Call for papers

Paper submission is over, thank you for your submissions!

During the ETMU Days 2023, we aim to shed light on Structures of Power and Oppression by asking questions such as: What do structures of power and oppression consist of? How are they materially, discursively, linguistically, socioculturally, and historically constructed? How have they developed throughout time and space? How can they be made visible? What harm have they caused? Who has benefited from them? How can they be challenged and dismantled? What other structures, processes, or relationships could and should be built instead?

Please, submit your paper and / or contribution by August 14 (note the extension). The workshop conveners will decide on acceptance or rejection by September 3 (note the extension).

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The Workshops

1. Activist research in and against institutional and epistemological structures of power

Camilla Marucco, Migration Institute of Finland (MIF) & Leonardo Custódio, Åbo Akademi University 
camilla.marucco(at)migrationinstitute.fi; leonardo.custodio(at)abo.fi)

This workshop by the Activist Research Network welcomes presentations that reflect about how engaged scholarship resists and acts to overcome structural constraints to research committed to social justice in multiple disciplines. Politically engaged research has historically faced a paradox in Finnish and international academia. On the one hand, academic institutions have increasingly adopted social-impact jargon to secure external funding. On the other hand, scholars dedicated to fighting various forms of oppression constantly risk professional disregard (as if they lacked scientific rigour),marginalization and ostracism in their disciplines, and stigmatization(as killjoys and troublemakers).

With this paradox as a background, this workshop aims at promoting critical dialogue about academic practices tackling concrete manifestations of institutional and epistemological power against research dedicated to dismantling class inequalities, coloniality, racism, patriarchy, gender-based discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of oppression in academia. We invite early career and senior colleagues from multiple disciplines conducting politically engaged research to discuss questions like the following –how have structures of power manifested against activist research in your discipline and context of action? How have scholars written about and acted against institutional and epistemological forms of oppression in your area? How has activist research contributed to making your discipline more diverse, equitable, inclusive and just?

In this workshop (in English), we want to explore non-traditional forms of presentations. In contrast to traditional conference papers, we especially invite creative explorations in storytelling (e.g. poetry, literary prose, TED-talk-like narratives, recitations, performances, musical and audiovisual resources, etc.). Each presenter will have 10-15 minutes after which we, the panel conveners, will mediate a conversation onthe themes of the presentations as tactical takeaways to our everyday practices. If you need further clarification before submitting your proposal, contact us at activist.research.network(at)gmail.com.

2. Between the law and the migrant: emancipatory and marginalizing relationship

Mervi Leppäkorpi, University of Turku  & Jaana Palander, University of Eastern Finland
mervi.leppakorpi(at)utu.fi; jaana.palander(at)uef.fi

Migration law has been traditionally understood as a tool to regulate human movement across borders and territories and to define the rights and limits related to such movement. With the emergence and development of the mobility studies as a discipline, a broader perspective on the relationship between law and human mobility allows for shifting the focus from the narrow subject of migration toward the concept of mobility encompassing the processes, effects, and consequences of movement in a globalized world.

The aim of this workshop is to discuss the relationship between law, migration, and mobility that encompasses not only dominant rules and practices regulating human movement, but also the constitutive role of migration and mobility for law. We invite multidisciplinary contributions discussing both marginalizing and emancipatory role of law for the regime of refugee protection and migration management and at the same time, on the impact of migration and mobility on law. This workshop was organized for the first time in Etmu Days 2022. We would again like to offer this platform to interesting new research on law and migration.

The focus of contributions may encompass but does not have to be limited to:

  1. mobilities and corresponding immobilities that are generated by law;
  2. the law as known or experienced by the migrants themselves;
  3. existing power-relations between different laws and regulations focusing on people on the move
  4. the impact of migrants and mobile persons on the development of law
  5. the law and legislation processes as research objects.

3. Body, power and oppression. Research insights into embodied encounters and the relations of power

Tiina Sotkasiira, University of Eastern Finland & Meri-Tuuli Hirvonen, (University of Eastern Finland)
tiina.sotkasiira(at)uef.fi; merituuli.hirvonen(at)gmail.com

Working language: English and Finnish

The lived experience of the body, that is, our bodily sensations, perceptions and behaviours, is the elemental ground of human identity and interaction. Furthermore, encounters with the material environment influence our understanding of the world. As noted by Johnson (2018), when we navigate interpersonal relationships and learn about the characteristics associated with different groups of people, our bodies assist in creating and maintaining the power dynamics that can arise between us. For example, we learn to perform dominance or submission through our gestures and eye contact. Racism and other systems of privilege and oppression categorise people according to physical (and socio-cultural) traits that are marked as desirable or deficient based on their appearance and functioning. We learn to treat our bodies as objects of care or as instruments of labour, for example. However, the role of the body in reproducing oppression in everyday life is often overlooked. 

