Browsing by study line "Humanistinen opintosuunta"

Internationalisation and international mobility have particularly during the past decades become staple topics of discussion in professional and educational contexts as well as in popular discourse. This ideological shift has also brought along a popular narrative of international mobility and non-local identities being majorly beneficial assets that encourage and enable new skills and outlooks on life, both personal and professional. While recent studies have started to show evidence on the impact and relation of international mobility and non-local identity development, the actual process and experience-level of this identity building is still relatively less studied. This study aims to fill this gap in research by giving a glimpse into the current thoughts and ideas of young adults regarding international mobility and their identity. By looking into the thoughts and experiences of those internationally-minded and mobile, we can get valuable insight into the potential future trends of internationality more broadly. Using an umbrella-term of non-locality to examine the full array of internationally aligned social identity terms, this study asked 50 students with previous mobility experiences and identification with a sense of internationality and non-local identity, how they personally experience the relationship between mobility and non-local identity building and maintaining. The data was gathered using a qualitative open answer survey, with questions and their analysis following principles of phenomenological analysis. Alongside phenomenology as a broader philosophy of science, Social Identity Theory and Self-categorisation Theory were used as theoretical frameworks to understanding social identity formation. Phenomenological analysis done on the data identified the core form of ‘being’, Dasein, in the relationship between international mobility and non-local identity development of young adults as the freedom of social non-belonging and the freedom to choose one’s social belonging. The four entities of meaning situated around Dasein were the experience of physical and social rootless, the feeling of uniqueness and unrelatability of one’s identity experience and mobility experiences related to it, mobility as an inherent personal need and an expected want, and the experience of change and growth acquired through identity development and in relation to one’s mobility experiences. Results showed a strong connection between mobility experiences and non-local identity building, but also strong variations in the way mobility was approached and made a reality depending on personal circumstances and potential social, economic, or other limitations. Factors such as how personally motivated and interested participants were in internationality more broadly, the timing when one had their first mobility experiences, how many and how long mobility experiences one had and what kind of contact to locally experiences multiculturality and internationality one had before and after becoming internationally mobile, all played into how stable and strong an identity participants portrayed. While this study opens up an understudied part on internationality, future studies on internationalisation and non-local identity formation, particularly in relation to mobility, could benefit from a study of an even broader sample, in order to ascertain how universally applicable these findings are. Furthermore, the relationship of non-local identity and privilege, particularly socio-economical, should be looked into more thoroughly in order to understand how accessible identity categories like non-local identity truly are.

Encouraging work-based immigration as well as international talent attraction and retention are high on the agenda of many national governments. This master’s thesis analyses the intersection of nation branding and international talent mobility by exploring the ways in which the nation brand is directed towards talent attraction and the vision drivers and themes that are communicated in nation branding documents and on international talent attraction websites of Finland and the Netherlands. In addition to reviewing relevant literature on nation branding, international talent attraction and retention, this thesis provides the case study contexts of Finland and the Netherlands by describing the local policies and the administrative processes regarding work and residence permits. Contextualizing the study is important to understand the local premise and the reality behind the communication. The empirical research material of this thesis consists of Finnish and Dutch nation branding documents and international talent attraction platforms, publicly available online. The material is interpreted utilizing qualitative, theory-driven thematic analysis. The thesis’ empirical analysis is based on Silvanto and Ryan’s (2014) strategic framework for relocation branding and international talent attraction, and the 936 identified empirical data extracts are coded according to their five vision drivers, the preliminary themes for the analysis. The research findings indicate that issues relating to innovation, career opportunities and quality of life in host nations are emphasized in nation branding and international talent attraction communication, while immigration policies receive substantially more limited attention. As a conclusion, Silvanto and Ryan’s (2014) framework is modified to better reflect the contents of the communication. In the light of this thesis’ Finnish and Dutch research material, the following modified and renamed vision drivers seem to be relevant for building an attractive relocation brand: Innovation, competitiveness and career opportunities; Cultural diversity and inclusiveness; Clear immigration policies, services and incentives; Concentration of talent, co-operation, (ethnic) and expatriate networks; and Quality of life and lifestyle.

Durga puja holds profound religious and social significance as a major Hindu festival in Bangladesh. However, in 2021, this sacred festival was marred by a series of communal violence across the country originating from a Facebook live video. The video accused the Hindus of defaming Islam. During this distressing event, the dissemination of online conspiracy theories and hate speech against Hindus played a crucial role in spreading violence. This study seeks to delve into the complex dynamics of Facebook conspiracy theories and hate speech during the aforementioned attacks. It aims to understand the mechanisms through which Facebook conspiracy theories and hate speech contributed to the instigation and justification of violence against the Hindu community. Data for this study were collected from an anonymous Facebook group. Theoretical concepts such as communalism, epistemic crisis, online echo chambers, filter bubbles, and attention factory have been used to understand the Facebook group members’ engagement with conspiracy theories and hate speech. The qualitative analysis of data reveals three major discourses: discourses of communal hate, discourses of the source of violence, and discourses of rationalizing violence. The study further examines the contribution of Facebook’s algorithm to cultivating conspiracy theories and hate speech and propagating violence.

