Introduction to Estonia and Finno-Ugric Cultures

As Estonia is one of the Uralic nations, it is the best place to get to know Finno-Ugric cultures! A 6-lecture series on Finno-Ugric Studies provides an overview of the Finno-Ugric nations’ history, culture, and modern developments.

As scientists found out, the Finno-Ugric peoples have inhabited the European continent for around ten thousand years. Mainly, they live in the territory of Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Hungary. How are these countries connected? During the lecture series, we will study how the Hungarians, Finns, Estonians, Sami, Komi, Mansi, and many other Finno-Ugric nations are related to each other, how they settled so far from each other, and what the roots of their origin are. The topics covered by the course include not only the history of the Uralic peoples but also contemporary politics, modern forms of cooperation, and cultural trends. We will have a chance to learn the basics of some Finno-Ugric languages and talk to representatives of organizations working with Finno-Ugric issues (for example, NPO Fenno-Ugria, NGO Komi Cultural Society).