Olga Juutistenaho

Mapping Finnish post-war memory culture and history politics in the cityscape of Helsinki

Wars, conflicts, and disasters are an integral part of European collective memory. In particular, the Second World War is a shared trauma for many European nations and identities. However, in each context the interpretations differ. In Finland, the war is often perceived through a heroic narrative of protecting a small nation’s independence and democracy next to the hostile neighbouring Soviet Union, combined with a bitter trauma of lost regions and large-scale evacuations. Meanwhile, less attention has been paid to a contested military alliance with Nazi Germany. 

In my research, I wish to find out how the trauma and the memory of the war have been tackled spatially in Helsinki. The capital city spatializes and materializes the collective identity and the history politics of the nation state Finland, constructing and reinforcing an authorized perspective of the past. Due to its location between the East and the West, the self-identification and self-positioning of Finland is multifaceted and somewhat controversial from an international viewpoint. I aim to present a critical analysis that defines a spatial framework of memory culture and history politics in the Finnish capital, as well as to place the Finnish context in an international comparison. 

---

Publications (Selection)

Juutistenaho, O. (2024). Monien tarinoiden kaupunki: narratiivit Helsingin ranta-alueiden suunnittelussa. Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu – The Finnish Journal of Urban Studies, 62(2-3), 74-76. https://journal.fi/yhdyskuntasuunnittelu/article/view/147163

Juutistenaho, O. (2024). The end of spatialized Finlandisation? The fate of Soviet statues in Finland since 2022. Kunsttexte.de, 2024(1). https://doi.org/10.48633/ksttx.2024.1.102628

Presentations (Selection)

“German bodies in Finnish ground: Whose difficult heritage?”. 
The 8^th Annual Conference of the Research Training Group Identity and Heritage. Technische Universität Berlin, 7 November 2024.

“Troubled spaces: narrating and interpreting World War II through two war cemeteries in Helsinki”. 
EAUH Conference 2024 Cities at the Boundaries. University of Ostrava, 5 September 2024.

”Tuntematon sotilashautausmaa: vaikea kulttuuriperintö osana muuttuvaa kaupunkia”. 
(“The unknown war cemetery: difficult heritage as a part of a changing city”.)
Kaupunkitutkimuksen päivät, Urban Studies Conference. University of Helsinki, 24 May 2024.

“German World War II military cemeteries in Finland at the intersection of national and transnational memory cultures”. 
ASEN Conference 2024 Nationalism and Memory. University of Edinburgh, 9 April 2024.

“The German war cemetery Honkanummi in Vantaa, Finland as uncomfortable and neglected heritage”. Spring School Uncomfortable Heritage in the Baltic Sea Region and beyond. University of Szczecin, 11 March 2024.

“The end of (spatialized) Finlandization? The fate of Soviet statues in Finland in 2022”. 
War on monuments: Debates over Russian/Soviet heritage in Eastern and Central Europe since 2022. 
Estonian Academy of Arts (online), 16 May 2023.

“Kiveen hakattuja tulkintoja – suomalaisen kaupunkitilan menneisyyden narratiivit”. 
(”Interpretations etched in stone – narratives of the past in Finnish public space”).
Kaupunkitutkimuksen päivät, Urban Studies Conference. University of Turku, 5 May 2023.

“Making amends with the past – approaching cultural trauma through built heritage”. 
ATUT, 14th Symposium of Architectural Research. Tampere University, 20 October 2022.