Riikka Taavetti's lecture "Queer Connections between Finland and Estonia, from the 1970s to the 1990s"
On 9 October at 16:15 Riikka Taavetti, a lecturer at University of Turku will give a lecture "Queer Connections between Finland and Estonia, from the 1970s to the 1990s" in room 114 of Jakobi study building. The lecture will be held in English. Everybody interested in the topic is welcome.
This presentation addresses the queer connections or connections between lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from Estonia and Finland. While historically, the connections between Estonians and Finns across the Gulf of Finland have always been active, the traces of queer connections are scarce before the 1970s when organized gay and lesbian activism started in Finland. The presentation utilizes the concept of minor transnationalism and analyses the historical particularities of the queer connections between two small nations geographically and culturally close to one another.
The presentation discusses how Estonia was addressed in Finnish queer magazines from the 1970s onwards first with very few mentions, and documents how the increase in Finnish travelling to Estonia also led to more active queer discussions on Estonia. It also exemplifies how the changing political situation of the late 1980s and the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991 enabled more active connections. The presentation is based on co-authored research with Andreas Kalkun (Estonian Folklore Archives) and Rebeka Põldsam (University of Tartu).
Riikka Taavetti, PhD, Title of Docent, works as a University Lecturer in gender studies at the University of Turku, Finland. Her research focuses on queer history and history of sexuality in Estonia, Finland and Sweden during the 20th century and on queer oral history and queer memory studies. She is also work package leader in research project Overcoming Barriers for Participation (OBaMa, funding from the Strategic Research Council) that studies the barriers of democratic participation among minoritized and marginalized groups.
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