Kansakunnissa

Kansakunnissa is a Finnish phrase that translates roughly to “in nation-states.” It is used in political science, sociology, and journalism to discuss how populations are organized and governed within sovereign political units defined by shared national identity, language, or culture.

The term is typically treated as a compound formed from kansa (people, nation) and kansakunta (the concept of a nation as a political community). It denotes the plural idea of nation-states and the relationships among them within the international system. In discussions of geopolitics, kansakunnissa is invoked when examining topics such as state sovereignty, citizenship, diplomacy, and border governance.

In historical contexts, kansakunnissa often appears in analyses of nationalism and state formation, where the emergence or consolidation of nation-states is linked to cultural, linguistic, or ethnic mobilization. In contemporary debates, it is used to frame issues related to minority rights inside nation-states, immigration and integration, language policies, and the resilience or transformation of the nation-state in an era of globalization and supranational institutions.

Critics of a strictly nation-state-centric view argue that kansakunnissa may overlook transnational ties and multi-layer governance, while supporters contend that nation-states remain the primary arenas for political accountability, security, and public policy for many societies.

See also: nation-state, nationalism, sovereignty, citizenship, multiculturalism.