Antto Vihma, Research Professor at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), has received the prestigious award for his book Nostalgia. Teoria ja käytäntö (Teos). The State Award for Public Information was awarded to him at a prize giving ceremony on September 13th, 2022.
In his book Nostalgia. Teoria ja käytäntö, Vihma presents modern nostalgia in a western context. The book is the first Finnish work on nostalgia as a social and cultural force, intended for a broader audience.
The Committee for Public Information gave the following motivation for bestowing the award: “In dealing with the concept of nostalgia, Vihma ignores simple and reductive solutions, guiding the reader instead to notice how attractive and appealing nostalgia is, as well as to understand how it is used as a fuel to achieve different goals. At the same time, Vihma offers an excellent explanation for why some of us are more susceptible to believing in conspiracy theories than others – a topic that has garnered greater thought in recent years.”
The State Award for Public Information is an annual recognition bestowed by The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) based on a proposal of the Committee for Public Information. The award is a recognition of a significant topical or a long-term commitment to a major information publication work in various areas of science, arts and technology, or information that has contributed to societal debate and citizens’ knowledge. The Committee for Public Information is an expert committee of the MEC that follows achievements in various areas of science, arts and technology both nationally and internationally.
For more information about the book, in Finnish, please follow this link: Teos
