Representations of Finnishness in Sweden

Abstract

The Finnish Literature Society (SKS) was founded in 1831 and has, from the very beginning, engaged in publishing operations. It nowadays publishes literature in the fields of ethnology and folkloristics, linguistics, literary research and cultural history. The first volume of the Studia Fennica series appeared in 1933. Since 1992, the series has been divided into three thematic subseries: Ethnologica, Folkloristica and Linguistica. Two additional subseries were formed in 2002, Historica and Litteraria. The subseries Anthropologica was formed in 2007. In addition to its publishing activities, the Finnish Literature Society maintains research activities and infrastructures, an archive containing folklore and literary collections, a research library and promotes Finnish literature abroad.

Narrativizing (and laughing) spatial identities together in Meänkieli-speaking minorities

“…In those rare studies where participant observation of focus groups has been used, it has been noticed that humor functions as a mechanism through which group identities become established, "materialized" if you like (see Terrion and Ashforth, 2002;Kuipers, 2010). For instance, in group discussion studies conducted earlier in Sweden it was noticed how, compared to other discourses, narrations of Finnishness were invariably played down with laughter (Weckström, 2011). Similarly, in focus group discussions humor has been used as an alternate research method through which intimately political conversations about everyday practices can be accessed (Browne, 2016).…”

“…A number of studies on humor have explicitly pointed out how group identities are embedded as well as established 6 6 through storied humor (e.g. Rothwell et al, 2011;Weckström, 2011). In fact, in Finnish words 'joke' and 'story' have a common etymological origin (Knuuttila, 1992).…”

Språkanvändning och språkval bland finsk-norska ungdomar i Osloområdet

“…Många ungdomar med invandrarbakgrund vill gärna identifiera sig med majoritetsungdomar för att höja sin status och därför väljer de att tala majoritetsspråket (Maehlum, 2007). Även föräldrar med minoritetsbakgrund kan börja tala majoritetsspråket med sina barn av samma orsak (Weckström, 2008). Barn och ungdomar är mycket känsliga för omgivningens åsikter om vilket språk de skall använda i olika situationer (Baker, 2007, s. 7-9;Caldas 2006, s. 114-115).…”

The Finnish and Swedish Migration Dynamics and Transnational Social Spaces

“…Thus, it is hardly surprising that recent studies have found that many second-generation Finns might have a rather mixed and hybrid The Finnish and Swedish Migration Dynamics 109 identity. For example, among the second and third generation born in Sweden, the identification as a 'Sweden-Finn' is not necessarily very strong, and to move to Finland is not in the same way regarded as a 'return' as among the first generation (Ågren 2006;Weckström 2008;Björklund 2010). In this respect, there are clear similarities with results from other studies of second-generation engagement with the presumed 'homeland' (e.g.…”

“…Later generations of Finnish ancestry often have a complex and hybrid identity and the knowledge of the Finnish language might be limited (cf. Weckström 2008). In short, there has been a process of integration, or even assimilation, taking place in Sweden, and the transnational social space created by the postwar labor migration seems to slowly 'melt into the core' of mainstream Swedish society.…”