Gender Studies
Gender Studies at the Tampere University has a strong interdisciplinary and social science orientation. Our research draws on and contributes to recent developments in feminist theories and methodologies, and engages actively with the societal and political contexts it arises from. We approach gender intersectionally, analysing how gender emerges in relation to other categories of difference, such as race and ethnicity, class, sexuality, age and disability.
Our key research areas include: politics, economy and activism; science, technology and higher education; politics of affect, emotions and embodiment; and working life.
Testifying to the strength and success of our research, “Gender, institutions and politics” is mentioned as a top research field at Tampere University. This reflects the significance, impact and high quality of gender studies at both national and international levels.
Gender Studies at Tampere university has one ERC funded project, 4 Academy of Finland funded projects, 4 Academy of Finland Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Researchers, one Nordic Centre of Excellence and three Kone Foundation projects. In addition to strong research in the field of gender studies, these projects offer opportunities for our Masters level students to do their theses within the projects. We also welcome PhD student applications. The projects can be found on the research tab. Our Gender Studies Master's programme welcomes application every two years, while our Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences can be applied to twice a year.
The scientific journal NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research is edited from Gender Studies at the Tampere University with Paula Koskinen Sandberg as Editor-in-chief together with Rebecca Lund (University of Oslo), and Tiina Suopajärvi (University of Turku) and Pieta Hyvärinen as editorial secretary (Tampere University).
Additionally the book series Gender and Politics published by Palgrave Macmillan is edited by Johanna Kantola (Tampere University) and Sarah Childs (Birbeck, University of London).
Banner: Art by Jukka Metsäaho, photo by Samuli Turunen
Research themes
Politics, Economy and Activism studies struggles around gender equality and diversity, equality policies and feminist politics within traditional institutions (parliaments, political parties, labour markets), NGOized civil society, and grassroots level. We study the interplay between international, national and local level institutions, both formal and informal (norms and practices). We explore the changing conditions where activism or governance structures are placed.
Research projects in the theme:
- Gender, party politics and democracy in Europe: A study of European Parliament's Party Groups (EUGenDem). European Research Council Consolidator Grant (ERC CoG) (2018-2023) https://research.uta.fi/eugendem/
- Flows of Power - media as site and agent of politics (FLOPO). Academy of Finland (2019-2022) http://flopo.rahtiapp.fi/
- Gender, Power and Reconfigured Corporatism in Finland (GePoCo). Academy of Finland (2016-2020) https://research.uta.fi/gepoco/
- (Irti)kytkentöjä: ruokaomavaraistuminen kumppanuuslajien verkostoissa. Kone Foundation research project (2019-2022), Pieta Hyvärinen
Science, Technology and Higher Education provides intersectional studies of the relation between knowledge production, power and social justice, as well as studies of how technology is enacted in everyday life. In doing so we engage with the dynamic processes and relations between subjectivity (individuals), institutions (society) and socio-material conditions (culture). We examine biomedical, biotechnological and health practices and policies as gendered embodied phenomena.
- Affect and Biotechnological Change: Three Vaccine Debates in Europe. Academy Research Fellow's project by Venla Oikkonen (2018-2023)
- Technology, Ethics and Reproduction: Controversy in the Era of Normalisation. Kone Foundation research project (2019-2022) https://www.riikkahomanen.net/kone-foundation-project/
Politics of Affect, Emotions and Embodiment conducts empirical work on how affects and emotions emerge through social and intimate relations, intersectional differences, bodily boundaries, cultural imaginaries and representations. Key themes include intimate relations and sexualities; affects in media representations; affect in knowledge production; affects and activism; and differences as affective issues; and developing queer and feminist methods to study affect.
- Intimacy in data-driven culture (IDA) - Academy of Finland Strategic Research Funding (2019-2022) https://www.dataintimacy.fi/
- Everyday Ethics of Reproductive Outsourcing: Making Good Life in the Era of Biocapitalism (EEROS). Academy research Fellow’s project by Riikka Homanen (2019-2024) https://www.riikkahomanen.net/academy-of-finland-project/
- Under the Rainbow: the (in)visibility of sexual minorities in men’s football cultures. A discourse-analytic, ethnographic and sociolinguistic research project. Kone Foundation research project (2019-2020), Samu Kytölä
Working Life studies changes, continuities and new forms of work with a critical lens on individual as well as organizational and institutional level and in local, national and international contexts. Key themes include gendering practices in work and society; equal pay; the embodiment and bodily requirements in work; women's entrepreneurship; shifting boundaries between work and non-work; and burn-out at work.
- Beyond the gender paradox: Women's careers in technology-driven research and innovation in and outside of academe (Nordwit). Nordic Center of Excellence, Nordforsk (2017-2022) https://www.gender.uu.se/nordwit/
- Neoliberalizing Welfare State Employment: Ideology, Institutional Agency, and Gendered Labour Market Outcomes. Academy of Finland postdoctoral project by Paula Koskinen Sandberg (2018-2021)
- Naisten työ murroksessa: tarkastelussa äitiysblogit. Academy of Finland postdoctoral project by Katariina Mäkinen (2017-2020)
Recently ended projects
Just the Two of Us? Affective inequalities in intimate relationships, Academy of Finland (2015-2019) http://affective-inequalities.fi/
Uuden työn sukupuolistavat käytännöt, The Finnish Work Environment Fund (2016-2018)
Episteeminen epäoikeudenmukaisuus akatemiassa: Luokka ja sukupuoli feministisessä tiedontuotannossa, Academy of Finland postdoctoral project by Rebecca Lund (2017-2020)
Poissa pelistä? Nuorten aikuisten masennus ja työkyvyttömyys, Academy of Finland postdoctoral project by Sanna Rikala (2016-2018)
Our Gender Studies Master's programme welcomes application every two years, while our Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences can be applied to twice a year.
Master’s programme
https://www.tuni.fi/en/study-with-us/gender-studies
https://www.tuni.fi/fi/tule-opiskelemaan/sukupuolentutkimus-yhteiskuntatutkimuksen-maisteriohjelma (In Finnish)
Doctoral programme
https://www.tuni.fi/en/study-with-us/doctoral-programme-social-sciences
https://www.tuni.fi/fi/tule-opiskelemaan/yhteiskuntatutkimuksen-tohtoriohjelma (In Finnish)
Social sciences programme (In Finnish)
https://www.tuni.fi/fi/tule-opiskelemaan/yhteiskuntatutkimuksen-koulutus
Gender Studies Conference 2020 November 12-13
[CANCELLED] Publication event for Tasa-arvopolitiikan Suunnanmuutoksia
Event in Finnish.
[CANCELLED] Research Seminar: Gendering Representative Institutions: Actors, Inner Lives, and Political Struggles
25th March 2020 at 13:00-15:00
Tampere University, Linna Building, Room: Linna 5101
What does the family look like in the future? Discussion on the future of families and reproduction 7 May 2020
28th Flora day seminar and celebration date
Last year Flora day seminar and celebration selected feminist activist, blogger and journalist Emmi Nuorgam as the Honorary Flora of 2019. The seminar and celebration had presentations by both students and staff, celebration of the graduates and music!
Teaching Staff
Johanna Kantola
Anu Koivunen
Tuija Koivunen
Jaana Kuusipalo
Marja Vehviläinen
Hanna Ojala
Research Staff
Petra Ahrens
Valentine Berthet
