Nations and their others – Hungary and Finland in comparison

• Heino Nyyssönen and Mari Vares (eds.)
• ISBN 978-952-99592-9-7
• 200 pages
• 65 €

The question of nations and their others, “us” and “them”, has raised the issue in present day European Union. This compilation deals with Finland and Hungary, two small countries, frequently mentioned in the literature on nationalism but not systematically compared. What kind of results and parallels can we find, when we compare these two to each other and not to their traditional frames i.e. the Nordic countries and the Eastern Bloc? Though the social differences varied, the two small nations have relatively similar histories in the “Europe in Between”, including the consciousness of the Fenno-Ugric ties.
 
The authors compare how political speech maintains nations in practice and in retrospect: how does one define friends and enemies, majorities and minorities, inside and outside borders. The book discusses discourses on “our nation”, and illuminates the various agendas and fields of nationalism: science, diplomacy, culture, politics as well as everyday practices. 

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