The aim of this working group is to address the implicit and explicit knowledge of (and in) our bodies to inquire into the (im)balances in social and political power. We welcome diverse contributions that draw on embodied perspectives, experiences, and methods in various local, regional, national, and global contexts. We hope to invigorate discussion of the concepts, empirical findings and methodology of migration studies, which have previously been overlooked, from a body-centred perspective. We believe in working collectively to transform oppressive structures while recognizing the micro-sociological building blocks that maintain those structures and look forward to collegial ponderings of how-to bring body into the study of ethnicity and international migration.

Johnson, R. (2018). Embodied social justice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

4. Deportations and deportability

Päivi Pirkkalainen, University of Jyväskylä & Saara Pellander, Migration Institute of Finland
paivi.m.pirkkalainen(at)jyu.fi; saara.pellander(at)migrationinstitute.fi

Open workshop with presentations (academic and art-based) in English

In Finland, there is wide range of ongoing research around the field of deportations and deportability, which are being studied by a growing number of scholars from different disciplines and perspectives. On the one hand, deportations are being studied from a historical perspective, showing that deportations are not a novel phenomenon related to the refugee reception crisis of 2015 and subsequent restrictions on immigration policies. On the other hand, deportations have become more widely represented in the media in recent years, and many ongoing studies are being conducted on media representations, anti-deportation activism and experiences of deportees. There is also an increasing number of art-based work visualising experiences of deportations and deportees. This workshop aims to bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines, and artists who work on questions related to deportations and deportability in Finland. The aim of the workshop is to critically analyse questions relating to structures of power and oppression in the context of deportations. We welcome academic presentations that analyse the historical, legal, political, social, psychological or societal aspects related to deportations and post-deportation situations. We also welcome art-based presentations, for example photograph exhibitions, films, poems etc. around the topic of deportation. The presentations could, for example, explore the ways in which deportations influence everyday lives of deportable people, their families, and the communities they belong to; different forms of activism and solidarity movements related to deportations; or legal frameworks, policies and practices and media representations on deportations. Presentations for this workshop can be empirical and/or develop theoretical notions around the topic of deportations/deportability, and/or provide historical analyses on the topic and/or they can be art-based. The aim of the workshop is to strengthen a network of deportation scholars and artists (https://siirtolaisuusinstituutti.fi/deportation-scholars-and-artists-network-in-finland-depone/) to strive for new collaborations in framing the debates on deportations in Finland.

5. Inclusion and equity in early childhood care and education

Dr Savita Kaushal, Associate Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
skaushal(at)jmi.ac.in

In our increasingly multi-ethnic societies, early childhood education should play a major role in the promotion of a more equalitarian society through intergenerational social mobility. Inclusive ECCE programmes promote values, attitudes and behaviours, such as equality, social justice, respect for all and celebrate diversity and differences. Inclusion in quality ECCE is especially important for children from disadvantaged families. It can be promoted through setting an overall vision of inclusion in the education system starting with early childhood, making ECCE a government priority, providing parenting programmes and Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) programmes for children at risk, encouraging inclusive pedagogical approaches through teacher training, and forging multi-sectoral collaboration. Inclusion in quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) is characterised as comprehensive, multisectoral, integrated, child-cantered and play-based, and ensures that all children and their families are involved in the process.

In this regard, international research nevertheless points to the great variety of providers of childhood education experiences. One of the main questions regarding inequalities in the educational pathways in later life is the early childhood care and education experiences and the factors such as socio-demographic factors (e.g., linked to the child or his/her family) vs. what others characterize as systemic factors (e.g., linked to the early childhood care and education experiences).

Themes that can be discussed:

  • Ethnicity, gender , social class and inclusion in ECCE
  • Profile and ECCE experience that can be linked to various sub-groups defined by any of the markers classically associated with ethnicity (immigration status, national origin, mother tongue, “race” or religion)
  • School success or failure among the full student-body (such as gender, social class, school carrier or the type of ECCE attended)

The language of this workshop is English.

