Description of research and teaching

Tuija Laine (born 1964 in Joutseno, Finland) was Professor of Book History in the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Theology from 2012 to 2016.

Tuija Laine is a member of many scientific societies and research institutions. In 2008–2013 she was a board member of Finnish Historical Society and 2011–2013 a board member of Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. She was the chair of the Finnish Society for Book History (2011–2013) and chair of Finnish Society for Church History 2014.  At the moment she is chair of Advisory Board of Finnish National Library (2021-2024) and a member of the board for Lithuanian academic journal Knygotyra. She is also a member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

Her scholarly work is focused mostly on 17th and 18th century book history. She has written several articles and monographs about devotional literature, its translation and dissemination as well as about the history of the book trade and reading. Currently she is researching the educational and didactic aspects of primers and children’s literature, as well as the history of the relationship between missionary work and book history. She has worked as a researcher in many research projects financed by Academy of Finland and has been leading the research project Education of marginal groups in Finland during the 18^th century (2012–2014) in which two doctoral students have researched reading and book culture of peasants in Eastern Finland as well as girl's education.