Streaming, also referred to as vlogging, is the act of providing real-time video content over the internet. This activity encompasses numerous sub-genres such as video gaming and irl (”in real life”). Degenerate streaming is a new sub-genre often consisting of belligerent public behavior and drug abuse. Streamers sometimes receive monetary donations for their efforts from their audience. The actors taking part in this variety of streaming can be said to embody features of an antihero, a concept appearing in literature since antiquity. An antihero is a central character in a work of fiction who often lacks moral fortitude, resorting to dubious behavioral patterns in order to reach their goals. A dark triad personality is used in scientific literature to describe individuals with a history of psychopathic, opportunistic (i.e. Machiavellian), and narcissistic characteristics. This study frames the public personas of Finnish degenerate streamers as antiheroes in the context of the dark triad personality; their public communications are also analyzed within this framework. The topic is approached using a qualitative data-analysis of a total of 24 hours of degenerate streaming as well as with character typologies. The data-set consists of material created by five individual streamers. The main themes found in this material are identified and further categorized into sub-themes. In the analysis section of this study the life histories and potential root causes of degenerate streamers are discussed; a poor economical standing and mental health issues were identified as contributing factors. Some correlations with Finnish public political discourse are also suggested. This thesis contains descriptions of potentially upsetting events, such as domestic violence.

Breakdance is a hip hop dance which originated in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s. Hip hop is a global phenomenon which values authenticity, community and individuality. Breakdancers often dance with others to develop their style and create a community of like-minded individuals. Dancers may travel to other countries to compete for titles and develop their skills by participating in workshops. The current study explored expressions of identity in South Korean breakers. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis served as the theoretical framework for the study. It is often used in identity research exploring how individuals make sense of their identity in a given situation, phenomena or context. Trough IPA, the embodied practice of dance can be assessed where one’s feelings, emotions and the body can be made salient. Five South Korean male breakdancers from five different cities were interviewed. With the use of semi-structured interviews, questions aimed to be non-directional and open to interpretation. The analysis showed that the dancers expressed their identity in breaking in different ways. Individuality was valued through developing one’s own dance style and having a nickname. Some dancers indicated using their body to express themselves and experiment with different styles of dancing. Music acted as a way to introspect, to identity feelings and emotions in oneself. For a few of the dancers, the clothes they were while dancing were the same as their everyday clothes. Further, the breakdancers placed importance in dancing and learning from others to develop their dancing style. Importantly, for all of the dancers, it was crucial to acknowledge and understand the roots of hip hop. The dancers explored their journeys in breaking and continuously referred to their past and present. The breakers’ identity was affected by their dancing style, clothing, music, the use of their body and their relationship to other breakers. The current research adds to the already existing but limited research on sense making processes of breakdaners. Future research could explore the notions of community and sense of belonging in other hip hop subcultures, and develop research focused on breakdancers’ meaning making processes.

Science fiction (a subgenre of speculative fiction) imagines the future outcomes of current socio-political and technological developments. These stories inspire their audiences, which enable them to influence not only the public imaginary but also policy-making. However, scholars such as Lidchi and Fricke (2019), Mitchell and Chaudhury (2020), Streeby (2018) and Whyte (2018) have pointed out that mainstream speculative fiction is often rooted in structures of Whiteness and ignores the experiences of people of colour and Indigenous (BIPOC for short) societies. These BIPOC narratives demonstrate, however, that there is a plurality of realities and criticise White speculative fiction for its limited frame of reference. In order to diversify the genre and to broaden our point of view, scholars have called for increased engagement with BIPOC Futurisms. This thesis aims to answer this call by focusing on Indigenous Futurisms: works made by Indigenous peoples that use speculative fiction to imagine futures that embed Indigenous perspectives, recover Indigenous experiences and move beyond colonial structures. In this way, the works contribute to decolonization processes. Although the genre is gaining popularity and has received increased attention, there is only little discussion on the Futurisms made by the Sámi people. This thesis therefore, applies the discussion of Indigenous Futurisms to the Sámi context in order to learn what the futures imagined by Sámi artists look like and how they relate to the ones created in other contexts. Through a textual analysis, two works (Sunna Kitti’s 2118 (2018) and Elle Márjá Eira’s Sámiin leat rievttit (2019)), will be described as Sámi Futurisms by examining the genre conventions, narrative elements and forms. The analysis shows that the works embed a variety of Indigenous futurist themes, and centre Sámi characters, experiences, values and ways of living. The works, thus, have the decolonizing impact that is inherent to the genre of Indigenous Futurisms. Additionally, both 2118 and Sámiin leat rievttit refer to the colonial processes that impact(ed) the Sámi while simultaneously demonstrating their resilience and survivance in the face thereof. Finally, by taking into consideration the socio-historical context of the Sámi people, it becomes clear that the works engage with and put forth the revitalization and diversification of Sámi cultural identity.

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.