 

6. Integration through adult education - lived experiences and critical perspectives

Miika Kekki, University of Eastern Finland; Sanna Riuttanen, University of Jyväskylä; Reetta Ronkainen, University of Jyväskylä; Katharina Ruuska, University of Jyväskylä; Tanja Seppälä, University of Jyväskylä & Marjukka Weide, University of Helsinki & University of Jyväskylä
miika.kekki(at)uef.fi; sanna.m.riuttanen(at)jyu.fi; reetta.k.ronkainen(at)jyu.fi; katharina.m.ruuska(at)jyu.fi; tanja.e.seppala(at)jyu.fi; marjukka.weide(at)helsinki.fi

Adult education targeted at incoming migrants, e.g. in the form of language courses or other trainings, forms an essential part of integration policies in many countries. Current political narratives suggest that if an unemployed newcomer is provided with skills that are desired in the new country, they will gain access to the local job market - and thus be able to integrate, participate, and belong. These narratives feed into powerful discourses of efficiency and quantifiable results, produced and reiterated in surveys and reports for instance by governments, politicians, lobbies, and labour-market organisations. However, accounts from students, teachers, career counsellors and other actors in the field of adult migrant education frequently paint a very different picture, highlighting how practices may strip participants of agency, contribute to othering, or support participation only superficially. 

In this workshop, we explore the various ways in which adult education aiming at integration is entangled with social, cultural, and political structures of power. We invite empirical and theoretical contributions that focus on lived experiences and everyday practices, and/or take a critical view on broader issues connected to integration education.

Topics of presentation may include:

  • the lived experiences of adult migrants, teachers, career counsellors, and other actors studying, working, or participating in integration courses and trainings
  • how power relations and structures are established, negotiated and resisted in the everyday practices of integration education
  • critical approaches to media discourses, curricula, and policy texts
  • how discourses of employability and reskilling are reflected in educational measures
  • problematic trends and developments in the integration education sector.

While the starting point of the workshop is the context of Northern Europe, we also welcome presentations from elsewhere in the world.

Languages: English, Finnish, and Swedish

7. Intercultural Communication at the crossroads: Sharing and reflecting on teaching practices.

Mélodine Sommier, Marko Siitonen, Margarethe Olbertz-Siitonen, Malgorzata Lahti
marko.siitonen(at)jyu.fi

For a large part of its history, the field of Intercultural Communication has produced cross-cultural research embedded in differentialist and essentialist paradigms that have maintained rather than disrupted (discursive) structures of power and oppression (see e.g. Fougère & Moulettes, 2007). Following many paradigmatic turns, parts of the field of Intercultural Communication have shifted towards more critical, discursive, interactional, and post-modern orientations. In spite of this, some scholars still find Intercultural Communication to be entrenched in ‘Western’-centric frameworks and to grapple with decolonial and anti-racist praxis in a limited manner (see e.g. R’boul, 2022).

This workshop examines how such tensions are currently approached within Intercultural Communication instruction by providing a space where teachers and researchers working in the field can reflect on their current concrete pedagogical, methodological, or theoretical practices. By exploring how the concept of Intercultural Communication is concretely understood and approached in teaching practices, we hope to elicit discussions about the interplay between developments in the field as a whole and individual (re)appropriations and implementations of Intercultural Communication in education. Thus, this workshop invites contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • curriculum developments in Intercultural Communication: navigating competing paradigms, incorporating injunctions from Higher Education institutions, meeting students’ expectations
  • developing, implementing, and reflecting on concrete pedagogical tools to teach intercultural communication
  • incorporating themes related to decolonization, sustainability, anti-racism, and social justice in Intercultural Communication instruction
  • best practices in promoting social constructionist understandings in Intercultural Communication instruction

References:

Fougère, M., & Moulettes, A. (2007). The construction of the modern west and the backward rest: studying the discourse of Hofstede's culture's consequences. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 2(1), 1-19.

R’boul, H. (2022). Epistemological plurality in intercultural communication knowledge. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 17(2), 173–188.

The working language of the workshop is English but submissions in Finnish are also welcome.

 

8. Life-making, care and social reproduction in migration

Daria Krivonos, University of Helsinki & Pauliina Lukinmaa, University of Eastern Finland
daria.krivonos(at)helsinki.fi; pauliina.lukinmaa(at)uef.fi

Feminist theory has been rethinking standard conceptualisations of the economy beyond categories of production. This work brings the invisibilised activities, relations and practices of social reproduction, including various forms of social support, care and solidarity to the centre of social scientific inquiry. Meanwhile, migration research extensively shows that the lack or absence of institutional provisioning and the rollback of welfare state affects migrants and negatively racialized groups, so that the survival and the remaking of life is increasingly downloaded onto self-reliance and reliance on migrant communities and their precarious labour. These societal developments bring attention to the day-to-day and intergenerational processes of remaking of life itself –what recent scholarship has called “life’s work” or “life-making”(Mitchell et al. 2004;Bhattacharya 2017; Ferguson 2019). This refers to the invisibilised everyday material practices through which people maintain, continue and repair their social lives.

