"Before coming to Rovaniemi I had finished my Bachelor’s Thesis on development and anthropology in my home-university (Tulane University, New Orleans). I was interested in researching indigenous people and I wanted to come to Europe to do research because I thought that the indigenous people in Europe have not been the centre of research as much as the indigenous people in Australia and America.

The combination of modern and tradition fascinates me, for instance how the traditional design is blending with the modern. In my research I will concentrate on globalization and the cultural preserveness in change.

I’m doing my research in the Arctic Centre which is located in Rovaniemi. It’s an office for anyone doing research in the arctic. The topics vary from environment and culture to law and politics. The Arctic Centre has a large English base which made it easy for me to fit in. I could use my research later for my MA Thesis in my home-university.

I was surprised how strongly Rovaniemi is the centre of Lapland in terms of North. Everything happens here and everything is located in the city. For instance, people like keeping their apartments “in the city” while going somewhere else during their free-time. In fact, I will do the same after new year when I’m moving to Inari to do my research and fieldwork in SAKK – The Sami Education Institute."
 

Paul Burgess, Fulbright Scholar in Arctic Center, from United States.