The project History of science in Finland aims at a comprehensive mapping of scientific life in the republic of Finland since 1918. Senior researcher Katariina Parhi describes what happens next in the project. Data collection will continue this autumn in the form of a discussion tour, interviews and biographies.
Capturing a century of scientific endeavor in Finland presents a formidable challenge, even as an overview. Scientific disciplines are divided into seven main groups, encompassing 64 fields of research. Documenting the history of these fields would be an overwhelming task for a single research team. Therefore, our project, The History of Science in Finland, seeks to engage as many scientists as possible in compiling memories of Finland’s scientific heritage. We welcome accounts of both successes and achievements, as well as setbacks and challenges.
At this stage, the objectives of the project include:
1. Encouraging Finnish scientists and researchers who have worked in Finland to share their experiences of scientific practice. You can participate by sharing your memories or by contacting us for guidance. Read more
2. Conducting interviews with scientists to create a research database that will be archived for broader scholarly use. The interviews will explore topics including everyday scientific practices, research collaboration, science policy, and academic hierarchies.
3. Collaborating with the Finnish Literature Society to expand the short biographies of scholars included in the National Biography of Finland. This involves identifying scholars currently absent from the database and connecting with researchers who could contribute entries about prominent figures in their fields.
4. Organizing a nationwide discussion series to engage with researchers and scholars in the history of science and knowledge. These meetings will explore which aspects of Finnish scientific history participants consider most significant, and examine current themes in the history of science and knowledge, both domestically and internationally. While initial events have been planned within Finland’s scholarly community, the scope will expand beyond national boundaries to foster international dialogue. The first international event, a panel on the preconditions for scientific insights, will take place on the 10th of January, 2025, at the Science Forum in Helsinki.
These initiatives will support the project’s primary goal: publishing comprehensive works on the history of Finnish science. The broader our network of participating scholars, the better equipped historians – both within our research group and future researchers using these materials – will be to produce compelling accounts of Finland’s scientific legacy.
Katariina Parhi
Senior researcher
The History of science in Finland