E.5. Probing Questions

Overview

Once information is provided in an interaction there is often the need to get further clarification with follow-up probing questions. They not only allow the questioner to garner more precise information but they also ensure that interaction flows more efficiently and is not just a series of unrelated information points. They also allow the questioner to show interest in the information provided in the interaction and allows for more control over the agenda.

A case study from the Second World War when Finnish troops were in the German Waffen SS is used to highlight and practice the use of probing questions to go beyond the initial information provided.

Materials Updates/News: 

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An incisive examination of the Finnish swastika:

Henriksson, M. (nk.) The Finnish Swastika: Sun Swirl of Happiness, Fertility and Sexuality.http://minnahenriksson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/finnish-swastika_henriksson_rab-rab.pdf

Mees, B. (2008). The science of the swastika. Central European University Press.

Yle. 5.10.2017. Does Finland need its Swastikas?

Yle. 21.8.2023. Finland considers swastika ban.

Yle. 5.4.2024. Court: Use of swastika flags in demonstration constituted hate speech.

BBC. (17.8.2021). The ancient symbol that was hijacked by evil. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210816-the-ancient-symbol-that-was-hijacked-by-evil

Professor Teivo Teivainen at the University of Helsinki has researched the subject.

Thought provoking:

Yle. 21.10.2022. St Petersburg court finds Finland guilty of 'genocide' during 1940s Leningrad siege.

Yle. 29.8.2022. Foreign ministry archives reveal Hitler's admiration for Finns.

Kunkeler, N. (2023). Finland and Military Volunteers in the Swedish Fascist Imaginary, 1809-1944. Historical Journal 66(4): 795-817.

Ylimaunu, T., et al. (2013). Memory of Barracks: World War II German ‘Little Berlins’ and post-war urbanization in Northern Finnish towns. Scandinavian Journal of History 38(4): 525-548.