Minja Koskela Explained

Minja Koskela (born 1987) is a Finnish musician, author, politician, member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature, and chair of the Left Alliance. She has represented Helsinki since April 2023 as member of the Left Alliance.^{[1] [2]}

Koskela was born in 1987.^[1] Her father was a policeman and her mother a dental hygienist.^[3] She has three younger sisters.^[3] Aged three, she joined the Päijät-Häme conservatory's play school in Lahti.^[3] In the second year of high school she moved to Helsinki to study at Sibelius High School.^[3] After high school she founded the Mitäs tytöt collective.^[3] Koskela studied music at the Sibelius Academy and gender studies at the University of Tampere.^[3] She has master's degree in social science and a doctorate in music.^{[1] [4]}

Koskela was a music teacher for five years before taking a leave of absence to write her dissertation, Democracy Through Pop? Thinking with Intersectionality in Popular Music Education in Finnish Schools (2022).^{[4] [5]} Koskela started writing her social feminist blog Bluestocking in 2015 and is the author of Ennen kaikkea feministi (2019) and Äidiksi tuleminen (2021).^{[3] [5] [6]}

Koskela was asked by several parties to contest parliamentary elections but declined in order to finish her book.^{[6] [5]} She was the secretary to the Feminist Party on the City Council of Helsinki.^[3] She was a political expert for the Left Alliance before becoming executive director of the Association of Finnish Music Education Schools in 2021.^{[6] [7]} She was elected to the City Council of Helsinki at the 2021 Finnish municipal elections.^{[4] [6] [8]}

Koskela married film director Oskari Sipola in December 2019.^{[3] [9]} She gave birth to a daughter, Else, in 2020 after earlier suffering from a miscarriage.^{[3] [6]} The family live in the Herttoniemi suburb of Helsinki.^[3] She is a member of the Team Play band.^{[3] [10]} Koskela and Sipola jointly filed for divorce in July 2024.^[11]

Election! scope=col

Constituency	scope=col colspan="2"	Party	scope=col	Votes	scope=col	Result
2021 municipal[12]					Elected
2023 parliamentary[13]					Elected

Notes and References

1. Web site: MPs: Minja Koskela . . 10 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland .
2. News: Left Alliance chooses Minja Koskela as new leader. Kinnunen. Pekka. Auvinen. Pirjo. 19 October 2024. Yle News.
3. News: Myllymäki . Laura . Rakenteet, rakenteet ja rakenteet – niistä vasemmistopoliitikko Minja Koskela puhuisi loputtomiin, mutta miltä näyttää feministinen tulevaisuus Ukrainan sodan varjossa? . 10 April 2023 . . 27 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220527054313/https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/minja-koskela-rakenteet-rakenteet-ja-rakenteet . 27 May 2022 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
4. News: Karhu . Otso . Näin Minja Koskela voitti somevaalit ja tavoitti huolestuneen kulttuuriväen: "Häkellyttävän upea tulos" . 10 April 2023 . . 14 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406005514/https://yle.fi/a/3-11982098 . 6 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
5. News: Vasemmistoliiton poliittinen asiantuntija Minja Koskela kaipaa lisää luokkapuhetta: "Eiväthän luokat ole kadonneet mihinkään" . 10 April 2023 . . 22 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230405192124/https://www.ku.fi/artikkeli/4218477-vasemmistoliiton-poliittinen-asiantuntija-minja-koskela-kaipaa-lisaa-luokkapuhetta-eivathan-luokat-ole-kadonneet-mihinkaan . 5 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
6. News: Oksanen . Emmi . "Meillä on täällä näitä joka päivä", kätilö sanoi – se hetki mullisti Minja Koskelan elämän . 10 April 2023 . . 29 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406000752/https://www.iltalehti.fi/perheartikkelit/a/83cb7e39-87e9-4ecc-9f8a-c7a23c28619c . 6 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
7. News: Minja Koskela Suomen musiikkioppilaitosten liiton toiminnanjohtajaksi . 10 April 2023 . . 22 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404200147/https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/minja-koskela-suomen-musiikkioppilaitosten-liiton-toiminnanjohtajaksi?publisherId=69819048&releaseId=69925282 . 4 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
8. Web site: Helsinki City Councillors . . 10 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230101817/https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/administration/decision/council/members/ . 30 December 2022 . Helsinki, Finland.
9. News: Hnnila . Lilja . Minja Koskela: Avioero . 28 July 2024 . . 12 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240717183136/https://www.iltalehti.fi/politiikka/a/fe67b8d9-1246-4fd5-be1e-bd9fcc9762fe?_gl=1*ga35sp*_ga*MjExNDE4NjE0MS4xNjk2MzQ0MTMy*_ga_3L539PMN3X*MTcyMTE5NzA0OC4yODYuMS4xNzIxMTk3MDU2LjAuMC4w . 17 July 2024 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
10. News: Linkola . Hannu . Levyarvio: Tumma, yksinäinen ja kaunis kokonaisuus – Team Playn Wishes And Desires on kuin kokoelma pienoisnovelleja . 10 April 2023 . Soundi . 26 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220813033757/https://www.soundi.fi/levyarviot/levyarvio-tumma-yksinainen-ja-kaunis-kokonaisuus-team-playn-wishes-and-desires-on-kuin-kokoelma-pienoisnovelleja/ . 13 August 2022 . Tampere, Finland . fi.
11. News: Pokki . Silja . Minja Koskela: Avioero! . 28 July 2024 . . 12 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718142637/https://www.is.fi/politiikka/art-2000010561729.html . 18 July 2024 . Helsinki, Finland . fi.
12. Web site: Parliamentary Elections 2023: Results - Electoral district of Helsinki - Helsinki - Elected . vaalit.fi . . 10 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland.
13. Web site: Municipal Elections 2021: Results - Electoral district of Helsinki - Elected . vaalit.fi . . 10 April 2023 . Helsinki, Finland.