Books by Anders Ahlbäck
When Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917, the country had not had a military for ... more When Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917, the country had not had a military for almost two decades, so the ensuing creation of a new national conscript army aroused intense but conflicting emotions. Examining how the new army, born out of a civil war, had to struggle through a social, cultural and political minefield to find popular acceptance and support, this book reveals the conflicts surrounding compulsory military service in an open democratic society and the compromises made as a new nation had to develop the will and skill to defend itself. By exploring the ways that images of manhood were used in the controversies, it argues that through the lens of masculinity, a new picture of conscription emerges that offers new and deeper understandings of why military service was resisted or supported, criticised or legitimised, dreaded or celebrated in Finnish society. Intertwined the story of the making of the military runs the story of how manhood was made and remade through the idealised images and real‐life experiences of conscripted soldiers -something that constantly had to be reconstructed by women and men articulating and relating to its shifting meanings.
By placing the situation of interwar Finland within a broad European context, and tracing the origins of competing ideologies concerning male citizenship and military systems back to their continental origins, the book contributes to the need for studies on the peacetime period between the two world wars and the impact of the Great War on masculinities and constructions of gender among the diverse (but related) military cultures in different parts of Europe.
Co-edited volumes by Anders Ahlbäck
Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities explores how, and to what extent, fascist ultranationalism eli... more Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities explores how, and to what extent, fascist ultranationalism elicited an anti-fascist response among ethnic minority communities in Eastern and Central Europe.
The edited volume analyses how identities related to class, ethnicity, gender and political ideologies were negotiated within and between minorities through confrontations with domestic and international fascism. By developing and expanding the study of Jewish anti-fascism and resistance to other minority responses, the book opens the field of anti-fascism studies for a broader comparative approach. The volume is thematically located in Central and Eastern Europe, cutting right across the continent from Finland in the North to Albania in the Southeast. The case studies in the fourteen research chapters are divided into five thematic sections, dealing with the issues of 1) minorities in borderlands and cross-border antifascism, 2) minorities navigating the ideological squeeze between communism and fascism, 3) the role of intellectuals in the defence of minority rights, 4) the anti-fascist resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as 5) the conflictual role ascribed to ethnicity in post-war memory politics and commemorations. The editors describe their intersectional approach to the analysis of ethnicity as a crucial category of analysis with regard to anti-fascist histories and memories.
The book offers scholars and students valuable historical and comparative perspectives on minority studies, Jewish studies, borderland studies, and memory studies. It will appeal to those with an interest in the history of race and racism, fascism and anti-fascism, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Special issues by Anders Ahlbäck
Historisk Tidskrift för Finland, 2012
Norma - Nordic Journal for Masculinity Studies, 2008
Papers by Anders Ahlbäck
Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities History and Memory in Central and Eastern Europe, 2023
This chapter analyses how the Finland-Swedish minority's identity construction related to anti-fa... more This chapter analyses how the Finland-Swedish minority's identity construction related to anti-fascism during the interwar period. Many Swedish speakers were initially involved in the far-right Lapua movement, 1929–1932, which claimed to unite the language groups in its fight against communism. Other Swedish speakers, however, were concerned about the fate of the Swedish-speaking minority after the defeat of communism. Would it be next in line, just like national minorities in fascist Italy or German Nazism? Anti-communism remained a strong part of the political identity of many Swedish speakers, but as a response to ultra-nationalist mobilization among the Finnish far right, anti-fascism became a powerful albeit contested ingredient in the ethnic mobilization of the Swedish-speaking minority identity during the 1930s. The chapter presents three different layers of anti-fascist responses, including the liberal-conservative Swedish People's Party, the Swedish-speaking Social Democrats, and the anti-fascist minority literature produced by Swedish-speaking authors in interwar Finland. We interrogate in which ways class interests overrode or challenged demands for ethnic unity, and what external and internal pressures affected the formation of an anti-fascist minority position. The findings demonstrate how anti-fascism functioned as a force of both cohesion and division – and eventually compelled the leaders of the Finland-Swedish minority community to reassess their political alignments.
Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities History and Memory in Central and Eastern Europe, 2023
Europe contained 36 million people classified as ethnic minorities in the interwar period. The va... more Europe contained 36 million people classified as ethnic minorities in the interwar period. The vast majority, 25 million, lived in East Central Europe. With ultranationalism, xenophobia and racism rampant among the majority populations, this was a hotbed of the European minority question, where fragile democracies stood between Italian Fascism and German Nazism to the West and the Stalinist USSR in the East. Either right-wing authoritarianism or militant communism has often been seen as the only efficient enemies of fascism in the region. The introduction seeks to differentiate this image of Eastern and Central European anti-fascism, by emphasising the role of ethnic minorities and their complex anti-fascist identities and memories. Still, any possible ethnic minority mobilization in the face of fascism must, we argue, be analysed in relation to the alternative solidarities offered by class-based identities that challenged ethnonationalist identities and frameworks. By looking at the interplay between ethnicity, class, and ideology in minority communities we offer a comprehensive analytical framework for the study of anti-fascism in ethnic minority communities. This introduction presents the fourteen case studies included in the volume and concludes with a general discussion on the ways in which anti-fascism could play a role in as well as counteract the construction of ethnic minority identities.
Labor History
While in recent decades there have been growing bodies of literature on gender and war, on war an... more While in recent decades there have been growing bodies of literature on gender and war, on war and military labor, and on various forms and degrees of labor coercion, rarely have these areas-gender, coercion and war labor-been analyzed together as intersecting and interdependent themes. The special issue on Gender, War and Coerced Labor aims to fill this gap, and this introduction to the issue will not only present the five papers but also establish the three intersecting themes uniting these papers. Together the introduction and the papers contribute toward larger debates about the place of coercion, of degrees of exploitation, and of free/unfree continuums in a variety of gendered war work.
Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2022
This article traces the political process towards full formal integration of
women in the militar... more This article traces the political process towards full formal integration of
women in the military professions in Scandinavia and Finland,
investigating the shifting roles played by military labour demands and
politics of gender equality. It provides the first comparative overview of
these developments in the Nordic region. The analysis demonstrates
the importance of historical continuity in women’s military participation.
Due to military labour demands, women were throughout the post-war
decades recruited into a range of auxiliary, voluntary and hybrid
capacities in the Scandinavian armed forces. The reforms opening the
military professions to women in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the
1970s were the outcome of a double crisis, as military needs for the
regulation of these women’s organisational status coincided with new
political demands for gender equality in the labour market.
Corresponding reforms in Finland were delayed by the country’s lack of
continuity in women’s military participation as well as its sufficient
supply of male military personnel. A common Nordic model of gender
and military work nonetheless emerged in the 1990s, marked by equal
rights to military participation for women on a voluntary basis,
combined with mandatory military conscription for men.
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2022
This article studies the historical shift in societal understandings of
gender and security in Fi... more This article studies the historical shift in societal understandings of
gender and security in Finland that led to the introduction of
women’s voluntary military service and the opening of the military
professions to women in 1995. With a focus on how the gendered
division of defence and military labour was conceptualized at various
stages, the study analyses what caused Finland to lag behind
its Scandinavian neighbours in this respect, and what caused
a sweeping reform process to come about in the early 1990s.
Drawing on press materials, parliamentary records and policymaking
documents, it traces public debates and policymaking over two
decades. It shows that women’s defence work was a controversial
issue, for both historical and political reasons. This caused an
emphasis being placed on women’s non-military tasks within
a broad understanding of societal security during the 1980s.
Around the end of the Cold War, a surge of neo-patriotism coincided
with the normalization of formal gender equality to effect
a significant shift in notions of female citizenship towards military
participation. Positive Scandinavian examples of women’s military
integration were decisive at this point, as was the political impact of
Finland acquiring its first female minister of defence.
