Ragna Ahlbäck

Ragna Ahlbäck (1914 – 2002) was a Finnish ethnographer and archivist.

Early life
Ragna Ulrica Ahlbäck (née Nikander) was born on 17 July 1914 in Porvoo. She grew up in Turku where her father, cultural historian and professor Gabriel Nikander, taught at Åbo Akademi University. Niklander completed her doctoral dissertation in 1955. "Kökar: näringslivet och dess organisation i en utskärssocken" established her as a pioneer in the area of Nordic studies.

Family life
Ragna married the linguist Olav Ahlback. The couple had a son, Tore, who became a theologian and librarian.

Career
Ahlbäck served over 44 years as archivist for Svenska Litteratursällskapet Finland, the Swedish Literature Society's folklore archive in Finland. She began her professional work in 1937, which included field work throughout Finland, and later, Sweden. In 1965 she moved to Malax where she founded the Kvarken Boat Museum with her husband.

Later life
Alback died in Pargas on 6 September 2002. Her extensive research archives, including a number of films from the 1950s and 1960s featuring traditional farming and fishing practices, are held at the Swedish Literature Society archives.