The Future of Ảland Islands’ Identity

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to zoom in on the identity of the Ảland Islands. It is to argue that it is bound to change, not just because of altered external conditions, but above all due to a profound change in the way identities felt to be secure are constructed in the first place. The argument draws on the concept of ontological security, which refers to an actor’s ability to ‘go on’ in everyday life without slipping into a state characterized by a high level of debilitating anxiety. Using Åland as a test case, this article argues that there are ways and means for constructing an identity, in ways which are felt to be ontologically secure, even if earlier pre-eminence of difference becomes undermined.