Ethnologia Fennica is an international journal of the Association of Finnish ethnologists. The journal publishes original scholarly articles, review articles, congress reports, and book reviews that promote Finnish ethnological research.
Book Reviews and Reports
Manuscripts submitted for the book review and conference report sections should not exceed 1,500 words. Book reviews and reports can include a list of references. Please structure the text without subtitles. When quoting the reviewed book, place the page number in parentheses at the relevant point in the text.
Book reviews
Ethnologia Fennica welcomes book reviews on current research of ethnology and related fields. Call for Book Reviews is announced once a year, in March. You can offer a review of a book from the list or make your own suggestion on book you would like to review. In both cases, please contact Editorial Secretary (EF@ethnosry.org). Deadlines for submission are 28th of February (Spring edition) and 31st of August (Autumn edition).
A fair assesment gives value to author's perspective and the accomplishments of the book, but also critically evaluates the objectives of the work, and makes suggestions for further research based on possible shortcomings. It is important to consider how the work contributes to ethnological research.
Begin the review by introducing the main idea and aims of the book. Locate the work in theoretical and methodological field, and evaluate its contributions in these areas. We also recommend you to link the book to current scientific discussion on subject or current affair. If you are reviewing a monograph, you may provide details about the author´ s expertise and book´ s relation to author´ s previous work. Also, introduce briefly how the book is structured (how many chapters, what themes).
Avoid repeating table of contents chapter by chapter, especially if you are writing a review on collection of articles. Instead, focus on few key chapters or articles that best represent the topic and objectives of the book. You may consider following issues in your assessment. How does the author support his/her argument? Is the methodological framework suitable for studying the phenomenon? Do the research findings match the given research task and materials? Is there additional perspectives the analysis could have benefited from?
Conclude the review with an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of the book and its contribution to the subject. Did the book achieve its goals? Does it add something new to existing research? To whom would you recommend it? Conclusions is the most important part of the evaluation.
Manuscripts should not exceed 1,500 words. When quoting the book, place the page number in parentheses at the relevant point in the text. Book reviews can include a list of references. Book reviews should include the title and full details of the reviewed [including a translation of the title of the book if the language is not English] book as follows:
Finnish Women, Muslim Spouses
Kaisa Nissi 2017. Uskonnot, kulttuurit ja perhe. Etnologinen tutkimus monikulttuuristen liittojen kerronnoista Suomessa. [Religions, cultures and family. An ethnological study on the discourses on multicultural marriages in Finland.] Siirtolaisuusinstituutin julkaisuja 12. Turku: Finnish Migration Institute. 366 pp. ISBN 978-952-7167-29-8 (print) ISBN 978-952-7167-30-4 (electronic) ISSN 2343-3507 (print) ISSN 2343-3515 (electronic).
Reports
Reports provide a good opportunity to present current research, new perspectives and research networks in ethnology and closely related disciplines. We accept reports from conferences, congresses and symposiums. If you would like to offer a report, please contact Editorial Secretary (EF@ethnosry.org). Deadlines for submission are 28th of February (Spring edition) and 31st of August (Autumn edition).
Begin the report by introducing the theme and scope of the event. You may also give information about the organizing network. However, do not try to cover the entire program. Instead, focus on keynote lectures, sessions and workshops of particular interest to you. You can highlight memorable papers and researchers, but also draw links between different sessions by comparing research topics, source materials, concepts, methods, theories etc. You can also describe overall experience about the venue, supplementary events and general atmosphere as long as main emphasis is on the actual academic activities of the event. Complete the report with a summary: How did the event contribute to its subject and ethnological research? You can also mention and reflect on proceedings of the event.
Reports should include title, name of the event name, location, and date. For example:
Sense and Sensibility – Ethnology of Affect
10th Ethnology Days in Pori, Finland, 15–16 March 2018
