Helsinki Inequality Initiative workshop and public lecture day 26 March 2019
Dear member of the Helsinki University research community,
Inequality is one the constitutive questions of social sciences and humanities. Recognizing inequality, understanding its diverse mechanisms and articulations and searching for political responses pose serious challenges for developing safe, sustainable and democratic societies. Digitalization, datafication, multiculturalism, migration, urbanization and segregation, diverging life trajectories of health and well-being, sustainability of welfare systems and obstacles od political participation are all examples of intertwined research topics that unavoidably raise about how life opportunities questions of people vary, how such tendencies are tolerated and how they can be alleviated.
Such and related questions have captured the attention of many researchers at University of Helsinki. In order to support this multidisciplinary community at UH has – with the support of Academy of Finland profiling action – launched the Helsinki Inequality Initiative (INEQ) [working title]. Many of you are hopefully already preliminarily familiar with this.
We are now inviting all researchers who are inspired by and interested in these questions to a theme day and workshop in which the action plan and concept of the Initiative will be discussed and finalized.
The day begins with a public lecture in the morning and continues with the workshop in the afternoon.
Programme
Tuesday 26 March 2019 (PIII, ground floor, Porthania, Yliopistonkatu 3)
10-12 Keynote lecture
Professori Göran Therborn:
Increasing Inequality: Paradox, Puzzles, and Perspectives
13-16 Inequality Initiative (INEQ) workshop
The workshop offers an opportunity to share your comments and ideas and develop the final shape of the Initiative. We hope for a wide participation across different fields of research and faculties. All those signed up for the workshop will be sent before a short draft of the action plan and instructions on how the groups work will be organized.
Please register for the workshop by 18 March:
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/96642/lomake.html
If you plan to attend only to the public lecture before the workshop, please register here:
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/96644/lomake.html
Feel free to circulate the invitation!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Risto Kunelius (risto.kunelius@helsinki.fi, P353, Porthania) started as the research director of the Inequality Initiative in January 2019. Earlier, he served as a professor of journalism research at University of Tampere and the Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities. His ongoing research focuses on media and politics, public debates about privacy and security and the coverage of climate change.
Meri Kulmala on (meri.kulmala@helsinki.fi, P351, Porthania) works as the research coordinator of the Initiative. She is a sociologist and has worked on issues related to Russia and social welfare. She is currently leading an international interdisciplinary research project on child welfare reform in Russia and is involved in another project exploring youth well-being in the Arctic region.
The office of the Inequality Initiative is located in Porthania, 5th floor (on the corridor of Faculty of Law). We are happy to hear all ideas, comments and questions!
Welcome to the lecture and workshop!
Risto Kunelius Meri Kulmala
University of Helsinki