The image of Saint-Petersburg in Nordic and Baltic countries
IVANOVA, KRISTINA (2013)
2013
Master's Programme in International Relations CBU
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2013-07-31
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-24075
http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-24075
Tiivistelmä
In my Master thesis I examine the image of Saint-Petersburg in Nordic and Baltic countries. The object of my research is residents of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Saint-Petersburg. The aim of my research is to show a decrease in differences in how the city is perceived by its residents and residents of Baltic and Nordic countries.
The research project is based on social constructivism theoretical framework and the image theory. The methodological bases of my research are the following: the analytical method used in identifying and studying the characteristics of St. Petersburg; the comparative method, which provided a framework for comparing theoretical data regarding the city's image; and the historicism method.
A polls and interviews carried out among both the population of St. Petersburg and tourists from Finland, Estonia and Latvia were one of the methods of research. Interviews captured respondents’ descriptions of the city and included questions about how the person views the city; about the most significant historical events in the city; about differences between St. Petersburg and other cities. Thirty inhabitants of St. Petersburg and thirty inhabitants from Baltic and Nordic countries took part in the poll.
During work on my master thesis it was found that under the conditions of globalized culture, the borders surrounding a city’s image are slowly being eroded. Now, the way a city’s residents perceive their city’s image hardly differs from how foreigners do. If earlier each country had its own image of St. Petersburg, at present, the image of the city in Estonia, Latvia and Finland does not differ from its image among locals.
Thus, due to globalization processes that contributed to the merging of internal and external images of the city, as well as the city’s branding in the countries surveyed, St. Petersburg has an image of a unique, inimitable city. It is considered one of the important centers of Russia, a city with an amazing history and unique monuments. In general it can be said that St. Petersburg has a special significance for Finns, Estonians and Latvians, as well as for its residents. First of all, it is considered a European, cosmopolitan metropolis, unlike other Russian cities.
Keywords:Identity, self/other nexus, identity of the city, globalization, urbanization, the globalization of culture, image
The research project is based on social constructivism theoretical framework and the image theory. The methodological bases of my research are the following: the analytical method used in identifying and studying the characteristics of St. Petersburg; the comparative method, which provided a framework for comparing theoretical data regarding the city's image; and the historicism method.
A polls and interviews carried out among both the population of St. Petersburg and tourists from Finland, Estonia and Latvia were one of the methods of research. Interviews captured respondents’ descriptions of the city and included questions about how the person views the city; about the most significant historical events in the city; about differences between St. Petersburg and other cities. Thirty inhabitants of St. Petersburg and thirty inhabitants from Baltic and Nordic countries took part in the poll.
During work on my master thesis it was found that under the conditions of globalized culture, the borders surrounding a city’s image are slowly being eroded. Now, the way a city’s residents perceive their city’s image hardly differs from how foreigners do. If earlier each country had its own image of St. Petersburg, at present, the image of the city in Estonia, Latvia and Finland does not differ from its image among locals.
Thus, due to globalization processes that contributed to the merging of internal and external images of the city, as well as the city’s branding in the countries surveyed, St. Petersburg has an image of a unique, inimitable city. It is considered one of the important centers of Russia, a city with an amazing history and unique monuments. In general it can be said that St. Petersburg has a special significance for Finns, Estonians and Latvians, as well as for its residents. First of all, it is considered a European, cosmopolitan metropolis, unlike other Russian cities.
Keywords:Identity, self/other nexus, identity of the city, globalization, urbanization, the globalization of culture, image