Quote:
Originally Posted by wilpuri
Finland-Swedes are a very heterogenous group and to simplify the situation into a question of an ethnic Swedish minority in Finland is simply atrociously false.
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Go say to that to Aland islanders; Fennoswedish from Nyland ceased to consider them as etnic-Swedes for about two hundred years ago, and why should've them, they were too busy of building a new nation previously referred as "Östland" in addition to the four other Swedish admistrative regions, Götaland, Svealand and Norrland. However, this has nothing to do with Aland islanders and certain rural regions of Österbotten whose alighment to Finland can be seriously questioned.
I am not referring myself as a Swede despite stemming from Swedish extraction and the fact that my mother even holds a Swedish citizenship, however I believe it's perfectly justified for Swedish descended folk native to Swedish language to refer themselves as "Swedes" if they wish to do that. Besides many Fennoswedes are of relatively recent Swedish stock (in an addition to the initial wave in (1250-1400) such as my family and Mannerheim f.e whose both lineages (materal and paternal) came to Finland from Sweden very recently back in his times, ofcourse.