Some current projects
In my current occupation as professor at the University of Eastern Finland I lead research projects, construct and participate in scholarly networks and international projects, and give lectures in Finnish and English.
Russian Speakers in Finland, 1945-1991
Finland was a destination to more than 30.000 Russian speaking emigres after 1917. This group formed bustling communities during the 1920s and 1930s, which have been studied. After 1944, these people stayed in Finland, but there is hardly any research done about them. This project focuses on how Russian speaking communities adapted to the new situation with Soviet influence in Finland increasing.
Contemporary Russian History Politics
History has become a weapon in Putin's Russia. History politics became particularly strong since 2012. History teaching has been targeted and uniformed to serve Putin's politics, statues and memorials have been erected to wars and presumed war heroes. History has also become a tool in foreign politics, Russian invasion to Ukraine in 2022 being preceded by a major history war with Ukraine. This project investigates the ways in which the past is used to rise patriotism and create hostility towards perceived enemies.
Subtle Cultural Resistance during the Late Soviet Era
For a long time, I investigated Soviet cultural exchanges with the West. I began from the point of view of cultural diplomacy but moved towards transnational connections, the role of individuals and organizations and their networking. It turned out that there was a lot of activities stretching the boundaries of what was acceptable by the Soviet authorities. This project focuses on promoting and presenting of Soviet art abroad that was either banned or discouraged in the Soviet Union for political or ideological reasons.