Researcher Joonas Vola tells a story about his attempt to conduct ethnographic fieldwork by following the ideals of environmental and economic sustainability
“Some people would pay for it. Can I do it differently? It could be fun!” These are some of my leading thoughts when I decided to give it a try, and instead of renting a car for a fieldwork trip, to get myself with my bike into a public transport (bus) towards the Northernmost Finland. The aim was to reach and meet people for interviews concerning the cultural and societal influence of Christian spiritual music translated and interpreted in Sámi languages. This is part of the ongoing project on the Societal Networks of Laestadianism, led by Tapio Nykänen from the Faculty of Social Sciences / University of Lapland, funded by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation.