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...
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.
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.
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...
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
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...
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.
Listening to an adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Chimes on the radio. In theory, this is about as conventional a choice of holiday programming as you can get. Yet, in 2025, its politics feel unabashedly radical in a way that is not particularly flattering of where we are right now as a society.
December 29, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Listening to an adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Chimes on the radio. In theory, this is about as conventional a choice of holiday programming as you can get. Yet, in 2025, its politics feel unabashedly radical in a way that is not particularly flattering of where we are right now as a society.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
2025 in films! 🧵 Picking best film of the year is both easier and more difficult this year because, for various reasons, I haven't been to the cinema as much as usual. Pick of the (small) bunch was almost certainly Rungano Nyoni's 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) ⭐ 7.0 | Comedy, Drama
1h 39m | PG-13
www.imdb.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
2025 in films! 🧵 Picking best film of the year is both easier and more difficult this year because, for various reasons, I haven't been to the cinema as much as usual. Pick of the (small) bunch was almost certainly Rungano Nyoni's 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'.
2025 in films! 🧵 Picking best film of the year is both easier and more difficult this year because, for various reasons, I haven't been to the cinema as much as usual. Pick of the (small) bunch was almost certainly Rungano Nyoni's 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) ⭐ 7.0 | Comedy, Drama
1h 39m | PG-13
www.imdb.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
2025 in films! 🧵 Picking best film of the year is both easier and more difficult this year because, for various reasons, I haven't been to the cinema as much as usual. Pick of the (small) bunch was almost certainly Rungano Nyoni's 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
I have belatedly been made aware that cult Japanese drone/metal/noise band Boris have released a rendition of Last Christmas??? Happy Holidays everyone!
Last Christmas, by Boris
from the album Noël
boris.bandcamp.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I have belatedly been made aware that cult Japanese drone/metal/noise band Boris have released a rendition of Last Christmas??? Happy Holidays everyone!
I have belatedly been made aware that cult Japanese drone/metal/noise band Boris have released a rendition of Last Christmas??? Happy Holidays everyone!
Last Christmas, by Boris
from the album Noël
boris.bandcamp.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I have belatedly been made aware that cult Japanese drone/metal/noise band Boris have released a rendition of Last Christmas??? Happy Holidays everyone!
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
🚨 Nyt on nimet paperissa eli kirjaa pukkaa! Kollega @juhahaavisto.bsky.social'n kanssa kirjoittamani kirja suomalaisen metsänhoidon 🌲 historiasta ilmestyy vuonna 2027 Siltalan kustantamana. 🥳🎉 Markkinointikampanja alkaa nyt!
December 19, 2025 at 11:06 AM
🚨 Nyt on nimet paperissa eli kirjaa pukkaa! Kollega @juhahaavisto.bsky.social'n kanssa kirjoittamani kirja suomalaisen metsänhoidon 🌲 historiasta ilmestyy vuonna 2027 Siltalan kustantamana. 🥳🎉 Markkinointikampanja alkaa nyt!
I see one the reviewers of my article snuck in their report just before logging off for the year but hey, happy holidays, it's a good one! Let's deal with it at some point in 2026.
December 20, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I see one the reviewers of my article snuck in their report just before logging off for the year but hey, happy holidays, it's a good one! Let's deal with it at some point in 2026.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
🚨 Ending the year on the happy news that the publishing contract for our trade book on the history of Finnish forestry 🌲 has been signed! 🥳🎉 I'm writing it with my good colleague/friend/sometime nemesis @juhahaavisto.bsky.social, coming out in 2027 with Siltala Publishing.
December 19, 2025 at 11:02 AM
🚨 Ending the year on the happy news that the publishing contract for our trade book on the history of Finnish forestry 🌲 has been signed! 🥳🎉 I'm writing it with my good colleague/friend/sometime nemesis @juhahaavisto.bsky.social, coming out in 2027 with Siltala Publishing.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
Viimein julkista, että uudella tietokirjalla on nyt allekirjoitettu kustannussopimus. Hyvän kollegan Mikko Toivasen @mtoiv.bsky.social kanssa kirjoitetaan suomalaisen metsänhoidon historiasta. Tästä se lähtee.
December 19, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Viimein julkista, että uudella tietokirjalla on nyt allekirjoitettu kustannussopimus. Hyvän kollegan Mikko Toivasen @mtoiv.bsky.social kanssa kirjoitetaan suomalaisen metsänhoidon historiasta. Tästä se lähtee.
🚨 Nyt on nimet paperissa eli kirjaa pukkaa! Kollega @juhahaavisto.bsky.social'n kanssa kirjoittamani kirja suomalaisen metsänhoidon 🌲 historiasta ilmestyy vuonna 2027 Siltalan kustantamana. 🥳🎉 Markkinointikampanja alkaa nyt!
December 19, 2025 at 11:06 AM
🚨 Nyt on nimet paperissa eli kirjaa pukkaa! Kollega @juhahaavisto.bsky.social'n kanssa kirjoittamani kirja suomalaisen metsänhoidon 🌲 historiasta ilmestyy vuonna 2027 Siltalan kustantamana. 🥳🎉 Markkinointikampanja alkaa nyt!
🚨 Ending the year on the happy news that the publishing contract for our trade book on the history of Finnish forestry 🌲 has been signed! 🥳🎉 I'm writing it with my good colleague/friend/sometime nemesis @juhahaavisto.bsky.social, coming out in 2027 with Siltala Publishing.
December 19, 2025 at 11:02 AM
🚨 Ending the year on the happy news that the publishing contract for our trade book on the history of Finnish forestry 🌲 has been signed! 🥳🎉 I'm writing it with my good colleague/friend/sometime nemesis @juhahaavisto.bsky.social, coming out in 2027 with Siltala Publishing.
Havainto tästä Liisa Vuonokari-Bomströmin hyvästä blogikirjoituksesta. Kansallisarkiston uuden strategian visualisointi näyttäisi olevan tekoälyllä tuotettu, mutta onko sen sisältökin? Mitään kovin järkevää progressiota en noista nuolista löydä.
December 19, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Havainto tästä Liisa Vuonokari-Bomströmin hyvästä blogikirjoituksesta. Kansallisarkiston uuden strategian visualisointi näyttäisi olevan tekoälyllä tuotettu, mutta onko sen sisältökin? Mitään kovin järkevää progressiota en noista nuolista löydä.
As a sometime LRT contributor (long story) and a general public broadcasting fan, this sort of thing is concerning. And happening all over, including in Finland.
Yet another huge protest of 10,000+ in Vilnius against govt proposals to weaken and politicize public broadcasting in Lithuania. Public service LRT is by far the most trusted news outlet in the country. Lithuanians only got independent public broadcasting 35 years ago. They don’t want to give it up.
December 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
As a sometime LRT contributor (long story) and a general public broadcasting fan, this sort of thing is concerning. And happening all over, including in Finland.
Reposted by Mikko Toivanen
The @contingent-mag.bsky.social ’s book list 2025 is now published and it includes e.g. @mtoiv.bsky.social ’s ”Empire, Tourism, and Colonial Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka” and Brian Harnetty’s ”Noisy Memory: Recording Sound, Performing Archives” to name 2/39 🤩
2025 Contingent Book List
When you’re shopping for books this season, consider a contingent scholar.
contingentmagazine.org
December 17, 2025 at 11:35 AM
The @contingent-mag.bsky.social ’s book list 2025 is now published and it includes e.g. @mtoiv.bsky.social ’s ”Empire, Tourism, and Colonial Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka” and Brian Harnetty’s ”Noisy Memory: Recording Sound, Performing Archives” to name 2/39 🤩