The 1970S: a Generation of Portrait Doorstep the At
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This book draws a sociological portrait of the age group born in the 1970s in Estonia and discusses its generational features Raili Nugin and constructions. This cohort’s coming of age coincided with the social and emotional turmoil of the re-independence move- ment in the late 1980s and with the transformation of society in the 1990s. This was the first cohort to negotiate its transition to adulthood in the new society, starting some new patterns of socialization, while also sharing some practices and experiences Raili Nugin with older cohorts. Based on qualitative interviews as well as Doorstep the at a Generation of Portrait 1970s: The an analysis of media discourses and statistical data, the book traces the emergence of a new generation that draws its very own lessons from the past and from the social transformations The 1970s: that influenced life courses and careers. The book provides an intriguing discussion of socialization patterns and generation Portrait of a Generation formation against the backdrop of post-socialist transformation. at the Doorstep In addition, it provides a fascinating insight into the mind-set and experiences of a generation in the making, already shaping today’s society and culture. Raili Nugin is a researcher in cultural studies at Tallinn Univer- sity, Estonia. She obtained her PhD in sociology from Tallinn University in 2011. She has been involved in youth studies, con- ducting research on conception of youth and adulthood, transi- tion to adulthood and rural youth. Besides youth sociology, her research interests include generations and memory – she has studied remembering of the Soviet time, but also how memories are mediated to young people. Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region Politics and Society ISBN 978-9949-32-909-0 3 in the Baltic Sea Region 9 789949 329090 > www.tyk.ee 3 Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region 3 Raili Nugin The 1970s: Portrait of a Generation at the Doorstep Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region 3 Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region is a series devoted to contemporary social and political issues in the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. A specific focus is on current is- sues in the Baltic states and how these relate to the wider regional and geopolitical challenges. Open to a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences as well as diverse conceptual and methodological approaches, the series seeks to become a forum for high-level social science scholarship that will significantly enrich international knowledge and understanding of the Baltic Sea region. All books published in the series are peer-reviewed. Series Editor: Dr. Eva-Clarita Pettai, Institute of Government and Politics, University of Tartu, Estonia. Address: Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu, Estonia. Email: [email protected] Editorial Board: Daunis Auers (University of Latvia, Latvia), Li Bennich-Björkman (Univer- sity of Uppsala, Sweden), Bernd Henningsen (Humboldt University Berlin, Germany), Rasma Karklins (University of Illinois at Chicago, USA / University of Latvia, Latvia), Ene Kõresaar (University of Tartu, Estonia), Marju Lauristin (University of Tartu, Estonia), Lauri Mälksoo (University of Tartu, Estonia), Michael North (University of Greifswald, Germany), Tiiu Paas (University of Tartu, Estonia), David Smith (University of Glasgow, UK), Linas Venclauskas (Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania), Ramūnas Vilpišauskas (Vilnius Univer- sity, Lithuania), Henri Vogt (University of Turku, Finland). The publication of this series is supported by the University of Tartu. Cover design: Kalle Paalits Copyright: University of Tartu Press, 2015 Home page of the series: www.tyk.ee/psbsr ISSN 2228–4451 (print) ISBN 978-9949-32-909-0 (print) ISSN 2228–446X (online) ISBN 978-9949-32-910-6 (online) Contents Acknowledgement ................................................................................ 7 Foreword ............................................................................................... 9 Introduction ......................................................................................... 13 1. Transition, time and generation: discussing key concepts ............. 21 2. Estonia’s path to independence: a socio-historical overview of developments ............................................................................... 40 3. How do the 1970s look in numbers? ................................................ 52 4. Narrated life courses ........................................................................ 78 5. Constructing a generation ............................................................... 100 6. We are what we remember: memories as a resource for identity ........................................................................................ 122 7. Public and media discourses ............................................................ 143 Conclusions: Generation on the doorstep or a doorstep for a generation? ............................................................ 164 References ............................................................................................. 176 APPENDIX I Charts describing the sample ........................................................... 188 APPENDIX II A chronology of the Estonian transition: turning points ............... 191 2 List of tables and fi gures Table 1: Characteristics of modern, late modern, Soviet, and early transition periods ........................................................................ 33 Table 2: Periods of Estonian transitions .................................................. 43 Table 3: The first job among those who left school between 1992 and 2002 (in %) .................................................................................... 66 Table 4: Subjective belonging to social strata in different age groups (in %) ............................................................................................. 69 Figure 1: Institutions offering tertiary education. Type of educational units, year .................................................. 60 Figure 2: Acquiring tertiary education. Year, number of enrolled and graduated ...................................................................................... 61 Figure 3. The percentage of people aged 21–24 in tertiary education according to their birth year in 2005 ........................................ 62 Figure 4: The percentage of acquired tertiary education and those still in tertiary education among different birth cohorts in 2005 63 Figure 5: The number of those acquired tertiary education according to census 2011 ............................................................................... 64 Figure 6: Unemployment rate according to age ....................................... 65 Figure 7: The income per household statistics according to age group 68 Figure 8: Cumulative percentage of those who have started sexual life by the age of 18–20 ................................................................ 70 Figure 9: The proportion of marriages according to age groups, women and year ........................................................................... 71 Figure 10: Percentage of women not married during the birth of their first child according to birth cohorts .......................... 72 Figure 11: The age of women giving birth to a child by birth year of the mother ................................................................................ 73 Figure 12: The number of teenage mothers according to birth years of mothers ..................................................................................... 74 Acknowledgement Even though there is only one author’s name on the cover of this book, this study would not have come into being had there not been many others contributing in one way or another. To begin with, I would not have become a researcher in the first place, if not for the trust and dedication of my late super- visor Dr. Aili Aarelaid-Tart (1947–2014). She inspired and encouraged me and constantly pushed me further in my development. I am truly sad for the fact that she did not live long enough to see this book being published. But there were also many others who had faith and trust in me and made it possible for this book to come out. My special thanks go to the editor of the UTP book series Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region, Dr. Eva-Clarita Pettai, who not only asked me to rearrange my doctoral thesis into a book and then helped editing it, but has been also an inspiring colleague and collaborator during my doctoral studies. My thanks also go to my second supervisor, Dr. Tarja Tolonen from the University of Helsinki, who guided me throughout the research process; to my fellow doctoral researcher Kirsti Jõesalu and colleague Dr. Aida Hatšaturjan, who have given precious input to my research not least by co-authoring pub- lications with me; and to other colleagues who have contributed by giving constructive critique to my work or having fruitful discussions with me, including the anonymous reviewer of this book. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support. Last but not least, I wish to express special thanks to all my respondents, who dedicated their time to relate their stories, their thoughts and shared their lives and opinions with me. I had most precious moments with every one of my interviewees and I am truly sorry only tiny bits of these excellent times made it into the final narrative of the book. The 1970s This research has been