From Lutheran Dominance to Diversity

This article examines religion in Finnish newspapers, arguing that religion-related discourses have changed from one of Lutheran dominance to one of diversity. The main data consists of a longitudinal sample (1946-2016) of the most popular Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, and especially of its...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Taira, Teemu (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] [2019]
In: Temenos
Year: 2019, Volume: 55, Issue: 2, Pages: 225-247
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Finland / Press / Religion / Lutheran Church / Religious pluralism / History 1946-2016
RelBib Classification:AA Study of religion
AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
KBE Northern Europe; Scandinavia
Further subjects:B Helsingin Sanomat
B Newspaper
B Finland
B Diversity
B quantitative content analysis
B Media
B Religion
B Secularism
B the Lutheran Church
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Description
Summary:This article examines religion in Finnish newspapers, arguing that religion-related discourses have changed from one of Lutheran dominance to one of diversity. The main data consists of a longitudinal sample (1946-2016) of the most popular Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, and especially of its editorials and readers' letters. Additional data covers a wider variety of newspapers from the 1990s to 2018. The data is analysed using quantitative content analysis and a discursive approach. It will be suggested that it is possible to discuss diversity both as an emergent discourse and a theme in the Finnish media since the mid-1990s, thereby overcoming earlier frameworks that took Lutheranism for granted or gave it a special role in the private sphere.The analysis shows that these shifts do not provide clear support forthe idea that newspapers and journalism are anti-religious; rather, it suggests that they may be understood as having a ‘liberalizing' effect, especially when religious values are not seen as compatible with those of journalists and newspapers.
ISSN:2342-7256
Contains:Enthalten in: Temenos
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.33356/temenos.87827