Björn Teir
CEO
Society of Swedish Literature in Finland
Culture and identity are the forces that hold societies together in times of crisis; the glue that binds together the mosaic of nation-building. But culture and identity can also break the fabric of society.
The importance of culture for the resilience of individuals to cope with difficult situations is evident when society undergoes major transformations or faces crisis due to external threats. Some recent examples of the importance of culture and a strong identity for resilience have been seen in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, and not least in the cohesion and heroic efforts of the Ukrainian people to free their country from the Russian aggressor.
There are also many cases where what is encompassed by the broad concepts of culture and identity break up societies. The breakup of the former Yugoslavia into several small states in the 1990s and 2000s is an example of conflicts in which political leaders used ethnicity and religion, combined with very strong nationalist agitation, to break up a melting pot of different ethnic groups, all in the pursuit of power and economic gain.
Swedish culture in Finland has a long history. The country’s more than 600-year history as the eastern part of Sweden laid the foundation for Finland as a Western nation. Our administrative tradition, our legal system and civil society, our way of doing business, Finnish culture and the importance of the Swedish language and Finland-Swedish culture in the development of today's Finland are deeply rooted in our country's development as part of Sweden. Our common development from the Middle Ages to 1809 has left its mark on what became independent Finland in 1917.
The Russian period 1809–1917 can be defined in many respects as favourable to Finland. The country enjoyed a long period of autonomy and retained both the foundations of the legal system created and the laws enacted during the Swedish era. The autonomous Finland of that period has been described by historians as a second Sweden; it was based on Swedish law and administrative structure, with Swedish as the language of administration and education.
In the latter half of the 19th century, the language issue became politicised, and the Finnish nationalist movement exacerbated linguistic tensions. Under the motto 'one country, one language', demands were made to “Finnishize” the state administration and universities. The movement saw Swedish – the language most widely used in administration, education and trade – as a burden and considered Swedish to be a link to Sweden. They saw the language as provocative in relation to the Russian Emperor as Grand Duke of Finland.
As a reaction to the Finnish nationalist movement, a similar movement emerged in the Swedish-speaking world. Swedish speakers increasingly began to define themselves as a separate ethnic group, the Finland-Swedes, although the term Finland-Swedish itself was not established until the 1910s. This led to a division in society, with two parallel nationality movements and a division of associations based on language.
At the end of the 19th century, Great Russian nationalism led the Russian authorities to start assimilating the peoples of the great empire. In Finland, this led to a significant reduction in the country's autonomy. Resistance to this imperialist oppression united the Finnish people regardless of language and led to the developments that eventually resulted in Finland's independence in 1917.
It took time, but gradually Finland matured to the point where the old motto gave way to a new one: 'one country – two languages'. After independence in 1917, this was also enshrined in the new nation's constitution: Finnish and Swedish became the country's national languages.
The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) was founded as an association in 1885, as part of the Swedish nationality movement described above. The purpose of the SLS is to preserve, explore and spread knowledge about Swedish culture in Finland. SLS acts as a scientific society to promote domestic research on Swedish language and literature and promotes Finland-Swedish literary activities through prizes and grants. SLS is funded by the proceeds of a fortune of around EUR 2 billion, which has been generated by donations, mainly from private individuals, since the foundation of the organisation.
At a time when geopolitical tensions dominate and the neighbour with which we share a 1,340 km border has chosen a path that isolates the country and sets its development back hundreds of years, Finland's western roots and orientation have new relevance. The relevance of Swedish in Finland in today's social climate has attracted renewed interest, as has the role of culture and identity as societal pillars. In many ways, we are closer to Sweden than we have been in the last 215 years. This creates good operating conditions also for an organisation that works to preserve, explore and highlight the relevance of the Swedish language and Finland-Swedish culture in Finland, as a cohesive glue for a stable and favourable societal development.