Valoa, voimaa, vastuksia

tekniikan historian tutkimus Suomessa

Authors

• Timo Myllyntaus

Abstract

Research of the history of technology in Finland

In Finland, the history of technology has been the interest of very different scholars, whose topics of research have embraced mainly Finland and Finnish technology. The most important results within the history of technology have been achieved in cooperation and within the frame of different research groups. Internationalization of the Finnish history of technology really started in the 1990s, since when it has been progressing fast. Finnish research of the history of technology has been burdened by the lack of visibility and status. A great problem is the absence of institutionalization. On the other hand, this has encouraged versatility and search of new perspectives especially in the 2000s. Despite complex circumstances, vitality of the history of technology in today’s Finland is astonishing even on the international scale: for instance, the Finnish quarterly for the history of technology Tekniikan Waiheita is, in proportion to population, 20 times more popular than its American counterpart, Technology and Culture. In recent years, Finnish researchers have also participated very actively in international meetings.