This workshop invites multilingual but preferably English language papers that explore the connections between migration, life-making and social reproduction: from the role of migrant workers in care and services, to the role of transnational households in the reproduction of life and social relations, to the spaces of life’s work (e.g. migrant dormitories) to emotional reproduction and volunteering in the contexts of displacement, and beyond. We particularly welcome papers that offer reflections on the role of race, gender, class, nationality, citizenship, and sexuality in the labour of remaking life in the context of migration.

We invite scholars working in various disciplines to address the following topics but not limited to them:

  1. Displacements caused by mass disasters such as wars, earthquakes, pandemics
  2. Collaboration of different providers of life-making labour, such as states, NGOs, grassroots initiatives
  3. Routine tacit micro-practices of reproductive labour in different settings, such as private households, care centres/institutes, communities, neighbourhoods
  4. Translocal care and solidarities

The workshop is organized by two research projects funded by Kone Foundation in 2023-2026 –group project “Life-breaking and Life-making: A research project on social reproduction and survival in times of collapse” (LIFEMAKE) and individual project of Pauliina Lukinmaa “Ylirajaisen solidaarisuuden muotoja kriisin aikana: pietarilaislähtöisten LHBTIQ+ aktivistien toiminta Baltiassa”.

9. Linguistic diversity and power relations in social and health services

Meri Kulmala (University of Helsinki), Eveliina Heino (University of Helsinki/ Åbo Akademi University), Hanna Kara (University of Helsinki/ Åbo Akademi University)
eveliina.heino(at)helsinki.fi

The working group will examine social and health services in a multilingual society from the perspectives of practitioners and service users across different sectors. Linguistic diversity creates various needs of expertise in both public services and non-governmental organisations. The working group will explore professional practices and roles, negotiations and boundaries related to expertise, as well as the experiences of other language service users in relation to accessibility, use and movement between services.

Although language is an important part of social and health services, linguistic diversity has not received sufficient attention in research, practices or policies. Instead of making the system more linguistically accessible, change has generally been expected from service users. There is also a research gap in how linguistic vulnerabilities or privileges are linked to hierarchical categories such as ethnicity, class, gender, age, ability, and their intersections.

The working group welcomes presentations on linguistic diversity and power relations from the perspective of professionals and service users of different sectors of social and health services. Presentations can be theoretical/conceptual, methodological, empirical, or draw directly from practice or education. Presentations can be Finnish or English.

10. Religion and Asylum. New perspectives and Challenges

Ilona Blumgrund, Åbo Akademi University & Iiris Nikanne, University of Helsinki
ilona.blumgrund(at)abo.fi

Religious persecution is a ground for asylum in the 1951 Refugee Convention. In Finland, as well as many other countries, live thousands of individuals whose freedom of religion was severely restricted in their countries of origin, and who have applied for asylum on the grounds of religiously motivated persecution. Religion-based refugee claims highlight tensions between culture, religion, and power in multiple ways. They actualize questions related to how religious identity can be communicated and translated, and how the power of asylum authorities is exercised in the interpretations of these cases. One timely example that we would like to concentrate on is the power of asylum authorities to assess whose religious identity counts as credible in the case of asylum seeker sur place conversions to Christianity. We would also like to ask what potential harm this assessment process may cause for the asylum seekers.

In this workshop, we would like to draw together those who research the topics of religion and asylum from different disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, law, religious studies, theology, geography). The presentations can touch on issues related to asylum seekers’ conversion to Christianity, or other religion-based refugee claims. Possible presentation themes may include, but are not limited to conversion narratives, credibility assessment, religion and state, and migrant strategies.

This workshop is open for presentations in English, Finnish and Swedish.

