The subject of this dissertation is the Finland-Swedish author Gunnar Björling (1887-1960) and his journey towards Modernism. The principle thesis of this dissertation, the idea that Björling’s distinctive language cannot be understood without an underlying modernistic current, is outlined in Chapter I. It also discusses the idea that Modernism cannot be reduced to a matter of style, but encompasses particular values, ideological stances and practical matters, such as the forming of alliances, writing manifestos and publishing journals. Chapter II examines how and why Björling came to be regarded as a modernist. A strongly contributing factor was Björling’s language, which from the very first violated prevailing ideas on acceptable forms of expression. The fact that he published his first book through the modernist publishing firm Daimon, and contributed to its journal Ultra, further confirmed his modernistic placing. Chapter III focuses on Björling’s unpublished juvenilia from the 1910’s. The young Björling wrote traditional rhyming verse but was also influenced by writings of a more symbolistic and modern character. The chapter concludes with a study of bizarrerierna, Björling’s dream notes, originally written during the 1910’s but first published in 1928. With their bold enjambments and highly compressed form, these notes came to influence the continued development of his lyrical imagery. Chapter IV deals with his debut Vilande dag (Resting day) (1922) and its symbolistically coloured language problematic. Björling struggled to find a language that would convey his experience of the limitlessness of being, a language striving to transcend words, leaving space for silence. This struggle for the right words continues in the later Korset och löftet (The cross and the promise) (1925) and Chapter V demonstrates how this is connected with the quest for God. In the wake of German Expressionism and Dadaism, Björling adopts a more disjointed syntax and a bolder and more dissonant lyrical imagery. There also occurs a thematic expansion, giving greater prominence to the daily life of the metropolis, a life transformed by media. In accordance with modernistic patterns, Björling chose to end his book with a theoretical epilogue, which is a distinctive collation of life philosophy, anti-clericalism, passionate religiousness, moral-philosophical discussions and aesthetic expositions.

This thesis examines the Swedish speaking minority in the area of Finland. Because Finland had been a part of the Kingdom of Sweden for some centuries, the Swedish language had a dominant position in Finland for quite some time. The Swedish language kept its high prestige even during the period of the Russian rule that began in 1809. In the 2nd part of the 19th century the status of the Swedish language weakened to a large extent and today it is considered to be a minority language of Finland. The purpose of this thesis is in the first instance to define the term of identity and the specifics of minority identity. Subsequently I will focus on the the Swedish speaking minority in Finland, its self- concept, history and literature. In the last part of my thesis I will investigate the work of the Finland- Swedish writer Kjell Westö, in particular his depiction of his own Finland- Swedish identity. KEY WORDS: identity, minority groups, the Swedish speaking minority in Finland, Swedish literature in Finland, Kjell Westö

Finland is officially a bilingual country, with Finnish and Swedish as national languages. FinlandSwedes constitute about 6% of the population. This study treats Finland Swedish in relation to Swedish in Sweden, on the one hand, and, onthe other hand, to Finnish. The main question is whether Finland Swedish should be regarded asa variety on a par with regional varieties in Sweden, which presupposes a common written standard, or as a more independent standard language. A corpus of 289 school essays written by compulsory- and upper-secondary-school students inFinland has been compared with school essays written by Swedes in Sweden. The number of provincial features in the essays provide a quantitative measure of the regional and age-related variation among the students. The purpose of the study is to determine whether the two groups of students are developing inthe same direction, toward a common supra-regional standard language in which provincialismsare rare. My hypothesis has been that the Finland-Swedish essays will reflect a different standardlanguage than in Sweden, which would imply that several of the so-called provincialisms belongto an implicit Finland-Swedish written standard. The results indicate that the upper-secondary students, just as in Sweden, use fewer provincialfeatures than do compulsory school students. Students from bilingual municipalities use more Finlandisms than do their cohorts who reside in more Swedish-speaking environments. In generalthese Finlandisms are more closely related to Finnish than to dialects of Swedish, which meansthat the provincialisms of the Finland-Swedish students are in many cases different in nature fromthose of their Swedish counterparts in Sweden. A comparison between Finland-Swedish studentsand Swedish students in Sweden indicates that the students in Finland use more provincialisms, onthe one hand, and, on the other hand, continue to use them at the upper-secondary level as well,which is rare among Swedish students in Sweden. The conclusion is that in a certain sense Finland Swedish can be regarded as an independentstandard language developed out of the interplay with its own dialects and with Finnish. However,regionally varied influence from Sweden, combined with active language-preservation measuresin cooperation with Swedish language planning bodies in Sweden, ensures that Finlandisms, especially in professional expository prose, are normally few in number and can be regarded as negligible, even by Swedish readers in Sweden.