Allmän rösträtt? Rösträttens begränsningar i Sverige efter 1921, red. Annika Berg & Martin Ericsson (Göteborg & Stockholm: Makadam förlag), 2021
Annola, Johanna; Kivimäki, Ville; Malinen, Antti (eds.) Eletty historia — Kokemus näkökulmana menneisyyteen, 2019
Aapo Roselius & Tuomas Tepora, toim., Rikki revitty maa. Suomen sisällissodan kokemukset ja perintö. Gaudeamus: Helsinki, 2018
Historisk Tidskrift för Finland, 2017
Teemu Tallberg, Anni Ojajärvi & Tiia Laukkanen, toim., Puolustuslinjalla. Yhteiskuntatieteellistä ja historiallista tutkimusta maanpuolustuksesta ja asevelvollisuudesta. Nuorisotutkimusverkosto/Nuorisotutkimusseura, Helsinki, 2017
Millä tavalla suomalaisten asevelvollisten kokemukset sotilaspalveluksestaan erosivat toisistaan ... more Millä tavalla suomalaisten asevelvollisten kokemukset sotilaspalveluksestaan erosivat toisistaan ennen itsenäisyyttä ja sen jälkeen? Kun verrataan kuvauksia asevelvollisten arjesta 1800-luvun loppupuolella ja maailmansotien välisenä aikana, voidaan nähdä huomattavia yhtäläisyyksiä ja kerrontatapojen jatkuvuuksia. Monet näistä liittyvät tavalla tai toisella käsityksiin mieheydestä ja mieheksi kasvamisesta.
Renee C. Hoogland & Andrea Peto, eds, Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbook, Gender: War. Macmillan: New York & London, 2017
Johan Östling, Erling Sandmo, David Larsson Heidenblad, Anna Nilsson Hammar & Kari Nordberg, eds., Circulation of Knowledge. Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 2018
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Books by Anders Ahlbäck
By placing the situation of interwar Finland within a broad European context, and tracing the origins of competing ideologies concerning male citizenship and military systems back to their continental origins, the book contributes to the need for studies on the peacetime period between the two world wars and the impact of the Great War on masculinities and constructions of gender among the diverse (but related) military cultures in different parts of Europe.
Co-edited volumes by Anders Ahlbäck
The edited volume analyses how identities related to class, ethnicity, gender and political ideologies were negotiated within and between minorities through confrontations with domestic and international fascism. By developing and expanding the study of Jewish anti-fascism and resistance to other minority responses, the book opens the field of anti-fascism studies for a broader comparative approach. The volume is thematically located in Central and Eastern Europe, cutting right across the continent from Finland in the North to Albania in the Southeast. The case studies in the fourteen research chapters are divided into five thematic sections, dealing with the issues of 1) minorities in borderlands and cross-border antifascism, 2) minorities navigating the ideological squeeze between communism and fascism, 3) the role of intellectuals in the defence of minority rights, 4) the anti-fascist resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as 5) the conflictual role ascribed to ethnicity in post-war memory politics and commemorations. The editors describe their intersectional approach to the analysis of ethnicity as a crucial category of analysis with regard to anti-fascist histories and memories.
The book offers scholars and students valuable historical and comparative perspectives on minority studies, Jewish studies, borderland studies, and memory studies. It will appeal to those with an interest in the history of race and racism, fascism and anti-fascism, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Special issues by Anders Ahlbäck
Papers by Anders Ahlbäck
women in the military professions in Scandinavia and Finland,
investigating the shifting roles played by military labour demands and
politics of gender equality. It provides the first comparative overview of
these developments in the Nordic region. The analysis demonstrates
the importance of historical continuity in women’s military participation.
Due to military labour demands, women were throughout the post-war
decades recruited into a range of auxiliary, voluntary and hybrid
capacities in the Scandinavian armed forces. The reforms opening the
military professions to women in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the
1970s were the outcome of a double crisis, as military needs for the
regulation of these women’s organisational status coincided with new
political demands for gender equality in the labour market.
Corresponding reforms in Finland were delayed by the country’s lack of
continuity in women’s military participation as well as its sufficient
supply of male military personnel. A common Nordic model of gender
and military work nonetheless emerged in the 1990s, marked by equal
rights to military participation for women on a voluntary basis,
combined with mandatory military conscription for men.
gender and security in Finland that led to the introduction of
women’s voluntary military service and the opening of the military
professions to women in 1995. With a focus on how the gendered
division of defence and military labour was conceptualized at various
stages, the study analyses what caused Finland to lag behind
its Scandinavian neighbours in this respect, and what caused
a sweeping reform process to come about in the early 1990s.
