Finns in the Colonial World

AbstractUtilizing such concepts as “colonial complicity” and “colonialism without colonies”, this chapter examines the case of Finns and Finland as a nation that was once oppressed but also itself complicit in colonialism. It argues that although the Finnish nation has historically been positioned in Europe between western and eastern empires, Finns were not only passive victims of (Russian) imperial rule but also active participants in the creation of imperial vocabulary in various colonial contexts, including Sápmi in the North.This chapter argues that although Finns never had overseas colonies, they were involved in the colonial world, sending out colonizers and producing images of colon…

Research on Evolution and the Global History of Pulp and Paper Industry: An Introduction

The underlying assumption in the economic history of industries is the deterministic nature of the industry life cycle. That is, industries are assumed to follow a specific life cycle characterized by stages of nascence, growth, maturity and decline apparent in firm numbers, production volume and technological activity. This introduction gives an overview to the theme of this volume: the analysis of the birth, growth, maturity, and finally the decline of the mechanized pulp and paper industry from its inception in the early nineteenth century Europe to its current situation and future prospects in developing markets in Southern America and other regions.

A Evolução Da Indústria De Papel Global

Supõe-se que as indústrias sigam um ciclo de evolução específico, caracterizado pelos estágios de nascimento, crescimento, maturidade e declínio, evidentes em números de empresas, volume de produção e atividade tecnológica. A indústria de papel e celulose não constitui exceção a esta regra. Muito pelo contrário. A história destas linhas de negócio parece seguir uma evolução dependente de uma trajetória semelhante em qualquer país considerado. Condicionada pelo crescimento do mercado, pelos recursos e tecnologia disponíveis, a indústria de papel e celulose passou por estágios de crescimento, maturação e até mesmo declínio em numerosas economias maduras. nonPeerReviewed

Imperialists without an empire?

This article discusses settler identity formation, in the colonial polity known as Rhodesia, using Finnish nationals as a case study. It studies the involvement of Finns in natural resource extraction in Rhodesia at a time when the colonial economy and settler domination were still in their infancy, and examines both Finnish participation in colonial practices and the limitations of Finns as colonialists. White settlers in Rhodesia have typically been categorised as ‘Europeans’ partly because of their sense of representing a generalised idea of Western civilisation and partly in order to underline contrasts between black and white experiences in the history of colonialism. By focusing on th…

Technological Transformation in the Global Pulp and Paper Industry : Concluding Remarks

The volume has provided us with illustrative, well-documented case studies of technological transformation in the global pulp and paper industry. The research has focused on the roles played by the availability of technology, knowledge, investments, and raw materials on the one hand and demand characteristics on the other, within local, regional, national and transnational organisational frameworks. It has dealt with the relationships between technology transfer, technology leadership, raw material dependence, and product variety on a global scale. The investigation has followed the tradition of in-depth and rich historical descriptions based on primary sources and secondary literature. The…

Picturing Colonialism in Rhodesia : C. T. Eriksson’s Pictorial Rhetoric and Colonial Reality, 1901-1906

The Quest for Raw Materials in the British Paper Trade : The Development of the Bamboo Pulp and Paper Industry in British India up to 1939

The British paper trade history was defined since the mid-1850s by a quest for a new raw material to replace rags. The requirements of the paper trade were first met by a discovery that esparto grass from Spain, and later from North Africa, could be utilised in British mills. Beginning in the late 1870s, the success of using esparto encouraged mill developments in British India. The increased dependence on imported wood pulp, the likelihood of a pulp famine, and the consequent increase in price for imported wood pulp drew attention to the possibility of making commercial volumes of good quality pulp from indigenous Indian grasses. Bamboo began being treated after the First World War, when t…

Imperialists without an empire? : Finnish Settlers in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Rhodesia

This article discusses settler identity formation, in the colonial polity known as Rhodesia, using Finnish nationals as a case study. It studies the involvement of Finns in natural resource extraction in Rhodesia at a time when the colonial economy and settler domination were still in their infancy, and examines both Finnish participation in colonial practices and the limitations of Finns as colonialists. White settlers in Rhodesia have typically been categorised as ‘Europeans’ partly because of their sense of representing a generalised idea of Western civilisation and partly in order to underline contrasts between black and white experiences in the history of colonialism. By focusing on th…

The Lure of Katanga Copper : Tanganyika Concessions Limited and the Anatomy of Mining and Mine Exploration 1899–1906

This article provides a rare opportunity to follow the inception of mining and mine exploration economy in the first years of the European presence in colonial Zambia and Katanga as seen through the eyes of prospectors and mining experts working for the London-based company Tanganyika Concessions Limited. It draws on company records as well as the personal records of the early company employees who worked in North Western Rhodesia and adjoining Katanga until 1906. The most thought-provoking documents include diaries, letters and photographs, which depict the organisation and processes of early mining work, modes of mine exploration, and relations within the first mining communities and betw…

Technological Transformation in the Global Pulp and Paper Industry : Introduction

At a high level of abstraction, the evolution of any industry is a function of changes in product market demand, availability and supply of capital, energy resources, raw materials knowledge and technology, the surrounding institutional framework and organisational solutions. New technological innovations emerge because of changes in product market demand or institutional framework that encourage entrepreneurs and firms to take advantage of new business opportunities. This contributed volume provides illustrative, well documented case studies of technological transformation in the global pulp and paper industry from the inception of mechanical papermaking in early nineteenth century Europe …

Monelta kantilta : Ilkka Nummelalle omistettu juhlakirja

The Evolution of Global Paper Indutry

Industries are assumed to follow a specific life cycle characterized by stages of nascence, growth, maturity and decline apparent in firm numbers, production volume and technological activity. Pulp and paper industries not exceptions to this rule. Quite the contrary. The history of these lines of business seems to follow similar path dependent evolution in any given country. Constrained with market growth, available resources and technology, pulp and paper industry has experienced stages of growth, maturation, and even decline in a numerous mature economies. nonPeerReviewed

Hobsonʻs imperialism : a study in late-Victorian political thought

In his PhD study Timo Särkkä explores J. A. Hobson’s (1858–1940) paradigm of imperialism, its content, intentions and, finally, its limitations. The study reveals that Hobson’s thesis of imperialism can be seen as paradigmatic of the 1890s radical-liberal understanding of imperialism.The author argues that when the Victorian periodical press (weeklies, reviews and magazines) is analysed in its original communicative context, it reveals a more appropriate environment in which to study Hobson’s political thought in terms of the history of ideas. Thus, quite conversely to the previous studies concerning Hobson, the principal sources used in this study are journal and periodical articles, revie…

The British Paper Industry, 1800–2000

Britain was the first country in the world to enter into the business of mechanised papermaking. It continued in the lead in the field of papermaking until the 1890s, after which the momentum of being the first nation successfully to mechanise the production of paper was gradually lost to some of its major competitors in North America and Continental Europe. The first part of the twentieth century was characterised by industry growth disturbed by the First World War, the economic depression of the early 1930s and the Second World War. The post-Second World War era signified the decline of the role of the Empire as a market and business-making area for British companies and also the decline …