Mikko Toivanen
@mtoiv.bsky.social
Historian of colonialism and modern SE Asia @UTU.fi｜🌲 Currently working on transimperial histories of forestry 🌲｜Previously: colonial cities 🏛️ and travel 🚢｜PhD from EUI｜📚 occasionally writes about books and films 🎞️
Pinned
Mikko Toivanen
@mtoiv.bsky.social
· Sep 17
Author copies have arrived! The book is demonstrably real! Official publication date in about two weeks but I've heard it will already be available at ENIUGH next week. Check out the full info over at: lup.nl/publications...
It's publication day! 🎉🥳 Very soon I won't need to post about this anymore, but in the meantime, if you're interested in the colonial roots of modern tourism, or the role of leisure travel in producing knowledge about the world, check it out. Also as e-book on JSTOR: www.jstor.org/stable/jj.31...
Must admit that (as a Finn) I find Petaja an intriguing figure, although I've never read anything by him. I gather he hasn't left much of a mark.
February 4, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Must admit that (as a Finn) I find Petaja an intriguing figure, although I've never read anything by him. I gather he hasn't left much of a mark.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Been listening to lots of Finnish radio adaptations recently, greatly enjoyed Stanisław Lem's The Investigation, a horror mystery that gestures at a detective story before meandering to a shrug and a suggestion that maybe there is no causation just random events.
February 4, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Been listening to lots of Finnish radio adaptations recently, greatly enjoyed Stanisław Lem's The Investigation, a horror mystery that gestures at a detective story before meandering to a shrug and a suggestion that maybe there is no causation just random events.
Decades before Name of the Rose, too.
February 4, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Decades before Name of the Rose, too.
Been listening to lots of Finnish radio adaptations recently, greatly enjoyed Stanisław Lem's The Investigation, a horror mystery that gestures at a detective story before meandering to a shrug and a suggestion that maybe there is no causation just random events.
February 4, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Been listening to lots of Finnish radio adaptations recently, greatly enjoyed Stanisław Lem's The Investigation, a horror mystery that gestures at a detective story before meandering to a shrug and a suggestion that maybe there is no causation just random events.
bringing a printed bibliography of my own works to every conference and pointing at it during presentations and coffee breaks
February 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM
bringing a printed bibliography of my own works to every conference and pointing at it during presentations and coffee breaks
Searching Google Books with my exact name brings up nothing even though there are, you know, several books I authored in the database.
I'm finding that searches on Google Books now don't even pick up metadata, including for books that I'd expect to be out of copyright. Searches return lots of periodical literature and little else.
winbuzzer.com/2026/01/28/g...
(what’s the betting that the answer to this mystery is LLMs and crawlers)
(what’s the betting that the answer to this mystery is LLMs and crawlers)
February 4, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Searching Google Books with my exact name brings up nothing even though there are, you know, several books I authored in the database.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Out now! Check out out upcoming Special issue on Business and Labour in German Colonialism.
Thanks for this great collaboration
@pocobusiness.bsky.social
@jzurlage.bsky.social
@debneill.bsky.social
Mona Rudolph
Michael Rösser
Thanks for this great collaboration
@pocobusiness.bsky.social
@jzurlage.bsky.social
@debneill.bsky.social
Mona Rudolph
Michael Rösser
See Mona Rudolph & Nina Kleinöder's introduction to the upcoming special issue 'Business and Labour in German Colonialism', currently #FreeAccess : doi.org/10.1080/0308...
Business and Labour in German Colonialism. An Introduction
This introduction surveys and critically reassesses the development of German colonial historiography over recent decades. It traces how a field long regarded as marginal within German historical s...
doi.org
February 3, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Out now! Check out out upcoming Special issue on Business and Labour in German Colonialism.
