Mediated scandals as social dramas: Transforming the moral order in Finland

In this article we apply Viktor Turner's ideas on liminality and social dramas to scandals involving the Finnish political and economic elites that have occurred since the early 1970s. We suggest that mediated scandals are transformative social dramas through which society's moral codes ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta sociologica 2013-11, Vol.56 (4), p.295-308
Main Authors: Kantola, Anu, Vesa, Juho
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chief executive officers
Cold War
Cold wars
Economic Elites
Elites
Ethical codes
Ethics
Ethics and moral life
Finland
Journalism
Liminality
Mass Media Effects
Media
Morality
Political elites
Political order
Political parties
Politicians
Risk
Scandals
Sexual Harassment
Social Change
Social conditions & trends
Society
Sociology
Sociology of knowledge and ethics
Sociology of knowledge and sociology of culture
Transgression
Turner, Victor
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Summary:In this article we apply Viktor Turner's ideas on liminality and social dramas to scandals involving the Finnish political and economic elites that have occurred since the early 1970s. We suggest that mediated scandals are transformative social dramas through which society's moral codes are negotiated. In Finland, scandals have increased considerably and have become more dangerous for Finnish elites because they have caused increasing numbers to lose their positions. We suggest that the trend signals a long-term social transformation in society's moral order. The Finnish scandals have reworked societal moralities and addressed the problematic issues often associated with the Cold War political order, such as drinking and sexual harassment. As a result of this process, the media have developed into liminal-like spaces that are increasingly dangerous for elites.
ISSN:0001-6993
1502-3869
2067-3809
DOI:10.1177/0001699313477872