Regions, networks and fluidity in the Finnish nation-state

In this article, the author applies the topological conception of space to the building of the Finnish nation-state. The process is approached from the vantage point of the unconformable, yet related spatial types of regions, networks and fluids. An understanding of the Finnish identity as an ever-changing and contradictory field of core narratives and meanings, and as an international accomplishment, helps avoiding the ‘territorial trap’ (world seen exclusively in terms of nation-state territories) as well as the ‘teleological trap’ (endpoint taken as explanation of the historical trajectory leading to state formation) in the analysis of the history of the Finnish nation-state.