Thanks for this great collaboration
@pocobusiness.bsky.social
@jzurlage.bsky.social
@debneill.bsky.social
Mona Rudolph
Michael Rösser
Thanks for this great collaboration
@pocobusiness.bsky.social
@jzurlage.bsky.social
@debneill.bsky.social
Mona Rudolph
Michael Rösser
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
*drum roll*
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
*drum roll*
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
I recently saw this in the other review report for something I was peer reviewing, found it a bit odd.
January 30, 2026 at 5:58 PM
I recently saw this in the other review report for something I was peer reviewing, found it a bit odd.
I've always wondered if there were any direct influences between the US pulp horror scene and (Central) European 'weird' lit. I've read your piece on Lovecraft and The Golem, which I enjoyed a lot!
January 30, 2026 at 2:01 PM
I've always wondered if there were any direct influences between the US pulp horror scene and (Central) European 'weird' lit. I've read your piece on Lovecraft and The Golem, which I enjoyed a lot!
Sorry, classic case of social media misreading on my part.
January 30, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Sorry, classic case of social media misreading on my part.
When I was working in Poland OA funding was discretionary to the point of not being worth applying for. Currently as a foundation-funded researcher in Finland I can often make use of uni agreements but not always and there's no requirement (or funds) to go OA. And I certainly won't pay myself.
January 30, 2026 at 9:35 AM
When I was working in Poland OA funding was discretionary to the point of not being worth applying for. Currently as a foundation-funded researcher in Finland I can often make use of uni agreements but not always and there's no requirement (or funds) to go OA. And I certainly won't pay myself.
I suspect the b-movie/tarantino inspired takes have travelled further, e.g. marlina the murderer (indonesia) or the good the bad the weird (south korea)
January 29, 2026 at 4:07 PM
I suspect the b-movie/tarantino inspired takes have travelled further, e.g. marlina the murderer (indonesia) or the good the bad the weird (south korea)
Congratulations Corinne!
January 27, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Congratulations Corinne!
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Our book is out today! 🎉
"Cultural Landscapes of Energy" adds a historical perspective to current debates on energy transition by bringing together conflicting histories around work, habitation and leisure in landscapes impacted by energy production across Europe.
"Cultural Landscapes of Energy" adds a historical perspective to current debates on energy transition by bringing together conflicting histories around work, habitation and leisure in landscapes impacted by energy production across Europe.
Cultural Landscapes of Energy: Constructing Histories of Power, Prosperity, and Decline in Europe
This volume explores the contested heritage of landscapes impacted by energy production. It offers a comparative perspective across Europe on different energy resources and reveals the hidden historie...
www.routledge.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Our book is out today! 🎉
"Cultural Landscapes of Energy" adds a historical perspective to current debates on energy transition by bringing together conflicting histories around work, habitation and leisure in landscapes impacted by energy production across Europe.
"Cultural Landscapes of Energy" adds a historical perspective to current debates on energy transition by bringing together conflicting histories around work, habitation and leisure in landscapes impacted by energy production across Europe.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
A few years late means nothing to a historian! So if you want to find out about our really exciting ongoing global history project, please check www.migration-innovation.org
Migration, Adaption, Innovation | Explore Global Histories
Discover our global study of skilled migration from 1500-1800, focusing on textiles, ceramics, and more. Learn about historical adaptations and innovations.
www.migration-innovation.org
January 21, 2026 at 9:36 PM
A few years late means nothing to a historian! So if you want to find out about our really exciting ongoing global history project, please check www.migration-innovation.org
Somewhere on the Anmeldung form they ask for your title and if you want to fill in "Dr" they tell you to send a certified German translation of your diploma by post in order to process it.
January 19, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Somewhere on the Anmeldung form they ask for your title and if you want to fill in "Dr" they tell you to send a certified German translation of your diploma by post in order to process it.
Bavarian wines don't have much of a reputation but Silvaner can be pretty nice! I'd never heard of it before I lived in Munich.
