معرفی
Raisa Maria Toivo is a Professor of Early Modern History at Tampere University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of History, Philosophy and Literary Studies. She specializes in the history of early modern society (ca. 1500-1800), with particular focus on Finnish and Swedish sources within a broader European context.
Her research expertise spans several interconnected fields:
- History of lived religion and religious experience
- Religious tolerance, co-existence, and persecution
- Witchcraft studies and early modern justice systems
- Family violence and gender history
- History of experience as a methodological framework
- Biographical approaches to early modern history
Professor Toivo's recent publications demonstrate significant trends across multiple disciplines. Her work bridges history, religious studies, gender studies, and narrative theory, with a particular emphasis on how individual and communal experiences shaped religious practices in early modern Europe. She has pioneered methodological approaches that examine experience at multiple levels - from individual encounters to social structures born from repeated practices.
Her scientific contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards and funding:
- Academy Fellowship (2015-2020)
- Research Council of Finland Center of Excellence for the History of Experience (2018-2025), where she leads the theme on lived religion
- Jalmari Finne Foundation grant (2021-2024) for biography as a method in early modern history
- Research Council of Finland project "How did seventeenth-century Finland manage to avoid witch hunts?" (2023-2027)
Professor Toivo has supervised numerous doctoral candidates and collaborates extensively with international scholars. Her current research projects include examining the history of lived religion and experience within the HEX Center of Excellence, and investigating why Finland avoided large-scale witch hunts despite surrounding regions experiencing them. She works closely with researchers across Europe, particularly in Nordic countries, and has established significant interdisciplinary networks connecting history, religious studies, and narrative theory.
She leads multiple research teams focused on:
- The History of Experience Center of Excellence
- Witchcraft and religious persecution studies
- Biographical methodologies in historical research
- Narrative approaches to historical sources
