Aikakuvassa

Aikakuvassa is a Finnish phrase meaning “in the image of the time” or “in the context of the era.” It is used to indicate that a description, event, or artifact should be understood with attention to a specific historical period. The term appears in journalism, historiography, literary criticism, and media studies.

Etymology and form: Aikakuva is a compound of aika (time) and kuva (image), and the suffix -ssa marks the inessive case, yielding aikakuvassa meaning “in the time image.” The expression is typically used as a linguistic frame to situate a discussion within a particular temporal context.

Usage: In practice, aikakuvassa signals that features such as social norms, technology, economy, or politics are those of the era being discussed. It can apply to sources (photographs, texts, films) or to analyses and narratives, helping readers understand the temporal dimension of the material. In literature and film criticism, it may refer to how a period’s atmosphere or perspectives of people living at that time are portrayed.

Examples:

- Aikakuvassa 1950-luvun Suomi näkyy autokulttuurin kehittyessä ja kaupungistumisen lisääntyessä.

- Kokoelma avaa aikakuvassa suurkaupungin arjen piirteitä.

Notes: While not a formal technical term, aikakuvassa is commonly used in Finnish analytical writing to frame discussions about history, culture, and media from a temporal standpoint. See also terms like aikakausi and historiallisuus for related concepts.