Modern Finland

by Harald Haarmann

Overview

Providing a multifaceted view of modern Finland, this book describes its history, culture, language, geography, natural history and the mythology of early peoples. Topics include Fenno-Scandia inhabitants and their environment, traditional naturalism and modern environmentalism, and the salient features of "Finnishness," including an analysis of the Finnish educational system and gender equality. Finland's art, architecture and music are highlighted, along with its peace-keeping missions worldwide.

The country's several ethnic groups and their languages are discussed--the Saami, Finns, Finland-Swedes, Russian-speaking peoples, Jews and Gypsies. The author examines Finland's late but rapid development in commerce and industry, with a focus on the history of Nokia Corporation, which grew from a 19th-century manufacturer of pulpwood and rubber boots to a 21st-century international digital communications company.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476625652
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

German linguist and cultural scientist Harald Haarmann is vice-president of the Institute of Archaeomythology and director of its European branch. He has written more than 50 books in various languages, including numerous studies on cultures and languages. He lives in Finland.
German linguist and cultural scientist Harald Haarmann is vice-president of the Institute of Archaeomythology and director of its European branch. He has written more than 50 books in various languages, including numerous studies on cultures and languages. He lives in Finland.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: What Makes a Small Country Like Finland Exceptional?
1. How Do People Interact with Nature in Finland? The Natural Environment Vis-à-Vis Human Cultural Space
The Power of Nature—How the Environment Formed After the Last Ice Age
How Many Lakes Are There in Finland?
Finland and Wildlife: Where Are the Polar Bears?
The Bear and Its Role in Northern People’s Cultural Memory
How Did the Early Inhabitants of ­Fenno-Scandia Experience Their
Environment?
• A Prehistoric Chronicle: Rock Art by the Lakeside
• The Solar Disk Symbolizing the Giver of Life
• Water Birds as Messengers Between the Worlds
Mythical Realms: Nature and Female ­Guardian-Spirits of Living Things
• Mother Nature: A Central Mythological Concept
• Ancient Ties to Living Nature: The Shamanistic Tradition
Traditional Respect for Nature Meets Modern Environmentalism
• Human Interests and the Scope of Nature
• The Control of Nature as an Historical Drive in Western Europe
• Respect for Nature in the Northern Region: A Traditional Notion Embraced by Modern Science
• Buildings and the Space Between Them: Modern Finnish Architecture in Contact with Nature
• Breaking the Rules: Talvivaara—The Black Sheep of Environmentalism
The Mystery of the Northern Lights
The Gold of Lapland
2. Where Do People Live and What Languages Do They Speak? Natives, Newcomers and Social Networking in a Multicultural Society
The Saami—Masters of the Arctic Region
• Saami Terms for Snow
• The Saami Have Many Words for “Reindeer”
• Modernization in the Arctic Region: Mass Tourism and Santa Claus
• Cultural Heritage in a Box: The Treasure of the Skolt Saami
• On the Ways Saami Speak Finnish
Finns: Modern Europeans with an Exotic Language
• The Coming of Finnic Tribes
• Finnish Communities in ­Fenno-Scandia
• Who Is Finnish and Who Is Karelian?
• Finnish: Some Specifics
• Finnish Americans and American Finnish (Finglish)
Finland-Swedes: The Nordic Input in Finland and Its History
• The Coming of Christianity
• Swedish Social Institutions in Finland
• The Impact of Swedish on Finnish
Russian-Speaking People: One Language—Two Ethnic Groups
• Russian-Speaking Immigrants
• Russian-Speaking Ingrians
• Russian Loanwords in Finnish
• Russian in Finnish Media
Jews in Finland: Merging with the Majority
Romani–Finland’s Gypsies: Between Ethnic ­Boundary-Marking and
Social Integration
Refugees from Outside Europe: Resettling and Constructing Identity
in the New Homeland
Language Choices in a Multilingual Society: Communicative Networks
and How They Function in Finland
• Regulations of ­Finnish-Swedish Bilingualism
• Regulations of ­Finnish-Saami Bilingualism
3. What Makes a Finn and What Makes Finnish Society? Defining
Finnishness
What’s in a Name? How Finns Call Themselves and How Others Call
the Finns
Salient Features of Finnishness
• The Environmental Mindset
• Sisu: The Secret of Finnish Determination and Resilience
• Social Cohesion at Work: Trust and Reliability
The Finnish Sense for Pragmatism
Cultural Stereotypes in Light of Finnish Realities
• Finnish Sauna: Myth and Reality
• Tango—Finnish Style
The Lure of Snow and Ice: Finns and Some of Their Pastime Activities
• Skiing
• Ice Hockey
• Skating
