SOPU (2017 – 2019)

Reciprocal glocal neighborhoods – Russian neighbors in Finland, Estonia and Norway

In this multidisciplinary project, led by prof. Inga Jasinskaja-Lahti, we focus on analysing the relations between and encounters of ordinary people from the view point of neighbourhood or “neighbourness”.

We use the concept of reciprocal glocal neighbourhood to show the power of majority and minority members in shaping their neighbourhoods. We revisit the reciprocity hypothesis developed to study pro-social behavior and challenge with it the traditional approach to immigrant integration. While the latter has focused on the benefits of positive intergroup contact, we take one step back: what (dis)courages people from trusting and investing in mutually respectful interaction both on- and off-line.

Three doctoral dissertations (Pauha, Nortio, Celikkol) will be completed during this project and two post-doctoral projects (Pauha, Nortio) will be launched.

SOPU is funded by the Kone Foundation.