Sweden and Finland were one country for more than 600 years and there are many remaining links between the two countries. Throughout the period, but even today there are Swedish and Finnish populations on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia. When Russia conquered the Finnish part of the country in 1809, the state and its population were separated and the situations for the language groups changed and developed differently in Sweden and Finland. During the period studied in this thesis, 1866-1939, a new type of nation emerged in Europe, based on versions of nationalism constructed on ethnicity and language. Elementary schools played an important role in this nation building, spreading the mother language and the nation’s history. Elementary school textbooks were designed in relation to nation building, language and ethnic identification.  The thesis compares how Swedish and Finland-Swedish textbooks describe ethnicity and common history in Sweden and Finland in a period of nationalism. The main aim of the thesis is to compare how two textbooks-traditions describes their Swedish and Finnish populations and if, or how, the textbook history is to be seen as related to these descriptions. The textbooks examined were written for elementary schools from 1866-1939 to be used in the teaching of history and geography. The research question focuses on descriptions of Swedes and Finns and whether it is possible to see differences in the nation’s historiography. Patterns of reproduction or transformation are also analysed in the textbooks. In the study 105 textbooks were examined and the quotations from the textbooks connected to the aim are sorted and analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis.  The results show that Finns are rendered invisible in Swedish history textbooks. The geography textbooks describe Swedes as cultural and civilised with a peace-loving national character, while Finns are described as uncultured, peripheral and stubborn. This pattern is similar in Swedish and Finland-Swedish geography textbooks. At the beginning of the study it is a positive stubbornness, portrayed as brave and truthful to Sweden. Later on, the stubborn Finn is described negatively as old-fashioned and clinging to old habits. The Swede´s are described as more flexible through time; they have refined their national character and developed cultivation and democracy.  The historiography differs in what is described, and how. One example is that the Finns´ contribution to the common country is quite hard to find in the textbooks.  Swedish textbooks also seem to want to steal the honour from any Finnish success by placing Swedish ethnicity before Finnish national identity in cases where Swedish-speaking Finns have done great things. These types of descriptions are both reproduced and transformed as the actual relations between Finland and Sweden change and it is obvious that textbook history does not tell about the past but rather the story that the present wants to propagate.

Sweden and Finland were one country for more than 600 years and there are many remaining links between the two countries. Throughout the period, but even today there are Swedish and Finnish populations on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia. When Russia conquered the Finnish part of the country in 1809, the state and its population were separated and the situations for the language groups changed and developed differently in Sweden and Finland. During the period studied in this thesis, 1866-1939, a new type of nation emerged in Europe, based on versions of nationalism constructed on ethnicity and language. Elementary schools played an important role in this nation building, spreading the mother language and the nation’s history. Elementary school textbooks were designed in relation to nation building, language and ethnic identification.  The thesis compares how Swedish and Finland-Swedish textbooks describe ethnicity and common history in Sweden and Finland in a period of nationalism. The main aim of the thesis is to compare how two textbooks-traditions describes their Swedish and Finnish populations and if, or how, the textbook history is to be seen as related to these descriptions. The textbooks examined were written for elementary schools from 1866-1939 to be used in the teaching of history and geography. The research question focuses on descriptions of Swedes and Finns and whether it is possible to see differences in the nation’s historiography. Patterns of reproduction or transformation are also analysed in the textbooks. In the study 105 textbooks were examined and the quotations from the textbooks connected to the aim are sorted and analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis.  The results show that Finns are rendered invisible in Swedish history textbooks. The geography textbooks describe Swedes as cultural and civilised with a peace-loving national character, while Finns are described as uncultured, peripheral and stubborn. This pattern is similar in Swedish and Finland-Swedish geography textbooks. At the beginning of the study it is a positive stubbornness, portrayed as brave and truthful to Sweden. Later on, the stubborn Finn is described negatively as old-fashioned and clinging to old habits. The Swede´s are described as more flexible through time; they have refined their national character and developed cultivation and democracy.  The historiography differs in what is described, and how. One example is that the Finns´ contribution to the common country is quite hard to find in the textbooks.  Swedish textbooks also seem to want to steal the honour from any Finnish success by placing Swedish ethnicity before Finnish national identity in cases where Swedish-speaking Finns have done great things. These types of descriptions are both reproduced and transformed as the actual relations between Finland and Sweden change and it is obvious that textbook history does not tell about the past but rather the story that the present wants to propagate.

