A Phenomenology of Industrialised Dwelling: Case study of Kostomuksha, Northwestern Karelia (Russia)

Abstract: This thesis is a case study of an industrialised community in Karelia, Russia. Kostomuksha is home for approximately 30 000 people who are to a smaller or larger extent influenced by the iron ore mining, which is why the town was actually founded. This research looks at how the residents see their relationship with the natural environment in the industrialised settings. In order to investigate the phenomenon, this paper uses a phenomenological approach with the theoretical concepts of material realism. The analysis of the thesis consists of the fieldwork and online ethnography findings incorporated into theoretical analysis. The results of this study reveal that the residents of Kostomuksha are rather dwellers of the industrialised environment than of the natural environment, which occurs due to the dominating narratives of economy and technology in the contemporary times, whilst the main role of the environmental dwelling is seen to be carried by the actual industrial entity, Karelsky Okatysh.