Metanationalism and the Processes of Nationalization

Various nationally defined boundaries, meanings, and identities have become such self-evident ways of perceiving the world that we rarely even think about them in our daily lives. How did we get here?

Nationalism binds together things that have seemingly little to do with one another: from folk music to national defense and from ski jumping to dental health. Nationality also functions as a metaidentity over other identities, as exemplified by terms such as an “American singer” or a “Finnish father.” In the SKS subproject “Metanationalism and Processes of Nationalization,” we investigate how both public and private spheres of life have become nationalized over a period of about 200 years and what tensions, struggles, and turning points have taken place in these processes.

Public discourses on nations and nationhoods interact with how people utilize nationalism to give different meanings to their own lives and identities – or how they distance themselves from nationalism. Different groups of people form distinct relationships with the nation, as crises, social developments, and political decisions affect them in different ways. At the same time, nationalism is characterized by collective rhetoric that both blurs and draws boundaries between people. 

One key aspect of the SKS subproject is to examine the significance of archives and cultural heritage work in nation-building, as well as their role in compiling and shaping the lived experiences of the nation. In this way, the project also contributes to a self-critical examination of SKS’s own 200-year history.

The researchers for the subproject “Metanationalism and Processes of Nationalization” are Reetta Eiranen and Jani Marjanen. In addition, new research positions will be opened for applications in the summer of 2026. The project is led by SKS Research Director Ville Kivimäki.