Sadhi Luokomaa has lived in Finland all her life. She speaks perfect Finnish, follows Finnish customs and traditions, and raises her two teenage sons the same way.
Yet she often feels like an outsider.
"I have lived most of my life in Hämeenlinna, yet still people speak to me in English at first," Luokomaa said.
This is because she was adopted at 11 months old and brought to Finland from the Indian city of Chennai.
Luokomaa's experiences are not unique. Many international adoptees report feeling 'othered' in Finland because of how they look.
Othering is defined as a process that labels individuals or groups as fundamentally different from, and inferior to, a dominant societal group.
Anu-Rohima Mylläri, an advocate for adoptees, told Yle that many people adopted from abroad feel sidelined and frustrated as they would want to participate in discussions about Finnish identity, immigration, and working life.
Myllari was herself adopted from Bangladesh in 1980, when she was two years old. She wrote a book about her experiences, called "Adoptoitu" (Adopted) in 2006, which deals with themes such as abandonment, prejudice, and racism.
A unique insight
Tampere University researcher Anna Rastas welcomes the calls for a wider societal discussion in Finland about key issues such as the concept of family, children's rights, and racism — with international adoptees as participants, not just the subject matter.
"Adoptees have a kind of sharper radar for noticing structures and phenomena that often go unnoticed by the majority population," Rastas noted. "They have a special understanding of, for example, how Finnishness is discussed and how differences can be handled. They recognise the times when Finnishness is defined narrowly."
However, many adopted adults feel their Finnishness is neither recognised nor accepted. Instead, there is a hierarchy of which people are accepted and which are not.
"Adoptees concretely show that language skills do not determine inclusion or exclusion, but rather a lack of acceptance of difference, and often outright racism," Rastas added.
Previous studies have shown that applicants with foreign-sounding names have a much harder time being called to a job interview than people with Finnish-sounding names, even if their CV's are identical.
Academic: Finnishness is tied to whiteness
According to University of Helsinki Professor Suvi Keskinen, there is a problem in Finnish society: the definition of Finnishness is tied to whiteness, and belonging to Finland is interpreted based on appearance and skin colour.
"The problem is in the narrow definition of Finnishness. Only certain types of families and people of a certain appearance fit into it," Keskinen said.
She pointed to the example of Denmark, where international adoptees are more often included in discussions about national identity.
The Expectation of Gratitude
Sadhi Luokomaa told Yle that she often encounters situations where she is expected to be grateful for being able to come to Finland.
The same sentiment also comes up during discussions about immigrants.
"I have thought that this should already be a thing of the past, this old-fashioned thinking, but yes, I still encounter it sometimes," she said.
Luokomaa is one of the first generation of adoptees to Finland, and she has developed her own coping strategies for how to deal with these incidents of othering.
"The first question is always, where are you from? When I was younger, I always answered, but now as an adult, I have learned to set boundaries. I am not accountable to tell my story to everyone," she said.
According to Anna Rastas, societal discussion in Finland has become too polarised and exclusionary, especially as the Finnish government continues to tighten legislation about who can become Finnish — and who cannot.
"This is a big concern, and this discussion needs everyone, including adoptees and immigrants," Rastas said.
The All Points North podcast recently asked if Finland is making integration too difficult. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
