Johanna Nurmi

Effects of season and processing on oil content and fatty acids of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras).

Fatty acid composition, oil content, free fatty acid content, and peroxide value of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and two processed products (fried fillets and fish burgers) were investigated. The highest oil content of the fillets was found in autumn (10%), at the time when the free fatty acids had their minimum (1.4%). The main fatty acids were oleic (18-23%), palmitic (17%), palmitoleic (8-12%), and docosahexaeneoic (8-10%) acids. The proportion of saturated fatty acids was a constant 23% all year around, whereas mono- and polyunsaturated acids varied from 34 to 39% and 33 to 37%, respectively. During processing the oil content doubled and the fatty acid composition changed to the pattern of the rapeseed oil used for frying. Oleic acid was a major fatty acid in the products comprising over 40% of the total fatty acids. The proportion of n-3 acids decreased during processing but the total amount of polyunsaturated acids remained fairly constant.

The norm of solidarity: Experiencing negative aspects of community life after a school shooting tragedy

• Summary: Recent rampage shootings at schools have provoked intense academic discussion. While there have been two recent school shootings in Finland, there is not much empirical research focusing on these incidents. What is particularly lacking is research on community reaction to this type of mass violence. In this article, we take a look at the negative aspects of solidarity after a shooting incident in a small Finnish community of Jokela. We explore community experience on shootings through two types of empirical measures. The research material consists of a mail survey of the local residents and focused interviews of professional experts. • Findings: Our results suggest that there was a rise in social solidarity after the shooting tragedy. However, the increased level of solidarity was also followed by a variety of negative phenomena such as strengthened group divisions between youth and adults, social stigmatization, and feelings of collective guilt. These experiences are familiar in the cultural trauma processes. • Applications: In general, the article points out that mass violence has long-term impact on people’s social engagement and interaction patterns. Similar processes can be argued to be particularly significant when studying relatively small communities.

Making Sense of School Shootings Comparing Local Narratives of Solidarity and Conflict in Finland

This article focuses on the dynamics of solidarity and conflict after incidents of mass violence. To date, two rampage school shootings have taken place in Finland in the small towns of Jokela and ...

Jokela: The Social Roots of a School Shooting Tragedy in Finland

An analysis of a school shooting that took place in the small town of Jokela, Finland, in 2007. The perpetrator, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, pursued a clear and sophisticated media strategy and wrote a manifesto that underlined nihilism, hate, and disillusion with society and his peers. Auvinen was a shy, lonely young man who found his peer group in internet communities that glorify school shootings. The data used included investigation reports, a two-wave survey conducted in Jokela 6 and 18 months after the shooting, and interviews with local residents and involved professionals. Our analysis reveals the social roots of the tragedy. Auvinen was bullied and felt ostracized in the small community. Both school and family failed to integrate him socially. In the local community, young people became increasingly worried about his talk and behavior, especially in the year immediately preceding the shooting. Auvinen’s parents tried without success to get psychiatric help for their son, who became increasingly radical in his thoughts and obsessed with terrorist violence. A lack of meaningful social ties magnified the effect of online communities that indirectly encouraged Auvinen to carry out his “Main Strike.” The shooting was a traumatic event for the whole community since the perpetrator had lived there most of his life. Social support and solidarity enhanced the prospects for coping.

Expressions and projections of evil in mass violence

This article examines two recent school shooting cases in Finland, and the use of the concept of evil as a tool to discern the violence and cruelty of the incidents. The analysis is based on qualitative, focused interviews with local residents. Participants used the notion of evil to describe and understand school shootings and their perpetrators. Evil was mostly associated with the act of violence and with the perpetrators. Processing the experience of evil included the projection and externalization of evil. This process was associated with the fear of being labeled and reluctance to work through the traumatic experiences.

Coping with Tragedy, Reacting to an Event The Case of the Jokela School Shooting in Finland

This article analyzes the unexpected nature and the consequences of the school shooting in Jokela, Finland in 2007. The study is based on interviews with professionals who participated in the relief efforts after the shooting incident. The analysis focuses on the role of the local youth workers during the days following the crisis. Reactions to the shootings and the consequences of the incident in the local community of Jokela are also considered. The philosophical concept of the event is used to highlight the suddenness of the school shooting incident, likewise its transformative character and its power to reshape public space. The results show that the efforts of the youth workers considerably helped the young in Jokela to cope with the immediate shock and changes in the community life after the shooting.

Affected or Detached? Gendered Emotional Reactions to School Shootings:

This article explores whether gendered norms and beliefs about emotions persist, as people relive and recount unexpected incidents of mass violence. The emotional expressions of men and women after two school shootings in Finland are examined and compared, based on qualitative interviews with local residents and crisis workers. Two emotional orientations in relation to school shootings were identified: being affected and being detached. Women were associated more with being emotionally affected and men with being detached. However, there was not always a consensus on how gendered individuals should express emotion in the aftermath of a school shooting.