Oral history interviews with Estonians whose lives have been changed by the intersection of the country’s digital revolution and its rejoining of the free world; ranging from key people involved with initiating and shaping the policies that made the digital revolution possible, to those who grew up with, and were able to make full use of, the new possibilities to learn, create and live in the new, interconnected world, focusing on Estonians who have migrated to California’s Silicon Valley. The interviews focus on the time just prior to Estonia’s regained liberty and up until the present, exploring different viewpoints on how the country was changed by the openness and opportunities made possible by the these events coinciding so fortuitously with the digital revolution, and how this has impacted Estonian culture, identity and outlook. Interviewees reflect on how the openness and new global opportunities have affected Estonia and their personal lives, their hopes and fears for the future, what being an Estonian means to them, their ties with Estonia, national identity, and Estonian cultural traits. Subjects covered include Estonia, Estonian history, interwar Estonia, World War II (1939-1945), Soviet occupation, Nazi occupation, the Estonian diaspora, the digital revolution, entrepreneurship, creativity and resiliency, and Estonian identity in the future.

Camilla Andersson and Anders Hjemdahl are media producers, developers and strategic communications experts who founded Hypnosis Interactive in Stockholm, Sweden in 1996. Sharing a passion for history and human rights, they founded the Far Shore project in 2002, documenting the culture, nature and history of Estonia’s coasts and islands, and founded think tank IICC in 2005, working internationally with issues relating to democracy, human rights and the reunification of European history after the fall of the Soviet empire. In 2014, Andersson and Hjemdahl founded Pacific Virtual Reality in Los Angeles, focusing on development and storytelling using immersive media (VR) and augmented reality (AR), while continuing to work with brand development and communication strategy. As producers, they have created projects with clients ranging from global companies like Sony, Virgin and Ericsson to government agencies, NGOs, museums, universities and non-profit organizations. They have received multiple awards for their work, e.g. the Order of Terra Mariana by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia and the Sir John Templeton Freedom Award for excellence in international public relations.The project is an initiative by Stanford Libraries, centered around the amazing Estonian recovery following the regained independence and the country’s rejoining of the free world, and how this affects national identity, as told through the perspective and personal stories of a number of successful, innovative Estonian entrepreneurs and creatives, mainly those who have gone on to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project records, collects and publishes in-depth interviews carried out by Anders Hjemdahl and Camilla Andersson with the dual purpose of creating a research resource for the study of a unique time of dramatic changes in Estonia’s history, and telling the story of this period to the general public through the voices of people who were both affected by the changes of this time in history, and who took part in creating and shaping the changes. The goal of the project is to enable insights and create a better understanding of this period of recent history, stimulate interest in these subjects, and create a resource for current and future research.

396288 megabyte(s) 8 video files