Room: Pinni B4113 or Zoom (Link). (Meeting ID: 668 4700 7494 Passcode: 045076)
Finnish Working-Class Literature and Post-War National Narratives (1945–2025)
After the Second World War, working-class literature became a prominent part of Finnish literary culture. In particular, the works of Toivo Pekkanen and Väinö Linna were established as part of the nation’s literary canon. From the 1950s onwards, numerous profound authors have been identified as working-class writers—from Linna and Pekkanen to Lauri Viita, Hannu Salama, Pirkko Saisio, Kalle Päätalo, Ossi Nyman and Noora Vallinkoski just to name a few. Many of them have acquired a broader cultural significance as narrators of Finnish society and societal change.
This presentation examines the relationship between post-war Finnish working-class literature and broader national narratives mediated through the media, political rhetoric, and popular culture. How has working-class literature engaged with dominant societal narratives—often described as master narratives—such as narratives of the welfare state, the affluent society/the classless society, and the neoliberal revolution? Has the narrative form of impactful working-class literature changed from the 1940s to the 2020s? Or can we identify a recognizable way of producing widely spread (counter-)narratives within the field of working-class literature?
The presentation is connected to postdoctoral research project, “Working-Class Literature as a Depiction, Constructor, and Mediator of Class Experiences, 1952–2025”, funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation for 2026–2028.
This talk is part of Research Centre Narrare’s Narrative Studies Seminar, which is open for all interested participants. The aim of the seminar is to allow for a multi- and interdisciplinary discussion on data, methods, theories, and the state of narrative research. Sessions consist of introductory presentations by researchers from different career stages and different fields studying narratives at Tampere University (up to 20 min), and general discussion.
Narrative Studies Seminar – Autumn 2026 Programme
15.9. Jussi Lahtinen: Finnish Working-Class Literature and Post-War National Narratives (1945–2025)
Room: Pinni B4113
29.9. Samuli Björninen: Factual narrative: its history, genres and uses
Room: Pinni B4113
6.10. Niki Iisakkila: Narrative Space: World-Building Across Media
Room: Pinni B4113
27.10. Aletta Kemppainen: Moderni avioliittojuoni Kinsellan ja Kajannon chick lit -teoksissa The Burnout (2023) ja Mittoja ja tilaustöitä (2019)
Tila: Pinni B3117
10.11. Noora Raiskio: The narrative means, styles, and subject matters in Finnish graphic medicine zines
Room: Pinni B3117
24.11. Olga Andreevskikh: Post-2022 queer Russophone media spaces: A shattered past, an uncertain future
Room: Pinni B3117
1.12. Helena Mäntyniemi: From Captivity to Consent: Gothic Lineages in Harry Potter Fanfiction Dark Romance Stories
Room: Pinni B3117
8.12. Matias Nurminen & Juha Raipola: Journalismin horjuvat merkitykset: piittaamattomat tulkinnat ja tiedon ehtojen murros
Tila: Pinni B3117
Updates and further information will be published on Narrare’s webpage.