ETMU 2026

Trust, Belonging, and Migration in Nordic Peripheral Border Regions

Session convener: Mamata Raj mamata.raj@helsinki.fi

Session description

This session explores the role of trust in shaping migration experiences and processes of belonging among immigrant women living in small towns and rural cross-border regions across the Nordic context. While migration research has predominantly focused on urban settings, less attention has been paid to peripheral border areas where mobility, demographic change, and limited resources significantly shape everyday life and opportunities.

The session invites contributions from a range of cross-border contexts, including the Finland–Sweden border, the Finland–Norway border, and connections between Finland and Estonia. These regions provide valuable insights into how borders are lived and experienced in everyday practices such as employment, access to services, community participation, and cross-border mobility. By broadening the geographical scope, the session seeks to encourage comparative perspectives and interdisciplinary dialogue.

In rural and peripheral border regions, trust becomes a crucial resource for navigating daily life. It influences access to employment, social networks, and institutional support systems. At the same time, trust is not fixed; it is continuously built, negotiated, and sometimes challenged through experiences of recognition, exclusion, and inequality. Immigrant women’s experiences are particularly important in this context, as they often engage with multiple social roles and institutional structures while contributing to local economies and communities.

The session approaches trust as a dynamic and relational process shaped by gender, mobility, and local socio-economic conditions. It examines how trust operates across multiple levels, including interpersonal relations, community networks, institutional encounters, and cross-border interactions. In doing so, it highlights the complexities of belonging and integration in non-urban contexts.

Possible topics include:

  • Immigrant women’s experiences of trust in rural and cross-border regions
  • Social networks, care practices, and community-building
  • Institutional trust and encounters with integration and employment services
  • Cross-border mobility and its impact on belonging and opportunities
  • Recognition of skills and labour market participation
  • Experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and resilience

The session welcomes interdisciplinary contributions from researchers and practitioners working on migration, belonging, and social relations in peripheral and cross-border contexts. By bringing together diverse Nordic cases, it aims to foster comparative discussions and highlight the significant role of immigrant women in sustaining local communities and regional vitality.

Language policy: The session welcomes presentations in English. Contributions in Finnish or Swedish are also encouraged to support inclusive and multilingual participation.