Browsing by Subject "Intersectionality"

The goal of this research was to investigate the varying impacts a social movement like the Black Lives Matter has on Finnish society and if these impacts manifest as social of developmental change and what role the media plays regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and how representation in the media can influence the movements success. The focus of my research was the BLM protest in Helsinki on June 2020. My research questions were, “How can social activist movements like Black Lives Matter affect development and societal change in Finland.” and “What role does the media have in the Black Lives Matter movement and does the media impact the movement’s ability to achieve its goals?” My research data consisted of Finnish media articles centered around the BLM protest in June 2020 and the aftermath of the event. The data consisted of articles 33 articles from 10 news agencies, which provided information from varying perspectives. Additionally, my data included a legal document mentioned in several articles from the Parliamentary Ombudsman. I conducted my analysis using content analysis. My theoretical framework of reference to help me conduct my research and support my analysis consisted of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and Social Constructionism. The data clearly showed that the movement had undeniable direct and indirect effects in the form of speech around racism and changing public perception by increasing awareness about social inequalities. There were clear indications of the transformative nature of the movement because of the shared experience black people faced all over the world, which allowed members of the Finnish society to discuss and shine a light on their experiences with racism. There are clear distinctions between the BLM movement in the United States and Finland, which manifested in the data as minimalizing racism in Finland. The media plays a major role in how the movement is represented and how the movements goals are achieved. There are clear indications to protest paradigms, which are how the media negatively represents social movements by focusing on violence, discrediting the message and other negative practices. In conclusion, social movements can act as agents of social change, increase awareness, and improve social conditions that racism creates, but developmental and political change require long term goals and clear objectives. Finland does not have the same systemic issues of racism as the United States, which led me to conclude that developmental goals were not feasible.

This research aims to examine the identity construction processes of sexual and gender minorities who are also a part of visible ethnic minorities. There is very little research conducted on the topic by social psychology scholars in the Finnish context. The present research is interwoven with critical social psychology drawing its’ framework from intersectional theory, queer theory, and notions of hybrid identity, theorized by Ang (2001), Bhabha (2012) & Hall (1999). The main framework of the study is constructionism which treats the established understandings of the social world and identities as phenomena that are constructed in social practices, rather than as natural truths (see e.g. Gergen, 1985). This research examines how and in relation to which social environments BIPOC and queer identities are constructed, whilst considering how local and global interlocking systems of oppression and privilege challenge and enable such identity negotiations which are done from a state of “in-betweenness” of cultural identities as visible ethnic minorities often describe, and hybridity theories suggest. Using the framework of intersectionality and hybridity capacitates the examination of both, challenges, as well as possibilities of identity construction from the intersections of BIPOC and queer identities in the Finnish context. The research questions are: 1. What kind of challenges and possibilities of cultural identity construction do BIPOC and queer people face in the Finnish context? a. How were the intersections of their identities negotiated? b. How did hybridity figure in their identity negotiations? The data consists of three focus group interviews conducted in the context of insider research. The analysis method used was Reflexive Thematic Analysis. As a result, three themes were generated from the data: (1) Hybrid identity as a necessity, (2) Queerness is white, and (3) Hybrid identity is inherently queer. The analysis suggests that queerness and BIPOC:ness create an intersection of identities, which demand and enable hybrid construction of identities, not only in terms of cultural or BIPOC identity but also in terms of queerness. However, identity construction is done in relation to the available communities which either support and enable exploring and constructing such identities or challenge and limit these processes.

