16-17.5.2024 in Åbo Akademi, ASA & Aurum, Turku

NOTE! The registration for the conference has closed. You can follow part of the program via online streaming, no need to register for this. See the program below for more detailed information.

>>To online streaming

Conference booklet with info pack abstracts and program

Program

Thursday, 16.5.2024, ASA Building (Vänrikinkatu 3 B)

9:30-10:00 Registration

10:00-10:15 Welcome, ASA Stora

10:15-11:30 Keynote 1, ASA Stora, Online streaming Patricia Hynes, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, Sheffield Hallam University: A Cautionary Tale: From Integration to Hostility in the UK

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:00 Session 1, ASA Stora, Online streaming

Integration in diverse societies (2 papers)

• Pasi Saukkonen, City of Helsinki, Urban Research and Statistics: Permit, Prohibit, Tolerate
• Elina Turjanmaa, University of Oulu; Sari Vanhanen, Migration Institute of Finland: Rebuilding understanding of integration in professional discourse and practices

13:00-14:15 Lunch

14:15-15:45 Session 2 (Parallel sessions a-b)

a) Practices of rebuilding and empowering, ASA Stora (3 papers)

• Saara Intonen, University of Oulu: Integration and recognition in experiences of forced migration
• Olga Tkach, University of Helsinki: Temporary protection and private home accommodation in Finland: Care and reproductive labour of grassroots volunteers
• Outi Kähäri, University of Oulu: Promoting Social Justice in Working Life by Anti-racist Podcasts

b) Skilled migrants participation, ASA Lilla (3 papers)

• Anna Björnö, Tampere University; Helena Hinke Dobrochinski, University of Helsinki; Sonja Trifuljesko, University of Helsinki: Skilled migrant attraction and subsequent migrant participation in society
• Hamed Ahmadinia, Åbo Akademi University: Pioneering Integration Strategies for Skilled Immigrants in the European Context
• Nilay Kilinç, Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies, University of Helsinki: Challenges in Labour Market Integration for Skilled Migrants and Utilisation of Transcultural Capital

15:45-16:15 Break

16:15-17:30 Keynote 2, ASA Stora, Online streaming: Tamar De Waal, University of Amsterdam Changing perspectives on ‘integration’: Insights from the Netherlands

18:30>>>>> Dinner at Aboa Vetus Ars Nova, Itäinen Rantakatu 4-6 (required pre-registration/ registration closed)

FRIday 17.5.2024, aurum building (Henrikinkatu 2)

9:30-11:00 Session 3 (Parallel sessions c-d)

c) Trust and belonging, Aurum Argentum (3 papers)

• Valtteri Vähä-Savo, Tampere University; Venla Koivuluhta, University of Oulu: Disentangling dimensions of trust in the context of converted asylum seekers
• Zahra Hosseini, University of Helsinki: From Cultural Integration to Inclusion With the Catalytic Role of Trust and Belonging
• Iida Kauhanen, University of Oulu; Joa Hiitola, University of Oulu; Valtteri Vähä-Savo, Tampere University: Traversing Racialized Terrains of Trust

d) Institutional encounters I, Aurum Rhodium (3 papers)

• Liselott Sundbäck, Åbo Akademi University: Unfolding institutional encounters between forced migrants and welfare professionals
• Anna Sjödal, Åbo Akademi University: Thinking of integration: language choice and profession perspective
• Seija Jalagin, University of Oulu: Family matters, state affairs: Intersections of interwar refugee management in Finland

11:00-11:30 Coffee break

11:30-13:00 Session 4 (Parallel sessions e-f)

e) Tactics of innovation and inclusion, Aurum Rhodium (3 papers)

• Linda Haapajärvi: Making do with policy. The participation tactics of migrant women in Paris and Helsinki
• Veikko Ikonen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.: Democratizing innovations: challenges and opportunities in innovation with citizens
• Anastasiia Korol, University of Jyväskylä: Is there only way to integrate?

f) Institutional encounters II, Aurum Argentum (3 papers)

• Anne Häkkinen, Aalto University; Johanna Ylipulli, Aalto University: Exploring service providers views on building inclusive cities
• Mika Raunio, Migration Institute of Finland: Capabilities of employers to enhance two-way integration – systemic approach
• Aaro Tupasela, University of Helsinki: Chatbots as mediators of integration

13:00-14:15 Lunch

14:15-15:45 Panel discussion, Aurum Argentum,Online streaming

Integration in a just society – a dialogue between research and practice

• Shadia Rask, THL
• Anna Kivinen, City of Turku
• Carolin Ahlvik-Harju, Deaconess Foundation

15:45-16:00 Conclusions

Safer space guidelines

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>>Mobile Futures safer space guidelines

About the conference

What is integration in a just society? While official integration policies rest on the idea of two-way integration, in practice, integration policies and measures are geared only towards the migrant population. Innovative approaches to integration require strategic reorientation as well as novel ways of thinking and studying integration. This means a shift in focus from migrants to the whole society, as well as a critical look at discriminatory practices in the receiving society.

Welcome to join this interdisciplinary conference! Our aim is to:

1. Imagine novel approaches to integration that focus on society as a whole: through law, information, the labour market and everyday encounters 

2. And discuss how these can be applied in migration and integration practices and policies by decision makers, civil servants, practitioners, NGOs, and other stakeholders

If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach out to: hello@mobilefutures.fi