Lapsed, kes uskusid IMEsse. Siirdeaja elulugude temaatiline struktuur

Life-writing research has traditionally relied on the autobiographies of older individuals, shaping prevailing understandings of what people choose to narrate when recounting their lives. In contrast, this study examines 154 autobiographical texts written by teenagers in 1989, 1990, and 1993 – during Estonia’s transition toward a democratic political system and a market economy, a period marked by profound changes in attitudes, aspirations and worldviews. At the time of writing, the authors were between 14 and 18 years old. The aim of the research was to identify the thematic structure of teenagers’ life narratives and describe their distinctive features. The analysis revealed twelve recurring subthemes: early childhood, family, home, schooling, youth organizations, hobbies, special life episodes, rural and urban life, attitudes, emotions, the future and historical background. When compared with studies of adult autobiographies, the findings show a high degree of convergence. Despite their relative brevity, teenagers’ life stories encompass all the essential subthemes required to construct a coherent autobiographical narrative. A defining characteristic, however, is the strong emphasis on the future-oriented subtheme, whereas autobiographies by older writers, unsurprisingly, focus more on the past. Another notable feature is that about one-third of the teenage authors explicitly addressed emotions: 31 wrote about joy, while 48 reflected on worry. These reflections often combined abstract considerations of joy and concern with concrete examples, such as achieving good grades, enjoying a secure home, or belonging to a conflict-free family. In contrast, teenagers’ worries were frequently tied to their families’ economic well-being and to the fate of the Estonian state. The prevailing stance of these young authors was distinctly patriotic. Their narratives convey deep concern for Estonia’s independence and for the realization of Self-Managing Estonia (IME), an abbreviation that also carries the meaning “miracle” in Estonian. These autobiographical texts, produced during a time of political and social upheaval, thus reveal an acute sensitivity to historical change, articulated with remarkable clarity.