POLHO

Welcome to the homepage of the Political History Students Association – Polho. The name of the organisation in Finnish is “Poliittisen historian opiskelijat” Amongst students the abbreviation Polho is used when referred to our association.

 

Polho is the students’ organisation of students of political history at the University of Helsinki. We are situated at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Department of Social Science History. Our association organises various kinds of events ranging from parties and sports to cultural events to name but a few examples. The “academic” activities include discussion events, seminars etc. We are also proud to be organising parties in the spirit of very best Finnish student traditions. Polho has a legendary and victorious common football team with our sister organisation Taso (Students of Social and Economic History) called “Real Torspo”. Our association’s quaterly journal “Poleemi” is known of its good quality. The association was founded in 1965.

Notable alumni of our subject and organisation include a former Prime Minister of Finland, several leading MP’s, a former Commander of the Finnish Armed Forces, members of academia and well-known journalists.

The executive branch of our association is the board of political history students. If you want to have a peek on what the board looks like please click the category “hallitus” on the list of categories.

All students of political history and other sciences as well are more than welcome to participate in our activities. We especially welcome all foreign degree and exchange students to join our activities!

OUR DEPARTMENT

The Department of Social Science History unites the history subjects of the Faculty of Social Sciences under one roof and is the only research and teaching unit of this kind in Finland. After completing joint basic studies, the student majors either in economic and social history or in political history. The aim of these two disciplines is to offer many-sided knowledge about the structures and different aspects of the society and about the interdependence and the interaction of social phenomena in time.

POLITICAL HISTORY

The task of political history is to offer a well-grounded introduction to the contemporary world by using methods of historical research. It provides a scientifically based, overall picture of the background, birth and development of the political and social phenomena of our age. Thus, the temporal focus of political history tends to be the recent past, as in contemporary history, histoire contemporaine, Zeitgeschichte and samtidshistoria.

The topics studied within political history are often fresh enough to have living political connections to present day questions. Political history is often confronted with highly contradictory expectations as it deals with such political actors, phenomena and values that still evoke emotionally loaded opinions among the contemporaries. Therefore, the very objective of political history may seem paradoxical: the discipline must stick to the demands of scientific historiography, but at the same time, it is bound to the present, as contemporary history always is. Indeed, how interpretations of the past are used in present day debates has become an important field of study in political history.

 

CONTACT OF THE ASSOCIATION:

 

The Board:

E-mail: polho-hallitus@helsinki.fi


Chairperson of the Board:

Marja-Leena Cerf
marja-leena.cerf@helsinki.fi


International Matters Officer:

Senja Eckstein
senja.eckstein@helsinki.fi

Address

Polho ry
Department of Social Science History
PO. BOX 54
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Welcome to join our activities!

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