Living as a
homosexual in Finland 40’s-70`sTuula Juvonen’s
doctoral thesis (2002) deals with
homosexuality in Finland
fifty years
ago. Mainly the research deals with the topic how
homosexuality was
seen in Finland then. At that time homosexuality was something to keep
your mouth shut about, also in public. Homosexuality and
Homosexual acts fifty years ago in Finland were also treated both as a crime and a
disease. Juvonen approaches the issue by thinking that homosexuality,
just like heterosexuality, is possible as a result of conceptual,
abstract, and linguistic constructions. Conceptions change all the time
and so homosexuality never “is” something, it is done certain by
concepts used of homosexuality and significances attached. So Juvonen
asks: how is homosexuality made?Research combines with
queer-theoretical turn established in international lesbian and gay
research in 90`s. Research is based on Foucault’s theories and it
questions settled thoughts and conceptions about homosexuality and it
takes notion to homosexuality as historically made up. The research is
primarily lesbian and gay research but at the same time it combines
with several disciplines: for example social politics, women research,
sociology and geography. These are adapted by queer theoretical point
of view.The research is well- defined and it deals with its
topic in versatile and intrestic way. It really deals with the ways of
seeing and thinking homosexuality in Finland fifty years ago. In the
research homosexuals are given the floor and long quotations from
actual discussions gives possibility for reader to understand the topic
and it also transmits emotions, which is essential to this topic. The
reader gets a good picture of living as homosexual in Finland from 40’s
to 70’s. There isn’t anything surprising there, but since this kind of
research is still marginal in Finland this one is important and shows
that Finnish social history of homosexual has its place.