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As a human/cultural geographer, I am interested in ethnicity, migration, settlements, material-and popular- culture. I am especially interested in the Finnish ethnic group in North America, ethnic identity, assimilation, and the inter-ethnic relations that exist between the Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking Finns. I am also very keen on traveling and visiting new locations. All this, after all, comes from my childhood and travels and life lived in countries such as Finland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and now the United States. At present, I am involved in a major collaborative project with colleagues in Finland and the US. The project Finnish North-Americans Today is being written by the authors and is hoped to be completed and published in the next few years. I am also interested in the transfer and diffusion of material culture and the popularization of phenomena such as the sauna (along with hot tubs, water slides, etc) in today's North American society. Most recently, I published a collection of my articles in the book The Finnish Immigrant Experience in North America, 1880-2000: Studies in Cultural Geography (Edwin Mellen Press, 2006). 

Below please see my family, which includes starting on the left - daughters Marita, Sinikka, Laura - my wife Grace, myself - and our son Ari. The photo was taken at Pisew Falls in northern Manitoba in summer 2009. For some family history and material on the many moves the Roinila family has experienced, check the Ulkosuomalaisen Tarina (Story of an Expatriate Finn). There you will find an article in English (previously there were some photos and statistics as well), which are of interest to Filmihally OY, a documentary film studio located in Pori, Finland. 

       

Updated: Sept.3, 2009

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