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This book focuses on the discussion of the women's liberation movement and feminism in Finnish print media between 1968 and 1985. By analysing this topic, the book demonstrates that a relatively well-developed state of gender equality in a society does not necessarily result in fertile ground for feminist activism. On the contrary, it may hinder the success of more radical claims presented by feminists, and mass media serves as a central player in this. Consequently, the book enhances our understanding of the mechanisms that prevent societies from reaching complete equality, and it shows how cultural specificities influence the ways in which transnational ideas of feminism are adopted in a local context. This is shown by analysing the dialogic relationship between journalists and feminist activists as well as the mediated negotiations of the meanings of feminism within the women's movement.
List of contents
Introduction: Feminism in the Finnish print media.- 1. Transnational flows of feminism in a local context, 1968-1970/71.- 2. The entanglements between transnational and local negotiations of feminisms in the early 1970s.- 3. Media-savvy feminist activism and the local backlash in the Finnish media in the late 1970s.- 4. 'I am not a feminist, but...': The legacy of the 1970s media portrayal of the transnational women's liberation movement.- Conclusion.
About the author
Dr. Heidi Kurvinen is a historian who is affiliated with Cultural History at the University of Turku, Finland. She has specialised in contemporary media and gender history and has published extensively on these topics relating to Finland and, to lesser extent, the wider Nordic region.
Summary
This book focuses on the discussion of the women’s liberation movement and feminism in Finnish print media between 1968 and 1985. By analysing this topic, the book demonstrates that a relatively well-developed state of gender equality in a society does not necessarily result in fertile ground for feminist activism. On the contrary, it may hinder the success of more radical claims presented by feminists, and mass media serves as a central player in this. Consequently, the book enhances our understanding of the mechanisms that prevent societies from reaching complete equality, and it shows how cultural specificities influence the ways in which transnational ideas of feminism are adopted in a local context. This is shown by analysing the dialogic relationship between journalists and feminist activists as well as the mediated negotiations of the meanings of feminism within the women’s movement.