Teckenspråk kan uttrycka tid på olika sätt med hjälp av teckenrummet. Jag har i min studie fokuserat på hur rörelsen i tecken och medveten placering av flera tecken i teckenrummet kan kopplas till tidsbegrepp, så kallade tidslinjer. Linjerna och rörelserna kopplas metaforiskt till den konceptuella uppfattningen om TIME AS SPACE (tid är rum), vilken här används i form av tidsorienteringsmetafor. En studie av tidslinjer i det finska teckenspråket används som utgångsläge för min egen undersökning av finlandssvenskt teckenspråk och vilka typer av rörelser i tecknade tidsuttryck som återfinns där. Jag granskade totalt 8 video- och eaf-filer från den finlandssvenska teckenspråkskorpusen och fann flera lexikala och avbildande tecken med rörelser som hade en temporal innebörd och kunde kopplas till tidsuttryck. Jag annoterade totalt 319 rörelser enligt tidslinjer. I tecknet eller teckensatsen ingick de flesta rörelser kopplat till tidsuttryck i ett lexikalt tecken med en rörelsemodifiering (244) jämfört med i avbildande tecken där tecken kan placeras på och förflyttas mellan olika platser i teckenrummet (75). Avbildande tecken och flera tecken efter varandra längs en linje förekommer ofta längs horisontell och sagittal rörelseaxel. En gruppering av olika slags rörelsemönster visade på rörelsemodifikationer som kan tillföra en tidsaspekt eller betydelse. Tidsorienteringsmetaforen anser jag tydligt kan kopplas till tecknade tidsuttryck i finlandssvenskt teckenspråk. / Sign language can express time using the sign space. I have studied sign movements and the placement of several signs in the signing space linked to time concepts, so-called timelines. The lines and movements are metaphorically connected to the conceptual metaphor of TIME AS SPACE, which is used here as a time orientation metaphor. A study of timelines in the Finnish sign language is used as starting point for my study of Finnish-Swedish sign language and the types of movements according to timelines that are found there. I reviewed 8 video and eaf-files from the Finland-Swedish sign language corpus and found several lexical and depicting signs including movements linked to time expressions. I annotated 319 movements according to timelines. In the sign or a set of signs, most movements were included in a  lexical sign (244) compared to depicting signs which can be placed or moved in the sign space (75). Depicting signs and set of signs in a row along a line often occur along the horizontal and sagittal axis of motion. An analyze of movement patterns pointed out some movement modifications and how they can add a time aspect or meaning. The time orientation metaphor can clearly be linked to signed time expressions in Finland-Swedish sign language.

The primary objective of this thesis is to conduct a comparative analysis of Sweden'slegislation, that criminalizes the purchase of sexual services, with Finland's laws thatdistinguish prostitution from human trafficking and prohibit the purchase of sexual services ifthe customer is aware of or ought to have suspected that the prostitute is a victim of humantrafficking. The study aims to identify and examine the core differences between these laws and how they reflect distinct views on prostitution and women, and the extent to which they are aligned with gender equality. The study employs a liberal sex work perspective which regards prostitution as a form of work that can be separated from the individual's body and aneo-abolitionist perspective that views prostitution, whether voluntary or involuntary, as a harmful and exploitative practice that oppresses women. The study employs a most-similardesign and ideological analysis to address the research questions. The results reveal the legislations' role in promoting gender equality as part of a broader feminist struggle against patriarchal structures. Sweden's law addresses gender inequality by identifying prostitution as a manifestation of male violence against women, while Finland's law targets exploitation insex trafficking, maintaining gender equality by protecting those most vulnerable inprostitution.

