Study title

Historical Consciousness in Finland 2010: Interviews

Dataset ID Number

FSD2867

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2867

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

• Torsti, Pilvi (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Science History)
• van den Berg, Marko (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Science History)

Abstract

The qualitative study charted historical consciousness and notions of the past in Finland. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The interviewee sample was randomly drawn from among the individuals who had responded to a survey on the same subject in 2009 (FSD2932) and had indicated willingness to participate in a subsequent interview. In addition, students of a upper secondary school in Helsinki were interviewed. The archived data consist of 58 interview transcriptions.

Interview themes were based on the survey. The interviewees were asked about the significance of history and the past in general, and what factors had been important for progress in Finland and in the world. They were also asked to name events and persons in the Finnish history important to them. One major theme was the Finnish Civil War in 1918, studied with a number of questions relating to the respondents' image of the war, whether the consequences of the war were still noticeable in Finland, and whether the interviewees had any personal connection with the war, for instance, through their family history. Images of Finland's wars in the Second World War were also investigated. The interviewees were asked to name and discuss important events in the recent history, the interviewers citing Finland's EU membership, the collapse of communism and the economic crises as examples.

Background information included R's gender, age and municipality of residence. It is possible to combine the quantitative and qualitative data of the same individual through a case number.

The dataset is only available in Finnish.

Keywords

civil war; future; history; immigration; knowledge (awareness); modern history; national identity; world war

Topic Classification

• Humanities (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• History (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Torsti, Pilvi (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Science History)
• van der Berg, Marko (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Science History)

Collection Dates

2010-04 – 2010-09

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Individuals aged 15-79 years living in Finland who had responded to the questionnaire survey on the same subject (FSD2932). Another interview population consisted of upper secondary students of Helsingin normaalilyseo (Normal Lyseum of Helsinki).

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

Non-probability: Purposive

Simple random sampling supplemented with a purposive sample. The interviewees were randomly selected from the respondents who had responded to the survey conducted in 2009 and who had indicated willingness to participate in the interview. A separate sample of students in Helsingin normaalilyseo was also selected to be interviewed.

Collection Mode

Interview

Telephone interview

Research Instrument

Interview scheme and/or themes

Data Files

Interview questions and transcripts of 58 interviews in RTF file format. In addition, a separate HTML version of the transcripts.

Data File Language

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD2932 Historical Consciousness in Finland 2009: Survey

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Names and dates of birth of the interviewees as well as names of third persons were removed from the data (with the exception of public and historical figures and persons mentioned because of their expert status). For historical research reasons, some first names and surnames of persons living more than 40 years before the interviews were retained in the data, if private matters of these persons were not disclosed. Anonymisation done at FSD during archiving is marked with [[double square brackets]].

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Torsti, Pilvi (University of Helsinki) & van den Berg, Marko (University of Helsinki): Historical Consciousness in Finland 2010: Interviews [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2013-09-30). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2867

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Special Terms and Conditions for Access

Direct quotations from the data used in publications or presentations must not contain indirect identifiers (for example, detailed work history, unique life events) that might allow the identification of an interviewee or a third party mentioned in the interview.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Torsti, Pilvi (2012). Suomalaiset ja historia. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.

Torsti, Pilvi & Wass, Hanna (2011). Limittyvät sukupolvet ja jaetut näkemykset. Suomalaiset yhteiskunnalliset sukupolvet ja sukupolvittaiset erot poliittisessa käyttäytymisessä. Politiikka 3/2011.

Torsti, Pilvi (2011). Suomalaisten moniulotteiset sotakuvat. Historiallinen aikakauskirja 3/2011. 309-323.

Torsti, Pilvi & Aunesluoma, Juhana (2009). Historian käyttö yhteiskunnassa ja tutkimuksessa. Historiallinen aikakauskirja 3/2009. 276-279.

Holmila, Antero (2023). Suomalaisten kylmä sota. Jyväskylä: Atena.