Papers by Miia Kuha
Perichoresis, 2015
On the fringes of post-Reformation Europe, church and state authorities faced problems in enforci... more On the fringes of post-Reformation Europe, church and state authorities faced problems in enforcing church attendance. In the Swedish kingdom, religious uniformity was seen as vital for the success of the state after the Lutheran confession had been established, and absences from church were punishable by law. The seventeenth century saw significant tightening of legislation relating to church absences and other breaches of the Sabbath, and severe punishments were introduced. Despite considerable deterrents, it was sometimes difficult to control local inhabitants: absence cases were regularly brought before the local courts in Eastern Finland, where authorities were hampered by a combination of geographical distance and a highly mobile population. In this article, popular church-going practices are studied with an approach inspired by historical anthropology. In popular practice church attendance was required only on the most important holy days of the year, whereas on Sundays and p...
Palgrave Studies in the History of Experience, 2022
This chapter offers an interpretation of extended families as communities of experience in a rura... more This chapter offers an interpretation of extended families as communities of experience in a rural area close to the eastern border of the Swedish realm. Through a case study of lower court records, Kuha examines the social and religious life in a 17th-century farm culminating in the crisis of an extended family. The chapter explores how practices of lived religion shaped the relationship of the community and the individual, and how experiences were negotiated within families and local communities. The analysis highlights the importance of protecting the boundaries of the household as well as the meaning of religious practices in creating cohesion within the community.
J@rgonia, 2016
FM Miia Kuhan Suomen historian väitöskirja Pyhäpäivien vietto varhaismodernin ajan Savossa (vuote... more FM Miia Kuhan Suomen historian väitöskirja Pyhäpäivien vietto varhaismodernin ajan Savossa (vuoteen 1710) tarkastettiin 29.4.2016 Jyväskylän yliopistossa. Vastaväittäjänä toimi dosentti Raisa Maria Toivo Tampereen yliopistosta ja kustoksena professori Kustaa H. J. Vilkuna Jyväskylän yliopistosta.
Historisk Tidskrift för Finland, 2021
The Observance of Holy Days in Early Modern Savo (Eastern Finland), 2016
In this dissertation, I study the observance of holy days among the peasantry in the early modern... more In this dissertation, I study the observance of holy days among the peasantry in the early modern province of Savo, located on the eastern periphery of the Swedish kingdom (today Eastern Finland). I examine the practices, norms and meanings related to the observance of holy days both within and outside the Church, and analyse the changes and continuities in the post-reformation period. As the main sources of the study, I use district court records and visitation records mainly from the period 1639–1712. I analyse the cases with a micro-historical perspective and an anthropological approach. The lived religion of the peasantry was constituted especially through practices that were connected to annual holy days, both those officially celebrated and those officially denounced as superstition. The religious practice of the peasantry was shaped in the normative framework defined partly by Church and state and partly by the local communities. It was important for most peasants to attend church and take Communion on great holy days, even though in an agrarian area characterized by a scarce inhabitation and long distances, they were not able to make the long journey to church every Sunday. The practices and rituals related to the observance of holy days were increasingly concentrated on the church, but even the ecclesiastical and secular authorities had to bend in this process. The teachings of the Church were not understood as such, but merged in the popular mind with older ideas of the sacred and the relationship of people with the divine. To maintain its authority in the lives of the laity, the Church was forced to accept practices that were not in accordance with its doctrines. Nor was the Church able to replace the need for sacrificial practices and other rituals in the households. Traditional festivities and rituals officially condemned as superstition survived at least until the 18th century. To secure the continuity of life and a good relationship with the sacred, people held on to their traditions and celebrated holy days in a manner similar to that of their ancestors.
Johanna Annola, Ville Kivimäki & Antti Malinen (toim.) Eletty historia. Kokemus historiantutkimuksen käsitteenä ja näkökulmana, 2019
Historiallinen Aikakauskirja, 2020
Kotiseutu ja kansakunta. Miten suomalaista historiaa on rakennettu, 2014
Politiska rum. Kontroll, konflikt och rörelse i det förmoderna Sverige, 2014
Land unter dem Nordlicht. Eine Kulturgeschichte Finnlands, 2013
Frühneuzeit-Info 23/2012, 2012
Conference Presentations by Miia Kuha
Uploads
Papers by Miia Kuha
Conference Presentations by Miia Kuha