The Finnish Network of Narrative Studies

Finnish Network of Narrative Studies is an interdisciplinary enterprise, which brings together scholars from various social, political and human sciences, arts, education and health studies and business schools. Our mission is not to construct one solid school of narrative studies but to offer people opportunities to communicate narrative matters over disciplinary boundaries. Launched by an initiative of a group of scholars from the University of Tampere, the network was officially founded in May 2000 in a national meeting. The network provides an e-mail network for communication and discussion, supports doctoral courses, and organises an annual meeting. The e-mail network currently reaches more than 300 members. To join the network, please send e-mail to Matti Hyvärinen, matti.hyvarinen@vip.fi.

In the autumn of 2002, two years after its foundation and just after the third annual meeting that brought together narrative scholars from all over the country, plans are being made for next year. The network will be active in organizing a summer school on interviewing and narrative in August [please, contact Suvi Ronkainen, suvi.ronkainen@urova.fi] and the next annual meeting with the theme of competing narratives on September 11th, "Love as political narrative" [please, contact Inkeri Sava, isava@uiah.fi]. Of course, the network facilitates arranging conferences like "Narrative, Ideology and Myth" and pre-conference doctoral courses in order to help the younger scholars to establish international contacts. In circulating information, the network works closely with the Politics and the Arts Group [please, contact Kia Lindroos, lindroos@cc.juy.fi], ISA (International Sociological Association) Research Committee 38, "Biography and Society" [please, contact Gabriele Rosenthal, g.rosenthal@gmx.de], and the British list of narrative studies [please, contact c.squire@cd3.demon.co.uk].

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