Dealing with Borderland Complexity. The Multisided Views of Local Individuals in the Norwegian–Russian Borderland

Against the background of the transnational Barents Cooperation, the article explores the multisided views of borderland locals in Kirkenes. Based on semi-structured interviews, there were seven, partly contradictory, perspectives on Russians and a local orientation towards Russia. The same individuals expressed views that went beyond either endorsement, resistance or ambivalence on increased borderland integration. Rather, interviewees integrated several perspectives in different combinations to simultaneously express sentiments as different as skepticism, pragmatism, historical gratitude and local pride. The emphasis on multisided statements differs from some previous border studies that emphasize positioned and situational borderland identities and borderland experiences. Following Kurki (Kurki, T. 2016. Personal Trauma versus Cold War Rhetoric in the Finnish-Russian Borderland. In The Dynamics of Cultural Borders, ed. Anu Kannike and Monika Tasa. University of Tartu Press, 76), I argue that the repertoire of perspectives people related to conveyed layered meanings of the border that reflected a complex present and different historical periods. Beyond borderland contexts, paying attention to individuals’ expressions of different perspectives can contribute to increased understanding of seemingly contradictory attitudes.