Nationalismi ja intellektuellit

Authors

• Pasi Saukkonen

Abstract

In recent years the role of intellectuals in the formation of nationalism has been debated both in academic circles and in the media. There is also a wide consensus that nationalistic ideology needs intellectuals. According to an interview study from 1990, young Finnish intellectuals do not fulfill all conditions of being nationalistic. Even though their image of Finnish national identity is coherent and Finnish culture is for them in many aspects unique, this culture is also strongly criticized. Furthermore, they do not themselves feel very ’Finnish’. In contrast they associate themselves with various other countries and cultures. The results also reveal a certain fragility in their self-identity. This leaves the question of the strength of their internationalism still unanswered. Surprisingly few of those interviewed were able to give alternatives to stereotypical concepts about Finnish as well as other cultures.