Drawing on press materials, parliamentary records and policymaking
documents, it traces public debates and policymaking over two
decades. It shows that women’s defence work was a controversial
issue, for both historical and political reasons. This caused an
emphasis being placed on women’s non-military tasks within
a broad understanding of societal security during the 1980s.
Around the end of the Cold War, a surge of neo-patriotism coincided
with the normalization of formal gender equality to effect
a significant shift in notions of female citizenship towards military
participation. Positive Scandinavian examples of women’s military
integration were decisive at this point, as was the political impact of
Finland acquiring its first female minister of defence.
By placing the situation of interwar Finland within a broad European context, and tracing the origins of competing ideologies concerning male citizenship and military systems back to their continental origins, the book contributes to the need for studies on the peacetime period between the two world wars and the impact of the Great War on masculinities and constructions of gender among the diverse (but related) military cultures in different parts of Europe.
The edited volume analyses how identities related to class, ethnicity, gender and political ideologies were negotiated within and between minorities through confrontations with domestic and international fascism. By developing and expanding the study of Jewish anti-fascism and resistance to other minority responses, the book opens the field of anti-fascism studies for a broader comparative approach. The volume is thematically located in Central and Eastern Europe, cutting right across the continent from Finland in the North to Albania in the Southeast. The case studies in the fourteen research chapters are divided into five thematic sections, dealing with the issues of 1) minorities in borderlands and cross-border antifascism, 2) minorities navigating the ideological squeeze between communism and fascism, 3) the role of intellectuals in the defence of minority rights, 4) the anti-fascist resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as 5) the conflictual role ascribed to ethnicity in post-war memory politics and commemorations. The editors describe their intersectional approach to the analysis of ethnicity as a crucial category of analysis with regard to anti-fascist histories and memories.
The book offers scholars and students valuable historical and comparative perspectives on minority studies, Jewish studies, borderland studies, and memory studies. It will appeal to those with an interest in the history of race and racism, fascism and anti-fascism, and Central and Eastern Europe.
women in the military professions in Scandinavia and Finland,
investigating the shifting roles played by military labour demands and
politics of gender equality. It provides the first comparative overview of
these developments in the Nordic region. The analysis demonstrates
the importance of historical continuity in women’s military participation.
Due to military labour demands, women were throughout the post-war
decades recruited into a range of auxiliary, voluntary and hybrid
capacities in the Scandinavian armed forces. The reforms opening the
military professions to women in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the
1970s were the outcome of a double crisis, as military needs for the
regulation of these women’s organisational status coincided with new
political demands for gender equality in the labour market.
Corresponding reforms in Finland were delayed by the country’s lack of
continuity in women’s military participation as well as its sufficient
supply of male military personnel. A common Nordic model of gender
and military work nonetheless emerged in the 1990s, marked by equal
rights to military participation for women on a voluntary basis,
combined with mandatory military conscription for men.
gender and security in Finland that led to the introduction of
women’s voluntary military service and the opening of the military
professions to women in 1995. With a focus on how the gendered
division of defence and military labour was conceptualized at various
stages, the study analyses what caused Finland to lag behind
its Scandinavian neighbours in this respect, and what caused
a sweeping reform process to come about in the early 1990s.
Drawing on press materials, parliamentary records and policymaking
documents, it traces public debates and policymaking over two
decades. It shows that women’s defence work was a controversial
issue, for both historical and political reasons. This caused an
emphasis being placed on women’s non-military tasks within
a broad understanding of societal security during the 1980s.
Around the end of the Cold War, a surge of neo-patriotism coincided
with the normalization of formal gender equality to effect
a significant shift in notions of female citizenship towards military
participation. Positive Scandinavian examples of women’s military
integration were decisive at this point, as was the political impact of
Finland acquiring its first female minister of defence.