Author: Jennifer L De Paola

The Baltic Connections 2020 will take place at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, from March 26 to 27, and is hosted by the Department of History and Ethnology. As with the inaugural conference last year in Helsinki, we aim to bring together scholars working on comparative, economic, social, global, and other types of history and related social sciences to address various “East-West” historical processes and events as well as comparative and transnational analysis, including at the Baltic region, Europe, and the world. Potential topics include but are not limited to trade, migration, comparative development, international political economy and the diffusion and transplantation of institutions, ideas and cultural influences. Moreover, we want to promote interdisciplinary encounters and discussions, with the goal of bringing together scholars working in Western, Nordic, Central and East European, Baltic, and Russian universities. We are open to proposals that incorporate new digital technologies and ideas for roundtables.

The second Riitta Hjerppe Lecture in Social Science History will be given by Stephen Broadberry (University of Oxford). Further outstanding keynotes will be delivered by Kerstin Enflo (Lund University) and Sakari Saaritsa (University of Helsinki).

The deadline for proposals is December 1, 2019. In addition to individual paper submissions, proposals for whole three to four paper panels are appreciated. Submitters will be notified of acceptance by December 15. Proposals can be submitted to: balticsocsciencehist@gmail.com.

We announce a limited number of travel grants up to 200 euros for participants coming from abroad. Please indicate in your submission if you want to apply.

The organizing institutions are University of Jyvaskyla, University of Helsinki, and the Finnish Economic History Association. The organizing group consists of Jari Ojala (University of Jyvaskyla), Merja Uotila (University of Jyvaskyla), MiiKka Voutilainen (University of Jyvaskyla), Riina Turunen (University of Jyvaskyla), Jari Eloranta (University of Helsinki), Sakari Saaritsa (University of Helsinki), Olli Turunen (University of Helsinki). More information can be obtained from Jari Ojala: jari.ojala@jyu.fi.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/baltic-connections

Technology Academy Finland TAF and Aalto University are hosting the Falling Walls Lab Finland in Otaniemi on September 19, 2019. We hope to have a great Lab with excellent participants, and warmly invite and encourage you to apply to the Lab!

For further information on the Lab, please see the attachment and visit https://taf.fi/falling-walls-lab/ . The application deadline is September 5, 2019.

What does impact mean in the context of social sciences? What makes social sciences relevant beyond academia – at the moment, and in the future?

Seminar: The Relevance of Social Sciences

Tuesday, 20 August 2019, 1-4 pm, University of Helsinki Language Centre, lecture hall 115 (Fabianinkatu 26)

Welcome to a seminar organized by the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Social Sciences, with presentations from members of its international Scientific Advisory Board and faculty. Representing a broad field of social sciences and its approaches, the speakers will address the question of relevance in social sciences.

What could be done to make the social sciences more relevant? What kind of international collaboration and benchmarking are beneficial to this goal? How could research and teaching be organized to enhance the relevance of social sciences? Should social sciences organize around problem/phenomena, instead of theories or methods? What is happening to traditional ways of understanding disciplines and disciplinarity in social sciences?

Program

Chair: Vice dean Juhana Aunesluoma

1 – 2.30 pm: Disciplines and paradigms

Social psychology: a discipline in the midst of an(other) identity crisis. Laurent Licata, Université Libre de Bruxelles.

The inequality paradigm and the future of social science. Mike Savage, London School of Economics and Political Science.

The future of the social sciences: a personal view. Stephen Broadberry, University of Oxford.

Discussant Nelli Hankonen, University of Helsinki

Break

2.45 – 4 pm: Interdisciplinarity and institutions

Interdisciplinarity and impact in social science – creating the new American public university at ASU. Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University.

The relevance of social science: experiences across the fault lines of policy and engineering. Elizabeth Shove, Lancaster University.

[Title TBC] Annelise Riles, Northwestern University

Discussant Risto Kunelius, University of Helsinki

All are welcome! Priority will be given to members of the Faculty of Social Sciences. No registration is required.

University of Helsinki 21-22 October 2019 Metsätalo, Unioninkatu 40

Keynotes by

Professor Judith Pallot (Geography, University of Oxford/University of Helsinki):

Professor John Jost (Psychology and Politics, University of New York):

Professor Risto Alapuro (Sociology, University of Helsinki):

Additionally, there will be two panel discussions organized around the themes of inequality as well as post-doctoral career perspectives.

