Yrjiö Kaukianen’s interest has focused on maritime history as a part of the global economy. According to Professor Kaukiainen, his most important works have been his most recent articles in English, which deal with the development of global maritime transport, cargo markets and transportation costs from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day. Of a different nature have been local history projects, the most recent of which have been the history of Wyborg Province and the history of the Kymenlaakso region of southeast Finland.

The defence of a doctoral dissertation is unforgettable to every PhD. Yrjö Kaukiainen completed his doctorate in 1970, and the subject of his dissertation was Finnish peasant sailing at the beginning of the nineteenth century. With a twinkle in his eye, Professor Kaukiainen says that today the spirit of doctoral defences is freer, in fact downright convivial, compared to those times.

At the beginning of his career, Yriö Kaukiainen did not really feel that his research resonated with his countrymen. “To this day I still wonder why maritime history is often seen as some kind of romantic fringe area of history that doesn’t need to be taken seriously. In the present age of ever increasing globalisation, maritime history nevertheless offers an excellent vantage point on the birth and development of globalisation, and through this it is possible to shed light on the social history of cultural encounters, as well. Furthermore, at the micro level it can tell us how these kinds of macro phenomena are reflected in people’s individual lives.”

Yrjö Kaukiainen is currently researching the use of Finnish granite in St Petersburg palaces and monuments.