Tom DuBois was joined by Anne Mäntynen, professor of nonfiction in the Finnish language department at the University of Helsinki, to discuss the Journal of Finnish Studies on November 24, 2025. The two professors, while on different continents, are co-editors of the JFS. The podcast, titled “Scholarship Is a Conversation”, was produced through the University of Illinois Press podcast, The UPside, and was facilitated by the Journals Marketing Assistant for the Press, Mary Warner. The episode began with a celebration of the upcoming holiday – Finland’s Independence Day on December 6th. The conversation covered the journal’s mission and evolution, research themes, and editorial vision.
The podcast provided some historical context for the country of Finland – independent from the Swedish Empire as of 1917 – and gave special mention to a recent issue of the JFS, titled, “The Making of Finland: The Era of the Grand Duchy”. This issue explores Finnish national identity and provides information on Finland’s existence as part of Russia. They transitioned to discuss the history of the journal itself, namely its transition to the University of Illinois Press in 2022. The linguistic diversity of Finland was mentioned in its relevance to new arrivals from neighboring countries like Ukraine, as well as accommodating deaf people and their families with the growing popularity of sign language.
Looking ahead, the co-editors are looking to encourage PhD student submissions, attract international scholars, and modernize their review process. The podcast can be accessed via several different streaming platforms:
Spotify: Listen here
Soundcloud: Listen here
RSS: Listen here
Transcript: Read here
Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!
Journal of Finnish Studies
To subscribe, submit your own work, or read online: go.illinois.edu/JFS.