Mnemohistory of Stalinist Repression in Finland
: Savolainen, Ulla; Siukonen, Meeri
: Guðmundsdóttir, Gunnþórunn: Savolainen, Ulla
: 2026
: Memory Studies in the Nordic Countries: A Handbook
: Brill’s Handbook Series in Memory Studies
: 1
: 1
: 151
: 176
: 978-90-04-53275-5
: 978-90-04-73628-3
: 2667-0828
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004736283_008
: https://brill.com/display/book/9789004736283/b_9789004736283-008.xml
By drawing from recent studies and theories on memorability and modes of memory, the chapter approaches the mnemohistory of Stalin-era repression in Finland by exploring public media reception of literary memoirs and testimonies by writers presented as (Ingrian) Finnish and published in Finland during the twentieth century. The works and their reception are contextualized regarding the relevant historical, political, and mnemonic circumstances. The mnemohistory of Stalinist violence in Finland reflects a continuous reinterpretation of these experiences and pasts in diverse historical, geopolitical, and mnemonic settings through partly transforming and partly enduring memory modes. At the heart of the mnemohistory is the ongoing antagonism between Finnishness and Russianness, through which the idea of Finnishness has been – and perhaps still is – constructed.