Strong Finland, Strong Finns – Hegemonic Masculinity and the Securitization of Finnishness in Perussuomalaiset Discourse

Abstract

This study examined how gendered narratives are utilized in populist radical right discourse in the case of the Finnish PRR party Perussuomalaiset. Furthermore, it analyzed how these gendered narratives are embedded in threat construction, securitization and mobilization of the party discourse, as articulated by the Perussuomalaiset chairperson Riikka Purra. A feminist critical discourse analysis was conducted on 10 speeches delivered by Purra between 2023 and 2025, informed by gender narratives and characterizations drawn from theories on hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1990) and national belonging (Yuval-Davis, 1997). Drawing on diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing (Snow and Benford 2000), the analysis examines how these narratives are embedded in constructions of threat, political authority, and national belonging. The analysis revealed constructions of both internal and external threats to the Finnish national collective, protection narratives of PS as the uniquely capable political authority and a gendered depiction of the ideal national subject. A key finding of this thesis is a construction of a gendered moral duty imposed on the Finnish citizen, as boundaries of belonging are directed not only toward external Others but also toward members of the national community themselves, whose legitimacy is evaluated through expectations of responsibility, resilience, and commitment to the nation.