German playwright Berthold Brecht once observed that "the Finns are silent in two languages." To those familiar with Finnish society and conversation, Brecht's remark aptly summarizes the difficulty of exchanging pleasantries, let alone ideas, with Finns. Those who have come up against these impenetrable boundaries have asked themselves if the problem is climatic, sociocultural, Gemeinschaft without Gesellschaft, or some other explanation for the manifest unwillingness to confront and engage.
The intent of these essays is to explore the notion of a "culture of silence" through the basis...