This thesis aims to study migrant women’s experiences of participative decision-making offered for Helsinki residents during the OmaStadi (2020-2021) process. It examines how the multiple interconnected social categories shape migrant women’s navigation and negotiation for inclusive decision-making and its relevance. It fills the gap in the systematic analysis of OmaStadi (2020-2021) from the perspective of immigrants’ needs, especially that of migrant women. Simultaneously, this thesis calls attention to migrant women’s aspirations, strengths, knowledge, and skills to negotiate relevance successfully. Data was collected through documents and semi-structured interviews with three migrant women whose community proposals were voted for implementation by Helsinki residents. Data was examined with thematic and intersectional analyses based on the six key principles of intersectionality (obstacles, relationality, complexity, context, comparison, and deconstruction). The investigation showed that the most salient interlocked social categories of the interviewees are gender, parenthood, migrant and employment status, multilanguage and different levels of Finnish language skills, and knowledge and experience of the participatory budgeting process that is linked to the country of origin of migrant women. These interrelated identities promoted migrant women’s overall sense of belonging in Helsinki by inviting extra resources to improve their knowledge of Helsinki and foster solidarity and empowerment. Nevertheless, these interrelated social identities and roles reinforced the polarisation of multicultural communities, deterred the inclusion of multicultural knowledge from existing across Helsinki communities, and rendered some identities invisible through language domination, unequal modes of participation and the majoritarian voting system. The analysis revealed that the interviewees faced multiple challenges that only the city could resolve. Simultaneously, they effectively utilised intercultural communication skills and competence to engage with various communities during the OmaStadi process (2020-2021). The study contributed to a more systematic understanding of migrant women’s struggles and needs during their participative decision-making experience of OmaStadi (2020-2021). It offered a more comprehensive and nonbinary understanding of how to devise more inclusive and equitable services for migrant women communities by examining their interrelated multiple social identities and the context. It also addressed migrant women’s strengths and skills in creating a new home environment. More extensive and longitudinal intersectional research could contribute to an even deeper understanding of various communities' intra- and inter-dynamics, struggles, needs, and strengths. This understanding would support the improvement of the OmaStadi and other forms of participatory democracy in Finland.

This thesis examines the political career, agenda and narratives of Marielle Franco, a former city councillor of Rio de Janeiro. Franco ran for political office the first time in the municipal elections of 2016. Her campaign contained the demands of women and sexual minorities, black people and favela residents. With 46,502 votes, she was the fifth most voted-for council member. The councilwoman was assassinated on March 14, 2018, after leaving an event of black feminist activists. Her death was followed by rallies in several Brazilian cities. Many of the core organisers of these mass mobilisations were black women, and their actions ensured media visibility for the case. In the general elections of 2018, three cabinet members of Marielle Franco were elected to the State Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj), defending her political legacy. The primary sources of the thesis comprise of speeches, campaign material, interviews and articles of Marielle Franco as well as public hearings, reports and other records of her term which lasted for fifteen months. The data also includes material produced by black women’s movements following the councilwoman’s assassination. The thesis approaches this material through counter-narrative methodology, which aims to integrate marginalised communities’ voices and perspectives into the research agenda. The aim of the research is to contextualise the political career and agenda of Marielle Franco as a ‘black woman from the favela of Maré’. To that end, the research draws from an intersectional theoretical framework, deploying it as an analytical tool. Intersectionality theorises the relationships between socio-cultural categories and identities. This thesis applies the intracategorical approach, entailing an in-depth study of a particular social group. The analysis focuses on low- income black women. Brazilian black women are disadvantaged by multiple sources of oppression: their race, class and gender. They often work in the informal sector and are disproportionately affected by poverty. Race and gender discrimination prevent them from accessing positions of power. In 2016, the year when Marielle Franco was elected, black women comprised of more than 25% of the population, but represented only 5% of all elected councillors. Their exclusion from political institutions, where decisions concerning their lives are taken, render low-income black women vulnerable to governmental neglect and violations of their and their family members’ fundamental human rights. The election of Marielle Franco was considered as a breakthrough in local politics and seen as an opportunity to change oppressive power structures. The analysis reveals that the councilwoman empowered black women and favela residents to participate party politics in multiple ways. Franco brought their voices, bodies and demands into the institutional domain, and her powerful speeches voiced the concerns of black mothers resisting the state violence within their communities. She also asserted solidarity as part of an alternative political practice of black feminists. Besides being a councillor, Franco was also a scholar and a front- line human rights defender. The analysis also found that Franco’s conception of human rights was based on the praxis developed in the Human Rights Commission of Alerj and centered on the black women of the favelas and urban outskirts. The counter-narratives deployed by Franco emphasised the legacy of feminist movements, including their leaders and symbols. She campaigned for recognising and valuing social differences and fought against all forms of discrimination within political institutions. Her politics and narratives continue to inspire young Brazilian women, particularly black women from the favelas and the urban peripheries.