Å utvide horisonten, å arbeide for misjon:Finske læreres misjonsforbund og det transnasjonale

Abstract This article discusses the 100 year-history of the Finnish teachers’ mission association, Opettajien lähetysliitto (OLL, est. in 1913). It focuses particularly on OLL’s development and objectives, its transnational networks, cooperation and agenda in regard to both the mission fields and to the other Nordic teachers’ mission associations (LMF). The study is based on OLL archival material, publications and interviews with current leaders and select long-term members. OLL has a pronounced Lutheran character since it has been a branch-organisation of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), the largest mission society and collaborator with the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church. In this position OLL has focused on supporting missionaries through prayers and donations, and has thus had a rather low profile internationally. In contrast to its Scandinavian sister-organisations, OLL has always been an association with both male and female members. This makes gender an important point of discussion in this paper. Even so, gender did not affect OLL’s relationship with the Scandinavian LMFs as much as language did. For this Finnish-speaking organisation, language was a significant barrier to transnational cooperation until the early 1960s. The paper argues that the OLL began to flourish in the late 1950s when membership rose significantly and transnational connections with other Nordic LMF associations and various other missionaries and locations intensified. This growth coincided with the gradual internationalisation of Finnish society, in particular with the adoption of UNESCO’s international education policy and the emerging cooperation on global development and its integration into the agenda of mission organisations

Nimble nationalism:transgenerational experiences of East Karelian refugees in Finland and Sweden

Abstract Looking at the relationship of experiences and memory Jalagin discusses the significance of the nation for a minority of a minority. Focusing on Soviet Karelian refugees who sought asylum first in interwar Finland and then in post-World War II Sweden, the chapter explores family histories as presented by government authorities in archival documents as well as in written and oral history narratives. Jalagin argues that the nation-state dominated the national experience because the refugees were meticulously controlled by government immigration policies and practices. While considering Sweden their home country, the refugees emotionally tended to identify with the Finnish migrant community in Sweden. Their sense of Finnishness testifies to flexible nationalism, making the nation-state an ambivalent, yet important element in their life

Inspirasjon, samarbeid og innflytelse:et transnasjonalt perspektiv på Lærernes Misjonsforbund (LMF) i Norden 1899-2017

Abstract This article discusses the multifaceted changes the Nordic teachers’ mission associations (LMF) have undergone during their more than one hundred years of history, and considers the challenges these associations are facing today. Particular attention is given to transnational networking and the national underpinnings the associations’ cross-border activities are based upon. In comparing the development and agendas of the Nordic LMFs, the authors analyse the similarities, differences and connections of these sister organizations. Even though all five extant associations (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland) are considered, the main emphasis is on the Norwegian and Finnish associations, currently the largest. The article is based on resources found in the archives of the Norwegian and Finnish LMF associations, previously published materials, select interviews with current leaders as well as statistical information gathered by the associations. One of the main foci was the way in which gender dynamics manifested in the associations’ multilayered national and transnational networks. While the Scandinavian LMFs were originally conceived as women-only organisations, LMF Finland was founded as an association gathering both men and women. Today, all LMF associations are comprised of female and male members. Furthermore, the investigation concludes that today, all face decreasing numbers and aging membership. Yet, despite the national focus of LMF associations, they have generated and maintained far-flung networks with missionaries across the globe as well as with other Christian organisations