Some Unusual Competitions
• Wife-Carrying (or ­Woman-Carrying)
• Mud Soccer (Football)
• Mobile Phone Throwing
What Holds Finnish Society Together? The Secrets of the Finnish
Communitarian Spirit
• The Long Trail of Women’s Participation in Communitarian ­Decision-Making
• Female Shamans, Healers and the Christian ­Witch-Hunt
• Farm Households and ­Self-Confident Farm Mistresses
• Women’s Rights to Vote in Local and National Elections
• Women’s Equality in the Welfare State
• Giving Profile to the Scandinavian Model of a Welfare State
4. What Do Carl Gustaf Mannerheim and George Washington Have
Common? Impressions from the Drive for Independence
A Glimpse at Family History
The Guidance of Providence
Setting the Stage for ­Finnish-Russian Confrontation
Mannerheim as Leader of the White Finns in the Civil War
A Secret Diplomatic Mission and Early International Recognition
Finland’s Independence
Mannerheim as an Integrative National Figure at a Time of Crisis
Mannerheim and Washington: The Profile of Humble Public Servants
5. How Did Finland Modernize? The Secrets of Finnish Entrepreneurship, ­Know-How and Inventiveness
Maxims of Entrepreneurship and Finnish Work Ethics
Industrializing Finland: A Latecomer but a Fast Developer
The ­Finland-Swedish Impact on Industry and Commerce
Finland’s Economic Miracle: Standards of Technological Modernization
The Nokia Story: From Pulpwood and Rubber Boots to Communication Systems
• Modest Beginnings in the 1860s
• Engaging in the Production of Electrical Equipment Since the Early 20th Century
• Digitalization and the Great Endeavor of the Mobile Phone Business
• Selling a New Image of Global Telecommunication: Mobile Phones for Everybody
• Nokia’s Decline and Fall and Rise to New Heights
• Nokia’s Communicative Strategy for International Marketing
Managing Network Society: A Small Country Mobilizing ­Know-How
and Capacities
6. What Makes Finland’s School Education So Efficient and How
Important Are the Language Choices for ­Knowledge-Construction?
The Art of Learning Fast: Finnish Education and the Test of Time
Finnish as a Written Language: From Religious Books
Cybercommunication
Which Are the Media of Finnish ­Know-How? Foreign Languages
Mental Capital
• Latin and French
• Latin and German
• Latin and Swedish
• Finnish and German
• Finnish and English
English as the Icon of Modernity and of Intercommunication
• Domains of a Practical Use of English in Finland
• English as a Vehicle of Symbolic Internationalization
The Role of English for Higher Education and Professional Specialization
• The Passive Consumption of Academic Texts in English by Students
• The Passive Consumption of Academic Texts in English by Scientists
• The Production of Oral English Texts for Teaching and Training at the University Level
• The Production of Written Scientific Texts (i.e., ­Non-Literary Prose) in English
7. What Is Known in the World About Finnish Culture? Global
Manifestations of the Finnish Creative Mind
Architecture
Art: Finnish Painting
Finnish Design and Fashion
• Finnish Glassware
• Finnish Furniture
• Finnish Homeware and Ceramics
• Finnish Textiles and Fashion
Literature
• The National Epic Kalevala and Its Legacy
• Sofi Oksanen’s Purge: An Unconventional Success Story
Finnish Filmmakers and Movie Stars Abroad
What Makes Finnish Music Attractive for the World? Composers,
Conductors, Opera and Jazz
• Traditional Finnish and Saami Music
• Jean Sibelius and the Finlandia
• Finnish Composers Beyond Sibelius
• The World of Opera and the Savonlinna Opera Festival
• Finnish Creative Leadership in the Orchestra World
• Finnish Singers with an International Career
• The Pori Jazz Festival
The Moomins and Their Valley
Angry Birds and Other Computer Games
8. Do the Finns Have a Recipe for World Peace? Minding One’s Own
Business and That of Others in a Cooperative Fashion
Prelude: Finland’s Contribution to Securing Bulgaria’s Independence
Finnish Peacekeeping Missions in the World Since the 1950s
Getting Along with World Powers
• Finland’s Flexibility to Cope with Foreign Rule: Per Brahe and
Alexander II in Focus
• Per Brahe
• Alexander II
• The Odds of “Finlandization”
• The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1975)
The Art of Negotiating: Martti Ahtisaari and His Imprints on World Peace
• Achieving Independence for Namibia
• Negotiating Peace for Kosovo
• Negotiating Autonomy for the Aceh Region in Indonesia
Epilogue: How to Cope with Accelerating Globalization
Appendix I: Finland in Figures
Appendix II: Administrative Regions of Finland
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This book fills a niche that no other English-language book on Finland does, so it is an important purchase for all academic libraries…essential”—Choice; “exceptionally well written, organized and presented...very highly recommended”—Midwest Book Review.

From the Publisher