Russian language in Finland: house as a symbol of home

Russian-speaking people in Finland make up less than two percent of the population, but are quite visible in its composition. Among them are descendants of so-called “old Russians” who lived here before the revolution, Finnish returnees and Ingermanland Finns, spouses of Finnish citizens, persons who came to work or study. Although the acquisition of housing is usually not the purpose, but the consequence of moving abroad, for refugees it can also be a consolation, a shelter, and for emigrants, it is a stage of getting used to unfamiliar conditions that should be adapted for themselves. The new environment should gradually be put under control in what concerns their habits, desires, ideals. The memorable things prove to be an important bridge between the past and the future, restoring the connection of times. A complete rejection of the previous existence, of the earlier established identity is impossible. The article explores symbolic attachment to the material side of the home, preservation of identity, and integration into the host society, drawing on the method of thematic analysis of discourse. Participants of focus groups, interviewees, and authors of essays are Russian-speaking residents of Finland of different ethnic backgrounds, mainly at the age of about 20 (and not more than 30). They are still young enough and cannot have accumulated lots of things, they are not able to remember well enough the life in Russian-speaking surroundings (they came from different places of the former USSR). Nevertheless, they care about photos of ancestors, objects obtained from friends and family jewelry, souvenirs and items, which they have inherited. It is noticeable that they are still influenced by the traditions of the family, but begin to build their micro-space, which carries some signs of Russianness. As they grow older, it will be saturated with meanings that speak of the increasingly complex personality of their owners.