lähiaikojen

Lähiaikojen is a Finnish noun in the genitive plural form of lähiaika, meaning the near or recent times. In historiography and journalism, lähiaikojen is used to refer to phenomena, events, or developments that belong to the more recent past rather than the distant past. It is a flexible, descriptive label rather than a fixed historical period.

The term appears in phrases such as lähiaikojen ilmiöt (phenomena of the recent times) or lähiaikojen kehitys (the development of the recent era). Because it is not bound to a precise timespan, its exact scope varies by author, discipline, and context. In many Finnish studies, lähiaika can cover the period after World War II up to the present, but some authors extend it to include parts of the late 19th or early 20th centuries when focusing on modernization or globalization. Readers should consult the contextual timeframe provided by the author to understand what is meant in a given work.

Lähiaika is closely related to, yet distinct from, surrounding concepts such as lähihistoria (contemporary history) and nykypäivä (the present day). The label emphasizes proximity to the present and practical relevance to current society, politics, and culture, rather than long-term historical categorization. In practice, lähiaikojen as a phrase functions as a rhetorical and analytic tool for organizing discussion around recent change.