Ilkhom Khalimzoda

Ilkhom Khalimzoda

Postdoctoral Researcher
Unit
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Room number
A 320.3
Postal address
Seminaarinkatu 15
Fields of science
518 Media and communications

Biography

My research and community work are driven by a commitment to enhance mutual understanding among people amids the increasingly polirized times. I focus particularly on comprehending intercultural relations in Finland, drawing insights from my research, the lived experiences of my extensive network, and my own journey as a comparative migrant who has become rooted in the local context while valuing my minority status since birth. Whether within the diaspora or in broader society, I advocate for more constructive interactions, inclusion, and cooperation, addressing factors that both hinder and enable, including media and policies.

Research interests

In my role as a postdoctoral researcher, I am currently leading a research project titled 'Social Media Crossroads: Navigating the Russia-West Divide,' supported by the Kone Foundation. Prior to 2020, Russian speakers in Finland demonstrated a noteworthy inclination towards non-Russian news media sources, embracing a bi-cultural orientation rather than an isolative one (Khalimzoda and Siitonen, 2022). However, this scenario is evolving in correlation with the geopolitical landscape, witnessing a surge in (counter) disinformation that has turned social media into a volatile arena of conflicting war opinions, often marked by divisive positioning and othering. In response to this context, my study utilizes positioning (Moghaddam & Harré, 2010) and gate-keeping (Shoemaker, 2008) theories to examine the practices of positioning, othering, and gate-keeping. The focus is on the three most debated topics: 1) Western sanctions against Russia, 2) Finland's economic downturn, and 3) political discourse on Russia since the onset of the war in Ukraine.

Publications

Publication
2023
Available through Open Access
Rethinking Integration. Tutkimus / Siirtolaisuusinstituutti.
Ennser-Kananen, Johanna
Karimi, Zeinab
Petäjäniemi, Maria
Sadatizarrini (Rahaa), Sepideh
Masoud, Ameera
Khalimzoda, Ilkhom