Finnish Colonial Encounters: From Anti-Imperialism to Cultural Colonialism and Complicity

This book explores the concepts of 'colonial complicity and 'colonialism without colonies' in relation to Finland, a nation that was oppressed but also complicit in colonialism. It demonstrates that Finns were active participants in various colonial contexts, including Southern Africa and Sápmi in the North, and that colonialism was a common practice shared by all European nations, with or without formal colonies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 09 December 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Breaking new ground in the study of European colonialism, this book focuses on a nation historically positioned between the Western and Eastern Empires of Europe – Finland. Although Finland never had overseas colonies, the authors argue that the country was undeniably involved in the colonial world, with Finns adopting ideologies and identities that cannot easily be disentangled from colonialism.

This book explores the concepts of ‘colonial complicity and ‘colonialism without colonies in relation to Finland, a nation that was oppressed, but also itself complicit in colonialism. It offers insights into European colonialism on the margins of the continent and within a nation that has traditionally declared its innocence and exceptionalism. The book shows that Finns were active participants in various colonial contexts, including Southern Africa and Sápmi in the North. Demonstrating that colonialism was a common practice shared by all European nations, with or without formal colonies, this book provides essential reading for anyone interested in European colonial history.

Chapters 1, 7, and 8 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Weight: 465g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030806125
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021