms of legitimation work. Finnish nation branding discourses are interwoven with sauna as the symbolic resource of ‘Finnishness’ and become conduits for the expression of discursive meanings. This demonstrates that institutional legitimacy is an intrinsic aspect of the ways place branding discourses can be used as a mode of governance (i.e., a policy instrument).
The purpose of this paper is to investigate inhabitants of Finland and their continuing efforts to narrate a national identity within the constraints imposed by discursive meanings of Finnish culture through the experience of sauna.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection comprised of semi-structured interviews with Finnish local residents and entrepreneurs; these were supplemented with secondary data including books, articles, advertisements, and documents referencing sauna in the context of Finland.
Findings
The analysis and interpretation by the authors show that the symbolic resource of sauna constitutes the legitimation of Finnish nation branding discourses at three levels: regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive; we label these (i) sauna governance; (ii) communal identity creation; and, (iii) mythmaking, respectively.
Originality/value
The research contribution reveals that nation branding discourses are also forms of legitimation work. Finnish nation branding discourses are interwoven with sauna as the symbolic resource of ‘Finnishness’ and become conduits for the expression of discursive meanings. This demonstrates that institutional legitimacy is an intrinsic aspect of the ways place branding discourses can be used as a mode of governance (i.e., a policy instrument).
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