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Karelia and Russia in Finnish Public Consciousness Laine, Jussi P.; Velde, Martin Van Der

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Karelia and Russia in Finnish Public Consciousness Laine, Jussi P.; Velde, Martin Van Der www.ssoar.info Spiritually ours, factually yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish public consciousness Laine, Jussi P.; Velde, Martin van der Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Laine, J. P., & Velde, M. v. d. (2017). Spiritually ours, factually yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish public consciousness. Europa Regional, 24.2016(1/2), 65-79. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-54451-8 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für commercial use. All of the copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document in public. dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke By using this particular document, you accept the above-stated vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder conditions of use. anderweitig nutzen. Mit der Verwendung dieses Dokuments erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen an. Jussi P. Laine, Martin van der Velde: Spiritually Ours, Factually Yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish Public Consciousness Spiritually Ours, Factually Yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish - Public Consciousness Jussi P. Laine, Martin van der Velde: Spiritually Ours, Factual ly Yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish Public Consciousness JUSSI P. LAINE and MARTIN VAN DER VELDE Abstract Zusammenfassung Hels- Spiritually Ours, Factually Yours: Karelien und Russland im ingin Sanomat finnischen öffentlichen Bewusstsein Based on an analysis of the leading Finnish newspaper, - , this paper explores Finnish attitudes towards Helsingin and understandings of Russia. It pays special attention to the Diese Veröffentlichung erforscht auf der Grundlage einer Un Sanomat so-called Karelia Question and the way it has shaped public tersuchung der führenden finnischen Tageszeitung discussion in Finland. The article seeks to investigate human die Einstellungen und das Verständnis der Finnen zu - signifying practices in the region’s specific social and cultural Russland. Sie beschäftigt sich besonders mit der sogenannten - - circumstances and explains meaning-making as a social prac Karelien-Frage und die Art und Weise, wie diese die öffentliche tice. It evaluates how public opinion, as expressed in the let Diskussion in Finnland geprägt hat. Der Artikel versucht, mei ters page of the newspaper, has evolved and been affected by nungsbildende Verhaltensweisen in den spezifischen sozialen - the broader changes that have occurred at the border. There und kulturellen Verhältnissen zu untersuchen und erläutert die - are clear changes over time, both in a quantitative and qualita Meinungsbildung als gesellschaftliches Verhalten. Er bewertet, - tive sense. This may be summarised as representing a trend wie sich die öffentliche Meinung, wie sie sich auf der Leserbrief of general fading into history, but also as a more cyclical effect seite der Zeitung ausdrückt, entwickelt hat und von den größe - and as the interplay between bilateral relations and broader ren Veränderungen beeinflusst worden ist, die an der Grenze geopolitical changes. stattgefunden haben. Es gibt im Laufe der Zeit eindeutige Ver Karelia Question; Public opinion; Newspaper; Finland; Russia; änderungen sowohl in quantitativem als auch qualitativen Sinn. Social semiotics Dies lässt sich als Darstellung eines Trends zum allgemeinen - Verschwinden in der Geschichte zusammenfassen, aber auch - als periodisch auftretender Effekt und als Zusammenspiel zwi schen bilateralen Beziehungen und allgemeineren geopoliti scher Veränderungen. Karelien-Frage; öffentliche Meinung; Tageszeitung; Finnland; Russland; Sozialsemiotik 65 Europa Regional 24, 2016 (2017) I 1-2 Introduction Karelia and the Finnish-Russian borderland The Karelia Question refers to a dispute SWEDEN in Finland over whether Finland should attempt to regain sovereignty over the territories that it was forced to cede to White Sea the Soviet1 Union after the Continuation War, fought during the Second World - War. Officially, there is no question, as Gulf of - Bothnia both governments agree that no open ter REPUBLIC of ritorial dispute exists between the coun KARELIA tries; however, the reacquisition of ceded - territories and a potential adjustment of - the borderline remain a topic that con NORTH KARELIA tinues to arouse strong feelings in Finn FINLAND ish public debate. The Russian leadership - Joensuu has indicated on several occasions that it BORDER KARELIA has no intention of participating in dis Lake - Sortavala Petroza- Onega vodsk cussions concerning the matter, while SOUTH Areas ceded to KARELIA the USSR after Finland’s official stance is that the bor World War II Lappeenranta ders may be changed through peaceful KARELIAN Lake - ISTHMUS Ladoga negotiation, but that there is no need to Helsinki Vyborg RUSSIA open talks, as Russia has shown no inten Gulf of Finland tion of discussing this (Fig. 1). St. Petersburg Although the case of Karelia may be 0 100 200 km IfL 2017 national border seen in retrospect as a positive case of a Authors: J. Laine, M. van der Velde - Cartography: T. Balcke Republic of Karelia scale 1 : 8 000 000 mutual rediscovery and exploitation of historical commonalities, common land Fig. 1: Karelia and the Finnish-Russian borderland scapes, and regional traditions (Scott - 2013, p. 88), it has not been and is not - immune to the wider fluctuations of Finn - ish/EU–Russian relations. This paper During the study period significant chang meaning-making as a social practice - - - goes behind the mere historical and in es have occurred at the Finnish-Russian bound to the context in which it occurs, - ternational relations perspectives and as interface. In 1990 the world was still di whereby tying our analysis on a histori - sumes a more semiotic angle on opinion vided into two camps and the 1948 Agree cal newspaper record helps us to situate Helsingin Sanomat - pieces published in the Finnish national ment of Friendship, Cooperation and Mu the debate in the context it originally - newspaper, (HS), ana tual Assistance between Finland and the took place in, diminishing thus the risk lysing how the argumentation behind the Soviet Union was in effect. However, in the of hindsight bias. Following this intro Karelia Question has evolved from 1990 following year the Soviet Union collapsed, duction we will describe the role Karelia to 2015 and how the image of Karelia the Cold War came to an end, and Finland plays in Finnish-Russian relations, and has been formed. It argues that while the was quick to apply for European Union newspapers’ function as a platform for - Helsingin Sanomat Finnish relation with Russia have become (EU) membership. When Finland then public debate. Building on the material - clearly less loaded than what they were joined in 1995, previously bilateral bor collected from , the - earlier with the Soviet Union, they still der issues were suddenly framed as part next chapter will describe the develop cannot be reduced to mere forms of prag of broader EU-Russia relations. All these ment of the Karelia Question and shed matism, interdependencies or the simple shifts are very clearly reflected in public light on the role the newspaper has - equations between supply and demand, opinion as expressed in the newspaper. played in this process. The collected - but there are also subtler discursive and This article investigates the develop material is discussed by connecting the symbolic forces at play (cf. Paasi 1996; ment of the debate in these quite spe changes in the foci of the debate with - Laine 2015). cific social and cultural circumstances the broader changes that have occurred - 1 The Continuation War involved hostilities between and aims for a better understanding of at the border. The second empirical sec Finland and the Soviet Union between 1941 and - 1944. It began shortly after the end of the Winter War, the development of public opinion vis- tion, before the conclusions, uses read during which the Soviet Union had attempted to invade Finland. à-vis broader geopolitical changes and ers’ contributions to analyse the devel international relations. We understand opment of public opinion concerning the 66 Jussi P. Laine, Martin van der Velde: Spiritually Ours, Factually Yours: Karelia and Russia in Finnish Public Consciousness 2 - - Karelia Question. The task here is to look mounting Karelianism, led Finland to at impression for many was of a land that beyond the specific texts to the systems tempt to undo its post-Winter War con suffered from economic stagnation, - of
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