11. Responses to the inflow of war migrants from Ukraine:  policies, expectations, everyday experiences and future perspectives

Katarzyna Kärkkäinen, University of Jyväskylä
katarzyna.k.karkkainen(at)jyu.fi

Since the attack of Russia on Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians flew the war and moved to other European countries. In 2022, Finland granted temporary protection residence permits to about 45,000 people who had fled from Ukraine; and it is estimated that in 2023 temporary protection will be granted to further 30,000-40,000 Ukrainian war migrants. In comparison to some other countries, these numbers are small. For May 2023 8,207,977 of war migrants were recorder across Europe in total. On the European level, 5,093,606 of Ukrainians were registered for Temporary Protection or similar national protection schemes. The inflow of big amounts of war migrants requiers immediate responses and adjustment to the new situation. As many governments around the Europe, also Finnish government in March 2022 made a decision on granting temporary protection to people fleeing from Ukraine. In Finland, temporary protection is directly valid for as long as temporary protection continues in the EU, and residence permits are extended without separate applications. Ukrainians can apply for a home municipality residence (kotikuntapaikka) when they have been in Finland for a year starting from March 2023 and gain at the same access to larger spectrum of services. Displaced persons granted temporary protection in Finland have also unrestricted right to work in Finland. However, it is still unclear what all of these means in practice and how displaced persons from Ukraine as well as local communities could be the best supported. Some earlier studies pointed to disadvantage position of Third Country Nationals including Ukrainians, for example, in working life or education. There are also concerns of unequal treatment of different groups of migrants and possible tensions that this may cause. It has been recognized that the longer the war lasts, the more of Ukrainians will stay in the countries were they got temporary protection including Finland (Alho et al. 2022). It is, therefore, expected that Ukrainians will form a large immigrant group in the future in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.

This multidisciplinary workshop aims at discussing responses to the inflow of Ukrainian war migrants to Finland and other European countries from various perspectives: legal, social-cultural adaptation, integration of displaced persons to local labor markets and educational institutions. We welcome presentations related to implementation of legal acts (eg. implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive for refugees from Ukraine), reception of displaced persons from Ukraine, current situation of Ukrainian war migrants in Finland and elsewhere, everyday life experiences of Ukrainians and locals, engagement and expectations of various stakeholders and future perspectives. The presentation can discuss the topics from individual or institutional/governmental perspective, local, national or international perspectives. Also presentations discussing the topic from the comparative perspective and other angles, not mentioned here, are welcomed.

We invite presentations in English and Finnish.

12. Rights of Indigenous people

Chadak Chakma, University of Turku
chadak.c.chakma(at)utu.fi 

Indigenous people are one of the most oppressed communities in the world. Throughout history, indigenous people have been suffering from tyranny and right violation. Discrimination and marginalization are common experiences of ignorance and violation by the government among indigenous groups. Land and resource acquisition is one of the primary forms of oppression against indigenous communities. Due to colonization, development projects, and other forms of exploitation, many indigenous communities have had their land removed from them or have been compelled to leave their ancestral lands. This has disastrous effects on their culture, identity, way of life, and environment.

As an example from South Asia, the indigenous people from Bangladesh are being oppressed by the ruler of the region. Bangladesh was born with the sacrifice of millions of people to establish their own identity. However, Bangladesh's government is now denying indigenous people's existence in the country. In the name of development and modernization, land grabbing and displacement are making indigenous people more vulnerable. They continuously encounter human rights violations, communal attacks, and discrimination in the criminal justice system. Indigenous women and girls often become the victims of violence, abuse, rape, and murder. And authorities frequently fail to investigate or otherwise respond inappropriately in these situations. This terrible and continuing situation has resulted in a disproportionate number of indigenous women and girls being killed in several incidents. Another way of oppression against indigenous people is spreading disinformation about them. Bangladesh’s government has limited the entrance of foreigners into Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), by identifying the area unsafe for foreigners, where the majority of the indigenous people live. And also spreading false news against the indigenous group by the media is another propaganda of the Bangladesh government. The recognition and rights of indigenous communities could bring a fairer and more equitable society of diversity and inclusion. It is high time to get knowledge about CHT for the rest of the world. It is also necessary to ensure that CHT people have access to basic needs and that their rights should be protected as human and indigenous people.

For this workshop, I am interested in issues related to indigenous people and human rights violations or environmental degradation, in all parts of the world. I would like to invite papers that exemplify how Indigenous people are threatened and what are effective ways of resistance and reconciliation.

The language of this workshop will be English.