January 14, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Bavarian wines don't have much of a reputation but Silvaner can be pretty nice! I'd never heard of it before I lived in Munich.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Euroopan teollisen vallankumouksen uusi teknologia vietiin kolonisoituihin maihin, mikä koneellisti ja tehosti viljelyä. Kuuba saavutti johtavan aseman maailman sokerintuottajana yli vuosisadan ajaksi. Sen hinta saaren luonnolle sekä asukkaille on kuitenkin ollut kallis. voima.fi/artikkeli/20...
Espanjalaisten hakkaama saari – ennen Kolumbusta 90 prosenttia Kuuban pinta-alasta oli metsien peitossa
1500-luvulla Kuubaa peitti tiheä sademetsä, mutta espanjalaiset hakkasivat sen telakoiden ja sokeriviljelmien tieltä.
voima.fi
January 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Euroopan teollisen vallankumouksen uusi teknologia vietiin kolonisoituihin maihin, mikä koneellisti ja tehosti viljelyä. Kuuba saavutti johtavan aseman maailman sokerintuottajana yli vuosisadan ajaksi. Sen hinta saaren luonnolle sekä asukkaille on kuitenkin ollut kallis. voima.fi/artikkeli/20...
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
The third article of forthcoming our special issue is out now in FirstView. Check out Larissa Schulte Nordholt's "The Importance of Place and Materiality in the Decolonisation of African History through UNESCO’s General History of Africa (1962-1998)"
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The Importance of Place and Materiality in the Decolonisation of African History through UNESCO’s General History of Africa (1962-1998) | Itinerario | Cambridge Core
The Importance of Place and Materiality in the Decolonisation of African History through UNESCO’s General History of Africa (1962-1998)
www.cambridge.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:01 AM
The third article of forthcoming our special issue is out now in FirstView. Check out Larissa Schulte Nordholt's "The Importance of Place and Materiality in the Decolonisation of African History through UNESCO’s General History of Africa (1962-1998)"
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Rounding this thread up with two honorary mentions from 2025 and two distinct takes on the global stories of SE Asian labour migration (among other things). So, a bit work-y (for me), but wonderful films: 'Come la notte' by Liryc Dela Cruz and 'Viet and Nam' by Minh Quý Trương. Highly recommended!
December 31, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Rounding this thread up with two honorary mentions from 2025 and two distinct takes on the global stories of SE Asian labour migration (among other things). So, a bit work-y (for me), but wonderful films: 'Come la notte' by Liryc Dela Cruz and 'Viet and Nam' by Minh Quý Trương. Highly recommended!
Oh nice! Big fan of Maanam.
December 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Oh nice! Big fan of Maanam.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Miten vaikeaa voi olla löytää Suomesta metsää? Yllättävän, jos etsii yhtenäistä, luonnontilaista metsäaluetta. Mutta sellaisen läpi toimittaja Anna Ruohonen halusi vaeltaa. Tämä on 71 360 metriä metsää -sarjan ensimmäinen osa.
www.longplay.fi/lyhyet/71-36...
www.longplay.fi/lyhyet/71-36...
www.longplay.fi
December 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Miten vaikeaa voi olla löytää Suomesta metsää? Yllättävän, jos etsii yhtenäistä, luonnontilaista metsäaluetta. Mutta sellaisen läpi toimittaja Anna Ruohonen halusi vaeltaa. Tämä on 71 360 metriä metsää -sarjan ensimmäinen osa.
www.longplay.fi/lyhyet/71-36...
www.longplay.fi/lyhyet/71-36...
Kids today should not be deprived of the experience of spending their pocket money on import DVDs because they're desperate to see more films with that one actor they've got a crush on.
I used to think that smartphones and streaming were a mistake because giving people the illusion of access to everything all of the time would break us irreparably, but this & returns to iPods, DVDs, records, etc prove that people just want to be people, not 24/7 consumers and marketing targets.
December 31, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Kids today should not be deprived of the experience of spending their pocket money on import DVDs because they're desperate to see more films with that one actor they've got a crush on.