Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Gender and Societal Influence

This special issue examines the contemporary history of gender and societal influence in 1960s–1980s Finland. It explores a range of phenomena that have meaningfully shaped Finnish society and places an emphasis on political agency as well as social movements. The special issue is composed of an introduction, two research articles, two essays, and one interview. Tiina Männistö-Funk's article examines the role of gender in the history of Finnish transport politics through two activist cases. She analyses the activism of the transport policy association Enemmistö and slow street pioneer Anneli Alanen from the perspective of situated knowledge. Arja Turunen, in turn, shows how the 1960s issues regarding men's gender roles were widely debated in the Finnish print media and that men themselves were active in this debate. Heidi Kurvinen, Liisa Lalu and Katja Lautamatti's article presents a dialogue between two scholars and an artist who are planning a science and arts project on the history of feminism in Finland in the 1970s and 1980s. Hannah Kaarina Yoken's essay examines Finnish peace marches organised between 1980–1984, during the United Nation’s Disarmament Week, from the perspective of gender and societal influence. Finally, Anna Niiranen's interview with the influential finnish author Kaari Utrio reveals the significance of true dedication. In the interview, Utrio talks about her life and long career, her relationship with history, history research, and the popularisation of historical knowledge.