Edited by Rani-Henrik Andersson & Janne Lahti (Helsinki University Press 2022)
Finnish Settler Colonialism in North America aims to challenge traditional histories of Finnish migration, in which Finns have typically been viewed almost in isolation from the broader American context, not to mention colonialism. The book examines the diversity of roles, experiences, and narrations of and by Finns in the histories of North America by employing the settler colonial analytical framework.
Finnish Settler Colonialism in North America reinterprets Finnish experiences in North America by connecting them to the transnational processes of settler colonial conquest, far-settlement, elimination of natives, and capture of terrestrial spaces. The authors in this volume apply multidisciplinary perspectives in revealing the various levels of Finnish involvement in settler colonialism rather than merely exploring whether the idea of Finns as a different kind of immigrant is a myth, this book challenges it in many ways. It offers an analysis of the ways in which this myth manifests itself, why it has been upheld to this day, and most importantly how it contributes to settler colonialism in North America and beyond.
E-book available as Open access: https://hup.fi/site/books/e/10.33134/AHEAD-2/
The event is free and open to all – welcome!
Program:
16.00
Opening Remarks:
Tuomas Forsberg (HCAS)
Leena Rautjärvi (HUP)
16.15
General description of the book by Rani-Henrik Andersson
16.30
Settler colonialism and Finns by Janne Lahti
16.50 Comment by Teivo Teivainen
17.10
Q & A and reception