Late-arriving immigrants during the Great Migration, Finns were, comparatively speaking, a relatively small immigrant group, with about 350,000 immigrants arriving prior to World War II. Nevertheless, because of their geographic concentration in the Upper Midwest in particular, their impact was pronounced. They differed from many other new immigrant groups in a number of ways, including the fact that theirs is not an Indo-European language, and many old-country cultural and social features reflect their geographic location in Europe, at the juncture of East and West. A fresh and up-to-date analysis of Finnish Americans, this insightful volume lays the groundwork for exploring this unique culture through a historical context, followed by an overview of the overall composition and settlement patterns of these newcomers. The authors investigate the vivid ethnic organizations Finns created, as well as the cultural life they sought to preserve and enhance while fitting into their new homeland. Also explored are the complex dimensions of Finnish-American political and religious life, as well as the exodus of many radical leftists to Soviet Karelia in the 1930s. Through the lens of multiculturalism, transnationalism, and whiteness studies, the authors of this volume present a rich portrait of this distinctive group.
ContentsPrefacePart 1. IntroductionUpdating and Rethinking the Finnish American Story, Jon SaariInterest in the History of Finnish Americans, Auvo KostiainenPart 2. Colonial Settlement of the Swedes and FinnsThe Delaware Colonists and Their Heritage, Auvo KostiainenPart 3. Seamen, Masses, and Individual Migrants of the Nineteenth and Twentieth CenturiesMigration from Finland to North America, Reino KeroFinnish Settlements in the United States: “Nesting Places” and Finntowns, Arnold R. AlanenAmbiguous Identity: Finnish Americans and the Race Question, Peter Kivistoand Johanna LeinonenPart 4. Finnish Communities OrganizedFighting for Temperance Ideas, Paul George HummastiReligious Activities of the Finns: An Examination of Finnish Religious Life in Industrialized North America, Gary KaunonenPolitics of the Left and the Right, Auvo Kostiainen“Sooner or Later You’re a Cooperator”: The Finnish American Cooperative Movement, Hannu HeiniläPart 5. The Multitude of Cultural LifeFinnish Identity in Immigrant Culture, Keijo VirtanenPapers and Publications, Auvo KostiainenPart 6. Finland’s Minority EmigrantsFinland-Swedes in North America, Mika RoinilaDistant Dreams, Different Realities: North American Immigrants Revisit Finland, Erik HietaHelp among Nations: The Humanitarian Impulse in American–Finnish Relations, Erik HietaThe Return Migration of Finns from North America, Keijo VirtanenDeported Finns, Auvo KostiainenPart 8. Acculturation and GenerationsOne Culture, Two Cultures? Families of Finns in the United States in the Twentieth Century, Johanna LeinonenThe Transnational Practices of Finnish Immigrants, Peter KivistoWho Is a “Real” Finn? Negotiating Finnish and Finnish American Identity in the Contemporary United States, Johanna LeinonenPart 9. Turning to AmericansAdjustment and the Future, Mika RoinilaFor Further ReferenceContributorsIndex
