Stand-up comedy in Finland: the local Adaptation of a global genre

This paper presents an anthropological study of stand-up comedy in Finland as a particular case in the global spread of stand-up to ask, how is the genre adapted to local contexts? In recent decades not only the consumption but also the performance of stand-up comedy has become a global phenomenon; numerous countries have local comedy scenes and stand-up is performed in various languages and different cultural contexts. Based on archival sources and original ethnographic research I discuss the 30-year history of stand-up in Finland and how widespread knowledge of English and consumption of international media have contributed to its development. Stand-up in Finland is performed in Finnish and Swedish, as well as English, which has become the lingua franca for many comedians when performing abroad or to international audiences. I also look at the particularities of language and culture that have both challenged and enabled embracing stand-up in a nation known for its reticence.