Nationalism Research in the Humanities NARS

Nationalism continues to shape our world in profound ways. At the Research Council of Finland Center of Excellence in Nationalism Research in the Humanities, we investigate how people’s experiences, emotions, and memories interact with various forms of nationhood and nationalism. How are nations constructed, transformed, and dismantled through human agency? What kinds of temporal continuities and ruptures can be observed here?

Nationalism, as a force that both unites and divides people, has not become a thing of the past. Its various forms, from authoritarian versions to “welfare nationalism,” are clearly visible in today’s world, and militant, extreme versions of nationalism are again on the rise. Understanding nationalism requires research that combines perspectives from different disciplines.

The Center of Excellence in Nationalism Research in the Humanities (2026–2033), led by the Finnish Literature Society and funded by the Research Council of Finland, examines nationalism as a complex human phenomenon whose content, meanings, and intensity vary over time. We do not approach nationalism so much as a political ideology but rather analyze its practical manifestations and effects on the lives of different groups of people.

The research conducted by NARS emphasizes collaboration between historical research and cultural memory studies, with a particular focus on exploring the long-term processes and layers of the nation as a lived and remembered experience the lived and remembered national experience. We combine humanistic research with, among other things, social sciences and area studies research on nationalism.

The Center of Excellence in Nationalism Research in the Humanities (NARS) consists of four subprojects at the Finnish Literature Society (SKS), University of Helsinki, Tampere University, and Åbo Akademi University.