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The present article focuses on the image of Finland in the National Geographic Magazine between 1905 and 2013. The study contributes to the research on national images by answering the following questions: a) how are Finland and the Finns represented in the photojournalist articles in the magazine, b) how has the image of Finland changed over the decades, and c) what kind of cultural, social, and political meanings are conveyed through the image(s)? The research material consists of 37 English written articles including in total 250 photographs and other images. The results show four overlapping but still distinctive phases in the thematic transformation of the image: Finland as a part of the diverse Russian Empire, Finland as a progressive but traditional European nation, Finland as the opposite to the Soviet Union, and Finland as a country of wild nature. The findings are discussed in light of the previous national image research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on memory work in school textbook illustrations of the Finnish Civil War (1918). A thematic narrative analysis shows how the content and meanings conveyed through visual narratives have developed in the past century. Besides changes in specific narrative, the interpretation of the functions of themes shows a gradual change in the schematic narrative template: the hegemonic, victor's narrative has been gradually replaced with alternative accounts since the 1950s. The defeated side has been represented in school textbooks since the 1950s, and since the 1990s, the narrative has evolved from pointing out the similarities between the two sides to arousing emotions of sympathy for the victims of the War. Since the 2000s, visual images have been used to highlight multi-perspectivity in history. This study shows how the cultural trauma and reconciliation process has been conveyed in educational material and how the narrative templates may dynamically change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the student riots of 1968, visual representations played an important role. This article answers the question: How was the Finnish student movement visually represented by their opponents and their supporters in the Finnish media before and during 1968, and, more specifically, during the occupation of the Old Student House? By analysing the pictorial material published in periodic magazines as well as the television news broadcasts and documentary films I seek to analyse what kind of meanings about the radical students were constructed with the help of visual media and how did these constructed meanings change during 1968. Additionally, my article seeks to determine whether a common European iconography of the student movements exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this article are photos, which were taken by Finnish and German soldiers during the Second World War. They portray dead Soviet women, both civilian and soldiers. By analyzing these photographs from a comparative viewpoint, the author seeks to discuss the different meanings soldiers gave to these photos as well as the different ways of photographing dead women in both countries. The article shows that photographing dead women was often caused by fear, hatred or sexual needs - or all of them together. The reasons to capture such motifs may have been unclear even for the photographers themselves. In addition to discussing the meanings and reasons of these photographs, the author also discusses the ethical problems that may arise by using such photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the work of the government-authorized propaganda units working in the Finnish and German armies has been thoroughly studied, only very little is known about the amateur photography activities of Finnish and German soldiers during the second world war. Who were the photographers working close to the frontline and under what kind of circumstances did they work? Did the war leaders try to limit their choice of topics and if so, did they succeed? What kind of photographs did the soldiers collect into their albums, and what happened to the photographs after the war? These are the questions to be answered in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]