Kuulumisen tunne moninaistuvissa työyhteisöissä – luottamus, ohjeistukset ja tunteet työssä kanssatutkijoiden silmin.
S. Vanhanen, N. Bracone, N. Miido ja N. Raut (ennakkojulkaisu). Työelämän tutkimus. Linