Abstract

The Senate Square occupies a prominent space both in the urban fabric of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and in the collective psyche of the Finnish people. Apart from characterizing a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific, and commercial strengths, the square has functioned as a place for socio-political gatherings. While serving the existing power holders, this polysemic landscape has been a site where major contestants to power and authority have collided in making their marks, claims, demands, and representations. For that reason, the following analytical and critical inquiries in this research will first explore the Senate Square in terms of a symbolic device for the state and ruling authority to manifest, legitimize, and maintain their hegemonic power. The scholarly focus will subsequently shift to the theme of multifaceted/multilayered memories and meanings of place, where different groups of people have re-appropriated it to perform their social and political acts as well as to form their modern identities.