In the context of globalization's profound influence on societal structures, this study delves into the linguistic landscapes of six prominent museums in Helsinki, Finland, exploring how multilingualism and multiculturalism are manifested and integrated within these cultural institutions. Against the backdrop of Finland's rich cultural and linguistic diversity, which includes not only its national languages, Finnish and Swedish, but also a growing number of international languages due to migration and global mobility, this research seeks to understand the extent to which Helsinki's museums accommodate and reflect this linguistic plurality. The research employs a qualitative methodology, analyzing both on-site and digital linguistic representations through signage, pamphlets, informational plaques, and website content. By examining the presence and integration of multiple languages, the study aims to assess the museums' efforts in promoting linguistic inclusivity and accessibility, aligning with Finland's language policies and the broader objectives of cultural inclusiveness. Findings from this study reveal a predominant adherence to a trilingual model, offering information in Finnish, Swedish, and English, which not only reflects national language policies but also caters to the practical need for English as a lingua franca among international visitors. However, the research also uncovers disparities in the representation and accessibility of other languages, notably Russian, highlighting areas for improvement in achieving greater linguistic inclusivity. This study contributes to the broader discourse on multiculturalism, linguistic diversity, and public space accessibility, offering insights into how cultural institutions like museums can navigate the complexities of a multilingual society. It underscores the need for a more inclusive approach that goes beyond the trilingual model to embrace the full spectrum of linguistic diversity present in Helsinki, thereby fostering a more inclusive and accessible cultural environment for all visitors.

Tämän tutkielman aiheena on tutkia tehokkuuden eetoksen kokemuksia. Tehokkuutta mitataan usein numeraalisilla mittareilla, jolloin tehokkuuteen liittyvät kokemukset ja tunteet sivuutetaan. Tutkielmani tarkoituksena on tehdä näkyväksi tehokkuuden eetokseen piiloutuvia sukupuolistuneita normeja. Maisteritutkielmani pääkysymykset ovat: Miten tehokkuuden eetos materialisoituu? Miten affektit tuottavat tehokkuuden eetoksen toistamista? Tarkastelen maisteritutkielmassani sukupuolistuneita normeja, jotka voivat itsessään olla syrjäyttäviä ja ongelmallisia yhdenvertaisuuden ja tasa-arvon näkökulmasta. Tutkimusaineistoni koostuu viiden eri aloilla ja eri puolella Suomea asiantuntijatyötä tekevän nuoren naisen haastatteluista. Aineiston keräsin loka- ja marraskuussa 2021. Tutkimusotteeni on fenomenologinen, jossa ajatellaan, että kaikki kokemamme merkitsevät meille jotain. Fenomenologisessa merkitysteoriassa ihminen nähdään olemuksellisesti yhteisöllisenä. Aineiston analyysissa otteeni on induktiivinen. Teoreettinen viitekehykseni nojaa Ahmedin affektiteoriaan ja kriittiseen työelämä- ja organisaatiotutkimukseen. Tutkimukseni perusteella uusliberalistiseen tehokkuuden eetokseen kytkeytyy sukupuolistuneita normatiivisuuksia liittyen sukupuoleen, ikään, aikaan, vammattomuuteen ja valkoisuuteen. Normatiivisuudet materialisoituvat rakenteissa, käytänteissä, ideoissa ihannetyöntekijyydessä, ideaalityöruumiissa ja habituksessa. Normien valta toimii affektien kautta. Haastateltavien kokemuksissa sukupuolistuneisiin normeihin törmääminen aiheuttaa tahmaisia riittämättömyyden, paineen, ahdistuksen, pelon ja häpeän affekteja. Sukupuolistuneet normit risteävät toistensa kanssa. Useampaan sukupuolistuneeseen normiin törmääminen samanaikaisesti synnyttää erilaisia affekteja, jotka myös risteävät, kerrostuvat, tahmaistuvat ja myös voimistavat niitä. Affektit saavat aikaan tehokkuuden eetoksen toistamista eri elämänalueilla.

Abstract In this Master’s thesis, five women, born between 1920 and 1955, are narrating their lives in their native language, Swedish. The informants describe their lives from childhood, motherhood, family relationships, household, to elderly care, and finally, concluding with the Finland-Swedish context to wrap up the interview session. The women were interviewed in a semi-structured manner, either in their homes if living independently, or in their own rooms if living in an elderly home. Some of the informants are strongly in favour of an increased nativity, whereas there also is ambivalence, because of the current societal atmosphere. The major societal improvements have been related to material resources and technological advances. The general opinion is that contemporary social interactions are rather weak; several informants mentioned how familial bonds nowadays are weaker than when they were younger. Older women have an ambivalent opinion regarding the treatment of elderly today, for instance mixed treatment of healthcare phone calls, or the treatment depending on the older person’s general health condition. The women also provided insight into how society has changed; for instance that men are more willing in today’s society to take an active role in regards to household chores, such as vacuum cleaning and cooking. This is a phenomenon that is observed amongst the women who have sons. However, there is an agreement that the grandchild situation is vastly different in contrast to their own, as the informants themselves were growing up.