Tero Halonen’s book uncovers the long history of conferment ceremonies

Tero Halonen’s book on the long history of conferment ceremonies (Promootio. Elävän yliopistoperinteen historiaa. Otava 2023) offers a chronological compilation of knowledge on the subject. Small fact boxes draw attention to particular features, phenomena or events, providing welcome pauses in the otherwise quite dense prose. Although Halonen’s sources are mainly literary (including references to Matti Klinge, the grand old man of Finnish university history), he has also consulted and included some original documents. Such sources, including conferment ceremony material and newspaper quotes spanning several centuries, offer a distinctive depiction of the different eras. 

The book begins by tracing the medieval origins of the conferment tradition. It explains how, during the mediaeval period, the practice gradually developed of organising ceremonies and awarding symbolic items at the graduation of new master’s degree holders, who thereby gained the right to teach at university. The conferring of symbolic rings, hats and (later) swords evolved into an academic counterpart to the ceremony of dubbing knights, where the prospective knight’s shoulders are touched with a sword. 

While the book’s second chapter turns the focus on Finland, Halonen also contextualises the conferment tradition by explaining how it took root more generally in the Swedish Empire during the 17th century and subsequently in Finland, which was then part of Sweden. The Royal Academy of Turku (the University of Helsinki’s predecessor) organised its first conferment ceremony in 1643. Halonen notes that participation entailed considerable costs, including those of the prescribed garment. This echoes the modern experience, where conferment fees, attire, rings, hats and swords pose a financial burden for many. In the 18th century, grants were made available to offset attendance costs – a practice that might merit revival today.  

Since the 17th century, conferment rituals have included a procession to the cathedral and a formal dinner. Originally, only twelve master’s graduands were conferred at once (possibly a symbolic figure echoing the number of Jesus’s disciples), but the number later increased. As Halonen points out, the ball was not included in the celebrations until the second half of the 18th century. 

With growing historical awareness in the 19th century, the first jubilee master’s graduands (that is, individuals originally conferred 50 years earlier) were conferred in Turku in 1819. Today, the symbolism of the 50-year cycle is still emphasised through the involvement of jubilee graduands, jubilee wreath weavers, and the evocation of memories and rhetoric. The tradition of conferring jubilee master’s graduands has its roots in 19th century Uppsala and Lund. Held in spring 1827, the final conferment ceremony in Turku preceded the Great Fire later in the autumn, after which the university moved to Helsinki. Under the new regulations of 1828, the university was granted the right to confer doctoral degrees as well, which the Faculty of Theology did in 1831. This was also the first conferment ceremony held in Helsinki. 

Starting from the 19th century, conferment ceremonies featured more in both personal recollections and the press, providing abundant source material for Halonen. Conferment memories and press reports alternate in Halonen’s text more generally from the third chapter onwards. Here, he also describes the emergence of traditions that have subsequently become part of the celebrations. These include the appointment of an official wreath weaver and the formal ‘proposal’ to this individual on Flora’s Day. The conferment ceremony of 1882 saw the first woman, Emma Irene Åström, to attend as a master’s graduand. 

In chapter 4, we reach the 20th century and the modern conferment ceremonies at the University of Helsinki. The first such ceremony in independent Finland was celebrated in 1919 at the Faculty of Philosophy despite the economic recession of the time. Several well-known honorary doctors were in attendance, including Gustaf Mannerheim, then Regent of Finland. His daughter Sophie was appointed the official wreath weaver, solely as a political statement. Comparable appointments followed in the 20th century, for instance, President Urho Kekkonen’s grandchild in 1977. During the 20th century, new events were added, such as the various dinners and occasions centred on doctoral graduands. 

Halonen concludes his book by drawing on a rich array of literary sources, particularly printed conferment publications, to evoke the atmosphere of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Quotations and memories once again alternate in the text in a pleasing manner. Overall, the book offers a solid introduction, filled with essential insights into a unique academic tradition that continues to thrive in Finland. While the book is likely to resonate most with readers who cherish personal memories of conferment ceremonies, it can also be recommended to anyone with an interest in Finnish university history or intellectual history more broadly. The only thing I find lacking is public commentary from resources that would include private correspondence and reader letters. This could have provided insight into how the ceremonies were perceived by contemporaries. On the other hand, locating such material is laborious, and it may not be necessary given the book’s general nature.