13. Structural inequities in higher education

Anduena Ballo, University of Jyväskylä; Taina Saarinen, University of Jyväskylä & Taru Siekkinen, University of Jyväskylä
taina.m.saarinen(at)jyu.fi

Higher education is a historically elitist institution that reproduces societal inequities, but it has also historically been a site of resistance where the societally unequal structures have been challenged. In this workshop, we want to invite papers that in some way examine the world of higher education from the perspective of equity or the lack of it, especially from structural perspectives. Structural inequities may be difficult to acknowledge, name and analyse. However, they affect the society, the organisation and the individual. In higher education, these inequitable structures mirror societal structures that affect the academic environments and working cultures in such ways that some people have better possibilities than others to work, build careers, and thrive.  An example is that of so-called international students: increased enrolment of international students and staff is assumed to increase diversity at universities, but the way in which universities approach cultural diversity/multilingualism especially in teaching and learning processes is often problematic. It is higher education institutions' ethical and educational responsibility to provide an inclusive education to actively promote equity and diversity in all aspects of university life.

We invite papers and other short presentations (dialogues, pitch talks etc) that approach higher education contexts from different perspectives; for example (but not limited to)

  • Higher education institutions and work
  • University careers and recruitments
  • Higher education policy
  • Activism in higher education
  • Language policies
  • Publishing patterns
  • Communication
  • Crises in higher education
  • Equity and accessibility
  • Campus geographies and equity 
  • Immigration

We invite researchers from different disciplines/fields (for example, but not restricted to) higher education, working life, sociology, applied language studies, policy studies, language policy, immigration policy, etc.

Language policy: Finnish and English

 

14. Structures of Power, Oppression and Resistance in food and food systems

Dionysia Kang, Åbo Akademi University & Freja Högback, Åbo Akademi University
dionysia.kang(at)abo.fi; freja.hogback(at)abo.fi>

Food systems, from labour to consumption, is an “international nexus of capital, colonialism, white supremacy” that cuts across “immigration, labour, human rights and international trade laws” (Harris, 2021; p. xii).It encompasses intersection of capitalist accumulation, imperialism, dispossession, knowledge on health, animals and the environment. For instance, global food systems rely on precarious and underprotected labour performed by migrants, including seasonal workers, those displaced and/or in undocumented situations, and racially minoritized people (Allen, 2016; Dines & Rigo, 2016).Their underprotection and precarity was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Elver & Sharpiro, 2021).Slaughterhouse workers, often racially minoritized and migrants, are traumatised by working with and seeing largescale mechanized killing of animals within industrial farming (e.g Holdier 2016). Indigenous food sovereignty remains undermined through settler colonialism, and the expansion industrial agriculture and animal industry contribute to land grabs and climate change (Westhoek et al. 2014;Robin et al., 2016, Notess, 2018). Moreover, oppression manifest through food consumption norms like appropriation and commodifying “other-ed” cuisine; Nordic cuisine is linked to race, gender and class oppression (hooks, 1992; Rossi, 2009; Andreassen & Ahmed-Andresen, 2013). Nevertheless, resistance and solidarity are also performed through and with food, ranging from community-led programs, marginalized knowledge of food brought to the forefront, and refusal of food.

This workshop welcomes research that problematizes structural issues surrounding food and food systems translocally, and more importantly, finds solutions and possibilities of resistance–inside and outside of academia. We welcome submissions in English that challenge dominant knowledges across diverse contexts using the following, but not exclusively, approaches:

  • Migration Studies
  • Critical Race Theory, Racial capitalism
  • Decolonial and postcolonial theories
  • Gender, ecofeminist, queercultural studies
  • Intersectionality
  • Critical food, vegan and animal studies
  • Law, Human rights and Third World Approaches to International Law
  • Indigenous studies
  • Sociology of food
 

15. Temporary migration:   rights and regulations

Lakka, Emilia, University of Jyväskylä
emilia.l.lakka(at)jyu.fi

As debates around demographic change and ageing populations intensify throughout the world, many countries keep in place measures and policies that facilitate the temporary admission of foreign workers into their labor markets to meet demands that are not easily filled by local jobseekers. These demands are especially present in fields such as tourism and agriculture.

The short-term nature of their work, however, makes temporary and seasonal workers more vulnerable to precarious working conditions and exploitation. They are also often dependent on their employers and work in isolated areas, which both make the reporting of oppressive practices and the monitoring of their rights by the national and local authorities complicated and difficult.

Although the COVID19 pandemic made structural issues and outdated practices in many fields visible and gave governments a push towards strengthening temporary migrants’ rights, there is still much to be done. Regulating temporary migration often becomes a balancing act between enforcing the rights of workers, meeting companies’ demands for labor and promoting countries’ national and international policy objectives in fundamental areas, such as food security and healthcare.

This workshop invites presentations that examine and assess the history, implementation, policies and political, public and media debate around temporary labor migration, especially focusing on low-skilled migrants. We welcome presentations dealing with different typers of sources and theories, in particular encouraging contributions adopting comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of temporary, circular and seasonal migration.

The language of the workshop is English/Finnish.

16. Time and temporality in migration and refugeehood

Eveliina Lyytinen, Migration Institute of Finland (MIF) & Camilla Marucco, Migration Institute of Finland (MIF)
eveliina.lyytinen(at)migrationinstitute.fi; camilla.marucco(at)migrationinstitute.fi

Recently, time and temporality have been receiving increased attention across the social sciences. On their part, migration and citizenship regimes at various scales make large use of time, for example by perpetrating temporal injustices and stealing time from the lives of people with underprivileged mobilities. Concerning forced migration and refugeehood, one of the most urgent issues is how to end them. But does refugeehood ever end? If so, for whom, how, when, and where?

This workshop welcomes research, artistic and activist contributions critically engaging with time and temporalities in relation with migration, mobilities and refugeehood in a variety of spaces – for example the everyday, the legal, the emotional, the material, the institutional, and others. We aim to focus particularly, but not exclusively, on structures of power and oppression that may conflict with people’s experiences of temporality and attempts of using time in their everyday life. The focus of the contributions can be for example theoretical, empirical, ethical, methodological, artistic or practical. They can be of various languages.

This workshop is organized in relation to Endings – Refuge, Time, and Space (funded by the Kone Foundation, 2023-2026, MIF), a project combining research and arts to address theoretical and empirical gaps connected with refugeehood, time, and endings. The project explores possible closures, ends, finishes, cancellations, afterlives, ‘post-’s, ‘no more’s, or terminations in refugeehood – and the spaces related to them.

17. Towards an equal work life: Fostering trust in the labor market

Outi Kähäri, University of Oulu; Mika Raunio, Migration Institute of Finland; Elina Turjanmaa, University of Oulu and Sari Vanhanen, Migration Institute of Finland  
outi.kahari(a)oulu.fi; mika.raunio(a)migrationinstitute.fi; elina.turjanmaa(a)oulu.fi; sari.vanhanen(a)migrationinstitute.fi

In the current public discussion, the need for work-based migration of skilled employees in an aging society has been debated strongly in Finland. At the same time, research has identified that structural discrimination and racism hinder labor market integration among people with a migratory or ethnic minority background. Also, workplaces already are increasingly going through changes due to ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. The role of trust has been raised as a key issue to foster equality and inclusiveness in the recruitment processes and in work life.

In this workshop, we ask how trust is created, developed, maintained, and lost in work life. How is trust related to oppressive or discriminatory practices in work communities? How do we promote trust in everyday interaction in rapidly changing working environments? How could we promote the idea of de-migranticization (Dahinden 2016) in work life to avoid unnecessary categorizations of employees?  

For this workshop, we invite papers from various disciplines and methodological perspectives. Papers may focus on different fields and sectors of work, such as private, public, or third sector; and forms of work from permanent, temporal, seasonal to part-time work. Presentations may take the perspective of management, work communities, or employees. The labor market context of the studies is not limited to the Finnish labor market. The papers are welcomed in Finnish, Swedish, or English.

18. Towards inclusive health care culture

Pauliina Aarva, Tampere University & Anneli Milén, Professori emerita (global health)
pauliina.aarva(at)tuni.fi

People take care of and improve their own health and that of their family members in many ways. As a concept, health care culture is understood as part of a wider health culture, where health, illness, healing and care are discussed reflecting perceptions, values, beliefs, knowledge and habits of the community. Conceptions of health and illness are culturally constructed and they vary globally and change in time.

Inclusive health care culture includes, along with activities of health professionals, also the views, values, and experiences of service users in the different care processes. The aim of the workshop is to examine which factors support and which limit the development of inclusive health care culture. In the workshop, the ways of using different treatment and health promotion methods and their mutual relationship in people's everyday life will be discussed considering values, cultural traditions, and user experiences, as well as the power structures of society.

Inclusiveness also means that citizens can choose - without the fear of stigmatization or belittling - methods in accordance with their own values and cultural traditions to promote their health and alleviate symptoms, including methods other than those used by the established modern western health care systems. Many methods are, however, disputed. In Finland, these include, for example, non-Western-style healing systems and method (e.g. Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and other ethnic traditional healing systems), folk healing and complementary and alternative therapies (natural remedies and nutritional supplements, self-help methods and therapist services outside the healthcare system).

