Mikko Lehtonen

As a Cultural Studies scholar, my research interests are: conjunctural analysis of the present moment, culture, identitites and power, the relations of materiality and symbols.

I teach in the MA program of Media Studies and the Doctoral Program of Communication, Media and Theatre.

Directed research projects:

● Director of the strategic research program Fluid World, funded by University of Tampere (2011–2012).

● Director of the research project New reading communities, new ways of reading, funded by Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (2010–2012).

● Director of the research project Capitalizing Culture (CAPCULT), funded by the Academy of Finland (2009–2012).

● Director of the research project The Power of Culture in Producing Common Sense (POWCULT) funded by the Power and Society in Finland program, Academy of Finland (2007–2010).

Supervised ca. 180 MA theses and 18 doctoral theses.

Awards:

● The Kalle Kaihari Foundation Award for the Cultural Deed of the Year 2002.

● The Warelius Award for the life's work honored by The Finnish Association of Non-fiction Writers in 2002.

● The Researcher of the Year Award honored by The Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers in 2002.

Served as a pre-examiner or as an opponent of a doctoral dissertation 14 times.

Served as an examiner of academic competence when filling titles of Docent or post of Professor 19 times.

● Member of international peer evaluation committees of funding applications:

◦ External reviewer and panel member for Danish Council for Independent Research (2013).

◦ External reviewer, Social Sciences and Humanities FCT-Portugal (2012).

◦ External reviewer for Swedish Research Council (2012).

◦ Reviewer for the Research Foundation Flanders FWO (2011).

◦ Reviewer for the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, 2011.

◦ Panel member (humanities), Estonian Research Council, 2006–2009.

● Memberships and positions of trust in scientific and scholarly societies:

◦ Chair of the organizing committee of 10th international Crossroads in Cultural Studies conference (Tampere, July 1st to 4th 2014).

◦ Bursar and Member of the Board, Executive Committee and Conference Committee of the international Association for Cultural Studies (ACS) 2002–2010, member of the Board 2010–2012. 

◦ Member of the organizing committee of Crossroads in Cultural Studies conferences (1996, 1998 and 2002 in Tampere, 2006 in Istanbul, 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica, 2010 in Hong Kong). 

● Membership in national or international expert groups, evaluation or steering committees, as well as other expert duties: 

◦ Member of the group of auditors (humanities and social sciences), Estonian Research Council, May 2010.

● Positions as editor-in-chief, editor, or member of editorial boards of scientific and scholarly journals and publication series 

◦ Member of the editorial board of Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies from 2008 on.

◦ Member of the editorial board of Culture Unbound from 2008 on.

◦ Member of the editorial board of Cultural Studies from 2000 on.

◦ Member of the editorial board of European Journal of Cultural Studies from 1997 on.

● Administrative responsibilities at higher education institutions or at research organisations, responsibilities in the higher education community:

◦ Director of the doctoral program in communication, media and theatre studies, University of Tampere 2017–2018. 

◦ Chair of the Research Committee of School of Communication, Media and Theatre (CMT), University of Tampere, 2015–2016.

◦ Director of the doctoral program of School of Communication, Media and Theatre (CMT), University of Tampere, 2015–2016.

◦ Director of the national Finnish doctoral program of communication studies VITRO 2012–2015.

◦ Co-director of the national Finnish doctoral school in media and communication studies (MUUVI), 2002–2006, acting director 2004–2005.

● Significant other positions of trust, expert duties and assignments

◦ Member of cultural magazine panel, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (2017–2018).

◦ Member of the Hollo prize board electing yearly the best translation of non-fiction book in Finnish (2016–2020).

◦ Member of National Board of Cultural Magazines, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture (2014–2017).

◦ Member of Finnish Matriculation Examination Board (2010–2016).

◦ Member of executive board of directors of the publishing and printing houses Gummerus (2002–2013).

See directed research projects above.

Total number of publications: 1 monograph in English, 7 monographs in Finnish, 1 collection of own articles in Finnish, 10 edited collections of articles in Finnish, 11 international articles, tens of scientific articles in Finnish. 

10 most important/most cited:

Monographs:

◦ Maa-ilma. Materialistisen kulttuuriteorian lähtökohtia, Vastapaino 2014 (Mattering Matter. Outlines for a Materialist Theory of Culture).

◦ Post scriptum. Kirja medioitumisen aikakaudella, Vastapaino 2001 (Post scriptum. The printed word in the age of mediatization).

◦ The Cultural Analysis of Texts, Sage 2000.

Edited volumes:

◦ Tehtävä kulttuurille. Talouden ja kulttuurin muuttuvat suhteet. Edited by Mikko Lehtonen, Katja Valaskivi and Hanna Kuusela. Vastapaino 2014 (Task For Culture. Changing relations of culture and economy).

◦ Liikkuva maailma. Liike, raja,tieto. Edited by Mikko Lehtonen. Vastapaino 2013 (Fluid World. Movement, Borders, Knowledge).

◦ Kuinka meitä kutsutaan? Kulttuuriset merkityskamppailut nyky-Suomessa. Edited by Anu Koivunen and Mikko Lehtonen. Vastapaino 2011 (The power of culture. Cultural struggles of meaning in contemporary Finland).

International articles: 

◦ “To tell a better story.” The curious incidence of conjunctural analysis. In Cultural Studies 50 Years On, edited by Kieran Connell & Matthew Hilton, Rowman and Littlefield International 2016.

◦ “What’s Going On?” in Finland. Employing Stuart Hall for a Conjunctural Analysis. International Journal of Cultural Studies January 2016 19: 71-84.

◦ Mission Impossible? Neoliberal Subjects and Empowerment. Nordicom Information 2/2010.

◦ In no man's land. Theses on intermediality. Nordicom Information 3-4/2000.

Other activities:

◦ A regular columnist in the cultural journal Hiidenkivi 2002–2005.

◦ A regular columnist in the Aamulehti daily regional newspaper 2003–2005.

◦ A regular columnist in the Helsingin Sanomat national daily newspaper 2006.

◦ A regular columnist in Opettaja (the journal of OAJ, Trade Union of Education in Finland) 2003–2013.

◦ Numerous specialist appearances in media, including being a regular guest in the cultural magazine Merkkituote (YleRadio1) from 2002 till 2008, as well as specialist appearances in numerous educational television and radio series.