Discussion on national identity and diverse cultural heritage

In the event, we hear from both researchers and artists as they discuss questions of national narratives, changing intersectional identities and diverse cultural heritage.

For decades, academic history, history education and museums have not only served nations or certain groups of societies in building identities. Even so, the narratives of a nation still matter in building the identity of an individual. Along with the rise of migration as well as changing national, class, ethnic and gender identities, among others, the identities of individuals and groups are more diverse and intersectional in contemporary Finnish society. As often, those who work with and sense the encounters of diverse cultural heritage, are artists.

Welcome to the event on identity, cultural heritage and the arts at Helinä Rautavaara Museum on October 12, 2023, at 6-8 p.m. In the discussion, we contemplate questions such as: Are national narratives still dominating identity building processes? Is there necessarily a clash between diverse identities? What is the role of academic history, history education and museums in all of this? How can artists contribute to the discussion on identity and cultural heritage?

The event will take place at the opening of the third exhibition of the artistic part of the project Narratives of Finland: Historical Culture, the Arts and Changing Nationality.

The panelists are researchers Ainur Elmgren and Leonardo Da Costa Custodio and artist Harold Hejazi. The director of the Narratives of Finland project, Jukka Kortti, chairs the event. Also, the artists of the exhibition contribute to the discussion, which will be held in English.

The exhibition includes three different art works: Ennisofia Salmela Flores will explore this theme with her work Letters from Argentina, Nadiye Koçak with their mosaic work Unity, and Mervi Junkkonen and Mia Malviniemi with their video work In the Same Boat.

The event starts with the reading of Letters from Argentina by Paula Folqués.

The event is organized by Historians without Borders in Finland together with Narratives of Finland project (funded by Kone Foundation) and Helinä Rautavaara Museum.