The ethnological research of the Estonian National Museum has two main focuses: people and cultures. Hence we study cultural heritage, cultural changes, cultural processes and practices at the level of an individual human being as well as that of the society and the collective.

Studies focusing on cultural changes at the individual level problematize everyday culture in Estonia in both historical and contemporary contexts and examine its role in the formation of worldviews, social beliefs and values. Our research investigates the practices of everyday life, the modernization and globalization of Estonian everyday culture, and changes in lifestyles in the context of modernization. An exploration of the phenomena of quotidian life – how people organize their daily lives, their routines and main practices, and the processes of meaning making in everyday life – allows us to interpret more complex cultural patterns and cultural changes as well.

Studies focusing on cultural memory, cultural changes and cultural influences as well as collective meaning making at the societal level encompass the exploration of the national, cultural, and regional (subcultural) identity of the Estonian and Finno-Ugric peoples, as well as the impact of various political and social factors and changes on Estonian culture and identity. Questions about the possibility of preserving cultural diversity in a globalizing and culturally homogeneous world frame the attempt to interpret cultural diversity and cultural influences. The research contributes to the preservation of material, spiritual and collective forms of Estonian culture.

As part of the study of collective cultural processes, we also look at the use of cultural heritage and history: its contemporary interpretations and applications, including the creation and use of cultural heritage as a social resource in business, tourism, community mobilization, politics and local identity preservation, and cultural heritage as a source of inspiration in the practicing of folk culture and in creative efforts. Our research on cultural heritage can be placed in the wider European and global context of cultural heritage, and it also has the potential to contribute to cultural policy-making.

Both individual and societal research orientations are framed by a reflection on the history of the discipline itself: the history of Estonian and Finno-Ugric ethnology as a national science and its impact on nationalist ideas, identity formation, cultural memory and thematic museum collections.
 

 

Mobile lifestyles in Estonia during the Soviet and the post-socialist period (2020-2022)
The project deals with changes in Estonian everyday culture and lifestyles in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century in the context of modernization. The research questions include phenomena such as translocality at the level of everyday practices and the subjective meanings attributed to mobility; the experience of everyday movement and tourism environments (transport, accommodation, resorts, excursions, etc.), including the sensory and interactive aspects; changes in gender and intergenerational relationships through the example of mobile lifestyles. This research is based on museum collections and draws upon the archival materials related to mobility, including transport and tourism, which can be found at the Estonian National Museum, including the material collected by the researchers over the years.
Implemented by: Anu Järs, Kristel Rattus
Project: research, exhibition

Modernization of Estonian food culture and contemporary applications of food heritage (2016-2024)
The research focuses on the development of Estonian food culture in the 20th and 21st centuries with an aim towards analyzing the peculiarities of Estonian modernization in an international context. Secondly, the focus is on contemporary interpretations of food heritage in the Estonian food culture. The project is the continuation of the two strands that were developed with the support of the Institutional Development Program (ASTRA). These are: a) international and domestic research cooperation (networking); (b) implementation of results based on the resources and formats of the ENM’s Folk Culture Training and Information Center and the Education Center, as well as cooperation with heritage-based regional development and small producers (information, advice, participation in various stages of product development). The current cooperation confirms the interest in, and demand for, the expertise from the ENM regarding the history of Estonian food in general as well as the awareness and implementation of regional heritage resources. Thus, the research outputs include academic scientific publications, an illustrated publication for the general public completed by the end of the period; annotated regional cookbooks in cooperation with Estonian food regions and exhibition activities related to food culture in the ENM. The project is based on the partnership with the Institute of Cultural Research of the University of Tartu.
Implemented by: Anu Kannike, Anu Järs, Reet Piiri
Project: research, networks, business cooperation, consulting, popularization, exhibition, collection

Ethnology of nightlife (2020-2024)
The ethnology of urban nightlife explores the motives, strategies, and practices of creating, experiencing, and regulating nightlife in the past and present. The research questions also concern the moral and political perspective and the manifestations of inclusion and marginalization, the gentrification of nightlife and possibilities of a democratic use of public urban space at night (inspired, for example, by Lefebvre's "right to the city" idea). The object of the research is primarily the so-called alternative culture, which is creative, experimental, culturally diverse and significant in terms identity formation, and its position in the context of wider social processes.
Implemented by: Karin Leivategija
Project: individual research project, creative project, collection
 
A history of Estonian ethnology (2019-2024)
The object of the study is the emergence and influence of ethnographic knowledge in the interplay of a changed political power, ideologies and scientific theories. Ethnology/ethnography in Estonia is examined in its scientific-historical, cultural-historical, social-historical and regional contexts. The approach is hermeneutic, reflexive and interpretive. A special object of interest is the role of ethnology/ethnography as a national science in the formation of the Estonians' sense of self and in the construction and functioning of the Estonian society throughout the 20th century. Outputs: Based on previous and ongoing studies and previous years' research, academic articles as well as an Estonian-language collective monograph on the history of Estonian ethnology in the 19th and 20th centuries will be published. The latter is to be issued in English as well. The project also involves popularization of the field, including exhibition activities and augmentation of the ENM collections with scientific-historical materials (interviews, materials from researchers' personal archives, AV).
Implemented by: Indrek Jääts, Svetlana Karm, Piret Koosa, Marleen Metslaid
Project: research, collection

Finno-Ugric dialogues: Soviet Estonian ethnographers researching kindred peoples 1944-1991 (2019-2021)
The project is a stage in the research strand on the history of Estonian and Finno-Ugric ethnology. Its narrower focus is on the fieldwork of Estonian ethnologists and their relations with the Finno-Ugric peoples and cultural researchers in the respective areas of study during the Soviet period. The research is based on extensive fieldwork, including interviews with researchers of Estonia and other Finno-Ugric peoples. Outputs: 2-3 high-level research articles are published per year. The project also involves popularization of the field, including exhibition activities and augmentation of the ENM collections with scientific-historical materials (interviews, audio files, AV).
Implemented by: Indrek Jääts, Svetlana Karm, Piret Koosa
Project: research, collection
 
Estonian farm furniture in a modernizing society (2020-2024)
At the heart of object-oriented ethnographic research the chair is representative of the most dynamically developed and diverse type of furniture in Estonia in the period 1820-1920. There are two interrelated topics of interest: 1) Chair manufacturer. The craftsman’s field of activity in the socio-economic context of a modernizing society. The "translation" of the high styles of furniture into a more popular form: a creative adaptation of the material, construction and decor to the needs and possibilities of the customer and manufacturer respectively. 2) The chair as part of the interior. The social and cultural aspects: the chair as a status-indicator and ritual object or an everyday element of interior design; regional specificities and their social background. This is collection-based research, the sources of which come from the collections of the ENM, primarily from the artifact collections.
Implemented by: Liisi Jääts
Project: individual research project, popularization, exhibition

Material religion of the new spirituality and esoteric trade (2018-2022)
The project which applies the anthropological research method centers on the study of material religion in Estonia. The focus is on semi-precious stones – objects of growing international popularity in today's new spirituality. The methodological and theoretical starting points of the project are provided by material culture research and consumer culture research. The most common way of using semi-precious stones is the practice of wearing them, which is reflected by a two-way meaning-making relationship between the object and the person, which is practice-oriented and material. The study can be placed in the context of global trends: the popularity of semi-precious stones in the so-called welfare industry is currently reshaping the entire global esoteric trade. Esoteric shops have started to sell mainly semi-precious stones, the supply chain of which is global and demand on the rise, and the mining of which has a high social and environmental impact.
Implemented by: Tenno Teidearu
Project: individual research project