Paper Title
Building the New Society in the Shell of the Old: Finnish-Canadian Hall Socialism and the Canadian Industrial Unionist Support League
Location
Fisher 126
Event Website
http://www.finnforumx.com/
Start Date
12-4-2014 2:40 PM
End Date
12-4-2014 3:00 PM
Description
The literature on Finnish immigrant working-class movements in North America frequently makes reference to the phenomenon of "hall socialism," so-called because of the central position that the socialist or labor hall occupied in the political, associational, and cultural life of many Finnish communities throughout the twentieth-century. In the 1930s, over 80 such Finnish halls were spread across Canada, and many people associated with these halls vigorously supported the mission of organized labor. This paper will examine the history, ideas, and practices of the Industrial Workers of the World-influenced Canadan Teollisuusunionistien Kannatus Liitto (CTKL; Canadian Industrial Unionist Support League), and its connections to Finnish Canadian hall socialism. The paper will consider the role of the CTKL in supporting workers' struggles, the significance of the hall as a part of the infrastructural bedrock that sustained this support, and the broader interaction between social and radical organizing commitments.
Presenter Bio
Pinta, who was born in Finland, is an independent scholar, writer, and documentarian from Thunder Bay, Canada. He completed his PhD work at Loughborough University, UK, in political science. Dr. Pinta's work revolves around the intersections between anarchism and communism in what could be termed libertarian socialism. His publications include this perspective and include editorial work of Libertarian Socialism: Politics in Black and Red. He is also a filmmaker who created a riveting documentary, To My Son in Spain, a history of Finnish Canadians in Spain's Civil War.
Building the New Society in the Shell of the Old: Finnish-Canadian Hall Socialism and the Canadian Industrial Unionist Support League
Fisher 126
The literature on Finnish immigrant working-class movements in North America frequently makes reference to the phenomenon of "hall socialism," so-called because of the central position that the socialist or labor hall occupied in the political, associational, and cultural life of many Finnish communities throughout the twentieth-century. In the 1930s, over 80 such Finnish halls were spread across Canada, and many people associated with these halls vigorously supported the mission of organized labor. This paper will examine the history, ideas, and practices of the Industrial Workers of the World-influenced Canadan Teollisuusunionistien Kannatus Liitto (CTKL; Canadian Industrial Unionist Support League), and its connections to Finnish Canadian hall socialism. The paper will consider the role of the CTKL in supporting workers' struggles, the significance of the hall as a part of the infrastructural bedrock that sustained this support, and the broader interaction between social and radical organizing commitments.
https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/copperstrikesymposium/Schedule/Saturday/37