                                                             Call for papers

The 6th Annual Conference for PhD students explores the question of inequalities in local and global perspectives.

Inequalities have existed through world history and have shifted over time. Today, both global and local communities are being confronted with a world of growing challenges and crises caused by growing inequalities. In order to solve such crises, it is vital to understand their root causes and analyse possible future outcomes. How does inequalities develop, what are major causes and what are key effects on both a micro and macro level, as well as on local and global societies?

The University of Helsinki for the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences & Political, Societal and Regional Change invite academic scholars and doctoral researchers to the Doctoral Programmes’ 6th Annual Conference for a discussion of different aspects and challenges related to inequality. Topics to be addressed could include: cultural, economic, environmental, historical, political, social, and gender inequalities.

Possible research topics to be addressed could be, but are not limited in choice such as:

• Theoretical perspectives for understanding how and why inequalities persist
• Overlapping or intersecting inequalities
• The role of political, social and economic factors behind inequality
• Inequalities at local, national and global levels
• Growing inequality or growing equality: exploring the debate

In addition to the theme of inequality, this year the conference also invites doctoral students to discuss their present research work more general in nature, such as their research plans in separate study groups.

Please send your abstracts (max. 300 words) by August 25^th, 2019 by filling out the e-form https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/98549/lomake.html

Accepted presenters will be notified by September 9^th, 2019.

Please add four to five keywords to your abstract in order to facilitate the allocation of individual papers to different workshops.

The deadline for final papers is October 9^th, 2019. The maximum length for papers is 1000 – 8000 words. The doctoral students who will give a presentation of their paper will be awarded with 2 study credits. You may also attend the conference without a paper and obtain 1 study credit.

All doctoral students from the Doctoral Programmes in Social Sciences and Political, Societal and Regional Change are welcome and strongly encouraged to participate.

Please also visit our conference blog! https://blogs.helsinki.fi/psrc-ss-conference-2019/

International Conference to celebrate 2019 Year of Indigenous Languages declared by Unesco and the United Nations

 When? 19.–20.9.2019

Where? University of Helsinki, Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33

‘Árran’ means hearth/fireplace, and we take it as an analogy to how languages allow people to come together and share their different experiences. On the Year of Indigenous Languages declared by the Unesco and United Nations, the main objective of our conference is to bring together both indigenous and non-indigenous scholars, activists, and artists in order to discuss indigenous languages in light of the current socio-political, economic, and environmental changes, which at present affect the world. Our aim is to exchange knowledge on best practices for the promotion of Indigenous languages, which are often listed as endangered, and to advance knowledge on the relations between Indigenous languages, ontologies, and epistemologies. The conference allows us to match the goals risen by the Unesco by celebrating the Year of Indigenous Languages, and to effectively contribute to scholarship in developing the concept of language ecology further. Metaphorically, sharing stories and narratives, verbal art, ways of speaking, and their symbolism fuels the warmth and guarantees the continuation of the Árran.

Keynote speeches: Gunvor Guttorm (Sámi University of Applied Sciences) and Anthony Webster (University of Texas at Austin).

Opening words: Alexey Tsykarev (EMRIP)

Speakers include:

Mere Kepa  (University of Auckland, Aoteorea-New Zealand)

Linita Manu’atu (Api Fakakoloa Educational Services, Auckland, New Zealand & Tonga Institute of Education, Kingdom of Tonga)

Daniel Mundurucu (Mundurucu author, Brazil)  

Ekaterina Grudzeva (University of Helsinki) 

Harald Gaski (University of Tromsø)

Inga Ravna Eira (Sámi author)

Jelena Porsanger (University of Helsinki)

Katarina Pirak Sikku (Sámi artist)

Maria Khachaturyan (University of Helsinki)

Robert Brave Heart Sr. (Executive Vice President at Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota)

Stef Spronck (University of Helsinki)

Organizers: Laura Siragusa, Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, Hanna Guttorm, Irja Seurujärvi-Kari (Indigenous Studies), Rani-Henrik Andersson and Olesya Khanina (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)

Program and Conference website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/arran-ecology-of-indigenous-languages

Registration before Sept 12^th: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/97903/lomake.html (places limited)

The event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/811183392592139/

For further information, please contact conference secretary, Indigenous Studies: 

Mariia Rauramo: mariia.rauramo@helsinki.fi