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This SpringerBrief examines emotions in the past through contemporary archaeological materials. The author explores this topic using the context of a former working-class neighbourhood in northern Finland that existed during the Cold War era (1947-1987). Finland offers an interesting context to examine this because of the twofold emotional frames; the Cold War and capitalism versus the nascent welfare state. The push and pull between the values emphasizing universal care and compassion against the hardline militarisation and financial competition results in accessing different and, sometimes, contradictory emotions. It also affords a gendered view into the past and such an angle could be attempted in the context of the deep past as well.
This book offers several examples on how emotions could be accessed in the deep past and draws parallels between the examples from a contemporary 'western' country and various archaeological cultures and contexts. Emotions can be a bridge to access the secrets of human behavior. Such bridging is the core strength of archaeological education, but rarely are emotions acknowledged in the process. Lastly, this book underlines the role of emotions, specifically empathy, in archaeological education and in destabilizing contemporary political notions on social norms and contracts.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Vaakunakylä - A Safe Haven in a War-Torn City.- Chapter 3. Emotional Frames and Histories.- Chapter 4. Living with Fear.- Chapter 5. The Plastic Age.- Chapter 6. Searching for Grief.- Chapter 7. Ceramic Items - Indicators of Attachment.- Chapter 8. From Insult to Injury - Metals, Masculinity and Shame.- Chapter 9. Fragile Feminine Values - National Pride, the Welfare State and Cohesiveness.- Chapter 10. Of Envy and Greed: Socialist Products Among the Trash in Vaakunakylä. - Chapter 11. The Cultivation of Empathy.- Chapter 12. Conclusions.
About the author
Tuuli Matila is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu, Finland. Her research has focused on themes of cultural heritage, contemporary archaeology, and specifically on conflicts, emotions and visuality. She is an early-career researcher and has already participated in several research projects, including the current, first ever major contemporary archaeological project in Finland called "Contemporary archaeological view to the inequality of the Finnish Welfare state: Vaakunakylä, Oulu and its communities between 1947-2025". Tuuli Matila has published articles in several well-known and respected journals in the field of archaeology and heritage studies, such as International Journal of Heritage Studies, Rethinking History and World Archaeology. She has edited one volume along with Tiina Äikäs called Connecting with Ambivalent Heritage: Creative Uses of Postindustrial Spaces. Currently, she is working on an edited volume called Archaeologies of Inequality: Implications for Societal Change. This proposed book is her first solo-authored monograph.
Summary
This SpringerBrief examines emotions in the past through contemporary archaeological materials. The author explores this topic using the context of a former working-class neighbourhood in northern Finland that existed during the Cold War era (1947-1987). Finland offers an interesting context to examine this because of the twofold emotional frames; the Cold War and capitalism versus the nascent welfare state. The push and pull between the values emphasizing universal care and compassion against the hardline militarisation and financial competition results in accessing different and, sometimes, contradictory emotions. It also affords a gendered view into the past and such an angle could be attempted in the context of the deep past as well.
This book offers several examples on how emotions could be accessed in the deep past and draws parallels between the examples from a contemporary 'western' country and various archaeological cultures and contexts. Emotions can be a bridge to access the secrets of human behavior. Such bridging is the core strength of archaeological education, but rarely are emotions acknowledged in the process. Lastly, this book underlines the role of emotions, specifically empathy, in archaeological education and in destabilizing contemporary political notions on social norms and contracts.
