Delegation of the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) visits FUEN

On Friday 18 September a delegation of the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) visited FUEN and the House of Minorities in Flensburg. 

The circa 20 members of the executive and scientific board of the Society were in Flensburg as part of a study visit to Schleswig-Holstein and the German-Danish border region, which also included meetings with the Schleswig-Holstein government in Kiel and visits to the universities of Kiel and Sønderborg.

FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen welcomed the guests in the House of Minorities and told them about the activities of FUEN, which is the largest umbrella organisation for the autochthonous national minorities in Europe. Subsequently President Hans Heinrich Hansen, FUEN Vice President Dieter Paul Küssner, Jens A. Christiansen of Sydslesvigsk Forening, Chairman Dr Jørgen Kühl of the European Centre for Minority Issues and Prof Dr Elin Fredsted of Flensburg University told the guests from Finland about how the minorities and majorities on both sides of the German-Danish border are living together. The meeting was concluded with a lunch in a restaurant nearby.

The group was particularly interested in the experiences of FUEN in the field of multilingualism. They do not consider themselves as a minority in Finland, but as the guardians of the Swedish language in Finland. The short visit to the House of Minorities, however, did make an impression on the delegation and FUEN has gained friends and supporters among the Swedish-speaking Finns.

The purpose of the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland is to disseminate knowledge about Finland’s Swedish-language culture. The Society was founded in 1885 and publishes works of scholarship and nonfiction about the culture, language, society and history of Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. As the organisation managing the Swedish Cultural Foundation the Society is one of the largest private funders of research in the humanities and social sciences in Finland.