The changing local community of Finnish drama and comedy series

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The changing local community of Finnish drama and
comedy series

• The series of the public service YLE TV2 channel
  representing the town of Tampere and constructing
  the model of local community in 1965-2003

Jenni Hokka Department of Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of Tampere
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The main objectives

• To investigate the cultural values, ideologies
  and mentalities through the television series
  from the perspective of local community
• In the end, to deliberate the role of the public
  service television from the viewpoint of local
  culture
• On the consequently, this research can be
  situated to the field of
• historical research of mentalities
• television studies

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Television as a Cultural Forum

• The ritual model of communication
• Television is a central forum for discussing the
  topical
• social and cultural issues
• Different genres discuss same issues on a
  different level
• Public service broadcasting system has affected
• the way the programmes have been criticized

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Place as a representational place

• Henri Lefevbre
• Spatial practices
• Representations of space
• Representational spaces

The series can be understood as representational
spaces that overlay the real physical
environment.
They construct an imaginary space of Finnish
community with its physical setting and social
relations
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The series as a part of history of mentalities

• History of mentalities means history of thinking
  and feeling, history of culture as a system of
  signs
• In this research television series are used as
  sources for historical research of mentalities
• The two essential historical contexts are
• the history of television programming
• social and urban history of Tampere and Finland

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The series from the period of structural change,
c. 1960-1970
The period of mass migration, industrialization
and building of welfare society
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The series from the period of suburban life, c.
1980s
The period of economic boom and growing
consumption
Also entrenchment to urban living environment
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The series from the period of post-industrialism,
c. 1990-2000
The period of depression and the crisis of
welfare society Also new kind of urban culture
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Further discussion

• Should the research also include the aspect of
  popular memory?
• The position of the researcher as subsequent or
  contemporary viewer?
• The position of the reseacher to familiar
  material with personal memories/ new material?