Materials and editorial principles

Articles

The collection of articles in this digital edition provides a broad overview of Edvard Westermarck’s intellectual work and social engagement. The edition aims to offer as comprehensive coverage as possible of his published articles, which span more than seven decades and demonstrate how Westermarck actively participated in both scientific and public debates.

In addition to publishing his research findings in international scholarly journals, he regularly wrote for Finnish newspapers and magazines, where he discussed issues related to morality, religion, culture, and society. The articles testify to a scholar who sought to bring scientific perspectives into public discourse. The material represents different stages of Westermarck’s authorship and shows how he both tested new ideas and presented results from his books in article form to reach a wider audience.

The collection includes articles in Swedish, English, French, Italian, German, and Finnish, reflecting his international orientation.

The articles are being published gradually. During 2025, his articles in Finsk Tidskrift and in a selection of Finnish newspapers will be made available.

Letters

The letters featured in this edition highlights Edvard Westermarck as a scholar and internationally recognised intellectual. The selection focuses on his correspondence with Finnish and international colleagues across the academic fields in which he worked, underscoring his central role in the early development of sociology as an academic discipline.

The letters reveal an extensive and diverse network of scholars and friends, with the exchange of ideas and scientific debate at its heart. A more personal side of Westermarck emerges in the correspondence with his sister, the writer and artist Helena Westermarck.

The selection includes among others, Rolf Lagerborg, Abdessalam El-Baqqali, James G. Frazer, Alfred Haddon, Havelock Ellis, Yrjö Hirn, Hugo Pipping, Helena Westermarck, Gunnar Landtman, Bronisław Malinowski, Julio Reuter, Charles G. Seligman, Edward B. Tylor and Alfred R. Wallace. The letters are being published successively, in their original language, as they are prepared for release.