About me
I am a social scientist interested in community relations and their dynamics in diversifying urban environments. I seek to understand changing political and social landscapes by engaging with daily practices and forms of interaction. Currently, I lead the ERC funded project EmergentCommunity (2021-2025) where we work towards creating empirically grounded knowledge on coexistence and conflict. See more: https://www.tuni.fi/en/research/coexistence-and-conflict-age-complexity-emergentcommunity
Research unit
Funding
Latest publications
Affective abundance in the urban everyday: Unpacking the emotive dynamics of coexistence in diverse neighbourhoods
Hokka, J. & Puumala, E., Mar 2026, In: European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology. 13, 1, p. 6–26 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Beyond Conclusion: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Towards New Understandings of Coexistence
Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S., 2026, Coexistence in the Urban Everyday: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Toward New Understandings. Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S. (eds.). Routledge, p. 220-229 10 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Cities and Coexistence: A Complexity-Informed Approach
Puumala, E., Pehkonen, S., Lefort, B., Hokka, J., Suoranta, A. S., Maïche, K., Kolarzik, N. & Ajakainen, M., Jul 2026, Coexistence in the Urban Everyday: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Toward New Understandings. Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S. (eds.). Routledge, p. 13-48 36 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Citizenship reimagined: Claiming the right to a future in a changing world
Puumala, E., 29 Jan 2026, The Social Psychology of Citizenship: Critical Advances and Interdisciplinary Insights. Andreouli, E., Figgou, L. & Kadianaki, I. (eds.). Routledge, p. 221-227 7 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Coexistence in the Urban Everyday: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Toward New Understandings
Puumala, E. (Editor) & Pehkonen, S. (Editor), Jul 2026, Routledge. 233 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › Scientific › peer-review
Introduction: Social Complexity in the City
Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S., 2026, Coexistence in the Urban Everyday: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Toward New Understandings. Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S. (eds.). Routledge, p. 1-12 12 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
Sharing The Urban Everyday: Towards an Emergent Sense of Community
Puumala, E., 2026, Coexistence in the Urban Everyday: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Toward New Understandings. Puumala, E. & Pehkonen, S. (eds.). Routledge, p. 201-219 19 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review
‘We Have Another Technical Issue’: How Can VR be Used to Study the Affective Footing of Urban Encounters?
Pehkonen, S., Akhundzadeh, R., Hokka, J. & Puumala, E., 25 Jan 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 25, 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Matkalla rauhantutkimuksessa – minne matka on tässä vaiheessa vienyt?
Translated title of the contribution :Travelling in Peace Research – where has the journey led thus far? Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific
Rauhaan tutkien
Vastapuu, L. & Puumala, E., 2025, In: Kosmopolis. 55, 1, p. 3-7 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › Scientific