We explore, how the user experiences of different health care and healing practices display the power dynamics in health care system, for example from the perspective of people of different ethnic backgrounds, those using controversial treatment methods, gender minorities, the disabled or other special groups. We discuss what determines the visible and hidden dynamics of power from the point of view of those who are subject to the power, and what aspects describe the interface between acceptability and unacceptability of different healing methods. Such aspects may include, for example, taboo topics, i.e. topics that may be difficult to discuss in healthcare encounters or that are often ignored also in the media publicity. Silenced topics can include, for example, the use of ethnic-national remedies or procedures, the perceived benefits of complementary and alternative therapies, the unheard clients´ voices (experiences and narratives), the poor quality of care encounters due to the cultural differences between the helper and the person seeking help, and silent resistance, i.e. the healthcare client's keeping quiet about matters important to him/her. Research on the nature of silenced topics, healing experiences of different population and patient groups, and silent resistance provides important information about invisible power structures and power dynamics in the health sector.

We also discuss how inclusiveness can be strengthened and how the invisible power structures are challenged, and how research can participate in enhancing the inclusivity of healthcare.

Workshop languages: Finnish and English

19. Unpacking the language issue in migrant integration in Finland

Päivi Iikkanen, University of Jyväskylä; Quivine Ndomo, University of Jyväskylä; Elizabeth Peterson, University of Helsinki and Nafisa Yeasmin, University of Lapland
paivi.i.iikkanen(at)jyu.fi

Neo-liberalisation at the macro level economises citizenship, making belonging and inclusion for migrants contingent on their market value – labour, skills, and socio-cultural capital. In Finland, the local language is one of the most valuable forms of capital for migrants seeking integration in Finnish society. Yet, Finnish language proficiency does not necessarily translate into better labour market integration. Refugees and family migrants may spend multiple months in dedicated Finnish language training, yet their integration can remain weak. Moreover, Finnish spoken with an accent is often frowned upon in public.

Moreover, zones of exception are emerging where Finnish language demand is downplayed or removed entirely for competitiveness e.g. HEI’s internationalisation programmes, 90 day Finn programme, and the ICT industry among others. These ambiguities challenge the legitimacy of the Finnish language as both a core necessity and an uncompromisable integration resource. They also raise questions of prejudice and discrimination at their intersection with the Finnish language requirement in migrant integration.

This workshop aims at discussing to what extent fluency in the Finnish language among the migrant populace is a value addition towards the internationalisation and global competitiveness objective at the macro, meso, and micro levels of practice. At a societal level, integration is ideally a two-way process – so where is the compromise when it comes to language and migrant integration in Finland? We propose bringing together researchers with experience and expertise on one or multiple key issues in migrant labour market integration in Finland such as language, skills gap, discrimination, or labour market segmentation, to put these perspectives to dialogue and begin mapping the Finnish society and labour market as a structural institution.

We welcome contributions that invite participants in dialogue with the audience. We look forward to out-of-the-box approaches to presenting your argument.

20. Unwrapping intersectionality in educational structures

Harshita Sharma, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India. 
harshita2792(at)gmail.com

The pandemic was characterised by several changes in education policy around the world. In addition to addressing the immediate pandemic needs, the Indian education system witnessed the introduction of a long awaited New Education Policy, 2020. The policy is one that focuses on ‘knowledge economy’ and improving international visibility of Indian education system. The aim is to enhance Indian presence in international education market while addressing the quality and massification of higher education agenda so as to meet international objectives.

While the policy may be seen as a crucial initiative towards assimilation to acceptable international education standards, the academia seems sceptical of major overhauling in school as well as post-secondary education. While merit is given prime importance through standardised testing, collaboration with private ‘philanthropic’ agencies and education-technology giants, etc.; power influences from within and the outside world focus majorly on accountability and rankings as a major marker of quality. The proposed work hence brings into limelight experiences from the Global South that highlight debates around reducing education quality to quantitative markers devoid of socio-cultural, political, economic or historical influences. Thorough such a lens, Performance is often viewed as an individual category untouched by social realities of various marginalised groups. The session is an initiative to unwrap power structures within and outside Global South countries that challenge hegemonic prejudiced beliefs of ‘best practices’. The debate views the education policy as a ‘situated domain’ and ‘positionality’ as a crucial marker of introducing policies that promote certain value laden principles while rejecting many other existing indigenous knowledge systems. While benefitting the already influential and further marginalising the historically disadvantaged, such structures promote the idea of viewing an individual as a ‘prospective skilled worker’ carefully approved by institutions of concentrated power. Ultimately, expelling the intersectionality of access, justice and equity in Education networks!

Language: English