Anatomy of Karelian Enthusiasm. Lecture event by Minna Henriksson

  • Photo by Helsinki City Museum. Helsinki University, Anatomy Department, dissection room, 1928. Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 20. Sundström Eric, Photographer. Image usage rights: CC BY 4.0
    1/1 | Photo by Helsinki City Museum. Helsinki University, Anatomy Department, dissection room, 1928. Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 20. Sundström Eric, Photographer. Image usage rights: CC BY 4.0
Photo
What: 
lect
Where: 
Athena, Siltavuorenpenger 3A, auditorium 107, Helsinki
When:
28.08.2018 - 17:00
Related project: 
The Russian Bar: Why Relocate? New approaches to neighborliness and interchange. Part 2

ANATOMY OF KARELIAN ENTHUSIASM
Lecture event by Minna Henriksson

August 28, 17.00
Athena, Siltavuorenpenger 3, auditorium 107
 

Part of ‘The Russian Bar: Why Relocate? New approach to neighbourliness and interchange’ August-September events program

‘“Anatomy of Karelian Enthusiasm” is a lecture event by Minna Henriksson exploring Finnish relations toward Russia in different time periods focusing on Karelia. More specifically, it is about Finnish science, politics and spiritualism imposed on Karelia and its people.


In 1943, when Germans conquered space in Russia south of the Gulf of Finland, anatomy professor Niilo Pesonen was to lead the medical proceedings of moving of 63 000 Ingrians to Finland. Part of this transfer of people was to racially identify the Finns from the Slavs. After the peace treaty many Ingrians returned to Soviet Union. In 1990 president Mauno Koivisto initiated return of Ingrians to Finland as Finnish citizens. After this 25 000 people came to Finland.

In 2011 the Finnish government decided to end the special status of Ingrians in Finnish citizenship policy, and since 2016 it has not been possible for Ingrians to apply for Finnish citizenship under this special program. Currently Finland’s defense minister Jussi Niinistö and cultural minister Sampo Terho, both historians and members of the far right party, write extensively about ‘Finnish tribes’ - Finnish-related peoples in Russia.

The event will take place in the former Anatomy theater where anatomical experiments were conducted by professor Niilo Pesonen and his students during the WWII. Using the building that carries memory of controversial events as a venue for her lecture Minna Henrikkson bridges historical and contemporary discourses of ‘race’ in Finland and argues about its similarities.