I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in Honours History in 2024. Titled, “Language in Crisis: Der Deutsche Schulverein and German Speakers in the Austro-Hungarian Empire,” my research spurred from my own bilingual roots as an Austrian growing up in Finland. The work focused on the building of German nationalism and national identity through language education in the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1880 and 1914. Located at the intersection of the declining power of Empires, rising nationalisms and the eventual formation of new nation-states, I examined emerging political and national identities through the lens of languages.
With my master’s thesis, I plan on further exploring the formation of national and political identity through the development of language. I envision myself moving from Austria-Hungary and the late 19th century to the interwar years and the newly independent state of Finland, focusing on its history with Swedish, Russian, and Finnish. I’m interested in how these histories still play out in contemporary European politics.
In my free time I like to stay active through hiking and running. This past summer I tried alpine climbing and surfing for the first time and at the end of August I’m planning on running my first half marathon. Outside of Academics, my time has been occupied by UBC’s Undergraduate Journal of Historical Studies, where I worked as Editor-in-Chief for their last issue.
I look forward to my time at Columbia and LSE, and am excited to explore all that both cities have to offer!