Det finlandssvenska teckenspråket är ett minoritetsspråk med ungefär 100 språkanvändare, främst i Finland. Språket håller på att revitaliseras och de senaste åren har flera språkstärkande åtgärder genomförts. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på om det finns tidigare revitaliseringsinsatser för små teckenspråk, och om man kunde finna liknande processer i arbetet för dessa språk. Detta gjordes via systematisk litteraturstudie med hjälp av sökord, där artiklar valdes ut för fördjupad läsning. Resultatet från sökningarna visar få material gällande språkrevitalisering av teckenspråk, däremot större mängd material gällande språkrevitalisering av talade språken. Uppsatsens resultat är fokuserade på vitalitet, språkattityder samt lyckade revitaliseringsmetoder i de samiska språken, däribland språkbo- och mentorsverksamhet. I diskussionsdelen tas utmaningar med att implementera dylika metoder för det finlandssvenska teckenspråket upp. Attityderna i samhället påverkar språkets utveckling men också språkgruppen själv har ett ansvar gentemot teckenspråket och dess fortlevnad. Slutligen konstateras det att samhället också måste ta sitt ansvar för att främja inlärning av teckenspråk samt skapa tillgängliga domäner för att användning av teckenspråket. Detta för att säkerställa minoritetens teckenspråks överlevnad.

This master’s thesis considers the differences between the minority literature from Friesland, a province in the northwest of the Netherlands, and that of the Swedish-speaking part of Finland. The author of this paper tries to draw attention to the literatures of those minorities, which often are not well-known outside their own regions. The main issue discussed in this paper is: How is minority culture problematized in the novels de fûke (1966) by the Frisian author Rink van der Velde and Där vi en gång gått (2006) by the Finland-Swedish author Kjell Westö? The Frisian population in the Netherlands is considered by many as a very old people, because famous writers of the Roman Empire, such as Pliny the Elder, wrote specifically about their region and its people. Despite this, the Frisian language has been in a peripheral situation for many centuries. The Swedish minority in Finland, on the contrary, is much younger. Finland gained autonomy in 1809 and before that time the region currently known as Finland, was the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden. This meant that Swedish was the predominant language until that year. Later on Finnish became the main language in Finland. However, both the Frisian and the Finland-Swedish literature were not established before the nineteenth century. This changed partially as a result of ideas of the Romanticism, but also because of historical reasons. By analyzing the previously mentioned novels, Oetze Deelstra shows how the minorities in both countries fare in opposite situations. The Swedish-speaking population has often been, and continues to be, examined as upper-class. On the other hand, in Frisia should a very old countryside culture has been preserved. Those ideas have been important in forming the images of both minorities. A noticeable distinction is that the Frisian literature is defined by language, while the Finland-Swedish literature is characterized by political and ideological arguments. / Dizze masterskripsje rjochtet him op de ferskillen tusken de literatuer fan Fryslân en dy fan de Sweedsktalige minderheid yn Finlân. De skriuwer fan dit wurk besiket op dy wize mear omtinken te freegjen foar de literatuer fan dizze minderheden, dy’t faak net sa bekend is bûten de eigen regio. De fraach dy’t sintraal stiet is: Op hokker wize wurdt stal jûn oan minderhedeproblematyk yn de romans de fûke (1966) fan de Fryske skriuwer Rink van der Velde en Där vi en gång gått (2006) fan de Finlânsweedske skriuwer Kjell Westö? Faak wurde de Friezen beskôge as in âld folk. Mooglik komt dat trochdat se al neamd wurde soene troch ferneamde skriuwers fan it Romeinske Ryk, lyk as Plinius de Aldere. Dochs hat it Frysk iuwenlang in net al te wichtige rol spile yn Fryslân en dêrbûten. De Sweedske minderheid yn Finlân is lykwols folle jonger. Finlân is pas sûnt 1809 autonoom en foar dy tiid wie dat wat wy hjoed-de-dei Finlân neame, it eastlike diel fan it Sweedske Ryk. Dat betsjut ek dat it Sweedsk oant doe ta de oerhearskjende taal wie. Letter waard it Finsk de wichtichste taal yn Finlân. Sawol de Fryske as de Finlânsweedske literatuer wiene lykwols net fêstige foar de njoggentjinde iuw. Dat feroaret pas yn de Romantyk, foar in diel fanwege de idealen út dy tiid, mar ek om politike redenen. Troch de earderneamde romans te analysearjen, lit Oetze Deelstra sjen hoe’t de minderheden fan beide lannen eins yn tsjinstelde situaasjes operearje. De Sweedsktalige befolking fan Finlân is faak, en wurdt no noch hieltyd, besjoen as de boppeklasse. Yn Fryslân soe oan ’e oare kant in iuwenâlde lanboutradysje bewarre bleaun wêze. Dizze opfettings hawwe wichtich west foar de byldfoarming fan beide minderheden. In opfallend ferskil is dat de Fryske literatuer fan de eigen taal út definiearre wurdt, wylst de Finlânsweedske literatuer karakterisearre wurdt troch politike en ideologyske útgongspunten.

Abstract Historical novels are widely published and read in Finland. During the last few decades both Finnish and Finland-Swedish writers alike have addressed such incendiary topics as the Finnish Civil War and the events of the Second World War. The object of the present study is Lars Sund’s Siklax trilogy: Colorado Avenue (1991), Lanthandlerskans son (1997, ’Son of a Country Shopkeeper’) and Eriks bok (2003, ’Erik’s Book’). These novels can be defined as postmodern historical novels, relatively rare as a genre in Finland and even less studied. The impact of historical novels on readers’ attitudes may be strong, and as a result it is necessary to contemplate the ways in which history is reproduced and interpreted. The present study analyses the ways Sund’s novels represent the past, their relation to historiography and the historical novel as a genre, as well as their conception of history. The aim of the study is to demonstrate what kind of connection exists between narrative techniques and representations of the past. This study utilizes narratological, intertextual and contextual approaches. Cultural narratology integrates features from both classical and postclassical narratology, in consequence the novel’s narrative structures are examined as active forces that both reflect and influence the cultural discourses of a given period. During the research process, the narrative structure of Sund’s novels has been analysed as well as intertextual allusions to other texts and to other cultural and social discourses. The narrative structure of Sund’s historical novels suffices to raise epistemological questions about the achievability and reliability of historical knowledge. The occurrences of other media on the story and discourse level, such as descriptions of paintings and photographs and filmic narration, as well as numerous intertextual allusions, accentuate the polyphony of history and the subjectivity of historical conclusions. The present study connects Lars Sund’s historical novels with the international, Nordic and domestic tradition. Additionally, the analysis of the visual features of the novels connects the study with the abounding discussion on the relationship between word and image. / Tiivistelmä Historiallisia romaaneja julkaistaan Suomessa runsaasti, ja laji on yhä lukijoiden suosiossa. Sekä suomen- että ruotsinkieliset kirjailijat ovat viime vuosikymmeninä käsitelleet maamme historian kipupisteitä, kuten kansalaissotaa ja toisen maailmansodan tapahtumia. Tutkimuksen kohteena on Lars Sundin Siklax-trilogia, jonka muodostavat romaanit Colorado Avenue 1991 (suom. Colorado Avenue 1992), Lanthandlerskans son 1997 (suom. Puodinpitäjän poika 1998) ja Eriks bok 2003 (suom. Erikin kirja 2004). Nämä teokset edustavat postmodernia historiallista romaania, jota Suomessa on kirjoitettu suhteellisen vähän ja tutkittu vielä vähemmän. Historiallisten romaanien vaikutus lukijan asenteisiin voi olla suuri, ja siksi on tarpeen pohtia myös niitä keinoja, joilla historiaa tuotetaan ja tulkitaan. Tutkimuksessa analysoidaan Sundin romaanien tapoja representoida mennyttä, historiankäsitystä sekä suhdetta historiankirjoitukseen ja historiallisen romaanin lajiin. Tavoitteena on selvittää, millainen yhteys kerrontatekniikoiden ja menneisyyden representaatioiden välillä on. Tutkimuksessa yhdistyvät narratologinen, intertekstuaalinen ja kontekstuaalinen tarkastelutapa. Analyysin kohteena ovat teosten kerrontarakenteet sekä viittaussuhteet toisiin teksteihin ja muihin kulttuurisiin ja yhteiskunnallisiin diskursseihin. Lähestymistapaa kuvaa parhaiten klassisen ja postklassisen narratologian piirteitä yhdistävä kulttuurisen narratologian käsite, jossa teoksen kerronnallisia rakenteita tutkitaan sekä aikakautensa kulttuurisia diskursseja heijastavana että niihin vaikuttavana aktiivisena voimana. Sundin historialliset romaanit nostavat jo rakenteellaan esiin epistemologisia kysymyksiä tiedon saavutettavuudesta ja luotettavuudesta. Muiden medioiden, kuten elokuva-, maalaus- ja valokuvataiteen, esiintyminen niin tarinan kuin kerronnan tasolla sekä lukuisat intertekstuaaliset viittaukset korostavat historian moniäänisyyttä ja tulkintojen subjektiivisuutta. Tutkimus osallistuu kuvan ja sanan vuorovaikutuksesta käytyyn vilkkaaseen keskusteluun ja kytkee Lars Sundin historialliset romaanit osaksi niin kansainvälistä, pohjoismaista kuin kotimaista traditiota. / Abstrakt Historiska romaner publiceras det rikligt av i Finland och genren är fortfarande populär bland läsarna. Under de senaste decennierna har både finländska och finlandssvenska författare behandlat sådana nationella smärtpunkter som inbördeskriget, vinterkriget och fortsättningskriget. I denna avhandling forskas Lars Sunds Siklax-trilogi: Colorado Avenue (1991), Lanthandlerskans son (1997) och Eriks bok (2003). Dessa romaner representerar den postmoderna historiska romanen, som det till dags dato skrivits relativt litet om i Finland och ännu mindre forskats i. Historiska romaner konstruerar nationell identitet och deltar i den kulturella och politiska dialogen om det förflutna och nutiden. Deras inverkan på läsarens inställningar kan vara stark, och därför är det nödvändigt att reflektera på de medel med vilka historien produceras och uttolkas. I avhandlingen analyseras på vilket sätt det förflutna representeras i Sunds romaner; historieuppfattningen samt relationen till historieskrivningen och till den historiska romanen som genre. Syftet är att redogöra för hurdant förhållande det finns mellan berättarmetoder och representationer av det förgångna. I undersökningen förenas ett narratologiskt, intertextuellt och kontextuellt betraktelsesätt. Det gäller att analysera romanernas berättarstrukturer samt intertextuella referenser till andra texter och till andra kulturella och sociala diskurser. Betraktelsesättet skildras bäst med begreppet kulturell narratologi (cultural narratology), som förenar drag av den klassiska och postklassiska narratologin. Detta betyder att romanens narrativa strukturer granskas som en aktiv kraft, vilken både reflekterar tidens kulturella diskurser och påverkar dem. Själva konstruktionen av Sunds historiska romaner framför epistemologiska frågor om den historiska kunskapens åtkomlighet och pålitlighet. Andra mediers närvarande på historiens och på diskursens nivåer, så som beskrivningar av fotografier och målningar eller filmiskt berättande, och åtskilliga intertextuella hänvisningar, betonar historiens polyfoni och tolkningars subjektivitet. Undersökningen kopplar Lars Sunds historiska romaner till internationell, nordisk och finländsk tradition. Dessutom anknyter analysen av Sunds visuella material undersökningen till den livliga diskussionen om samspel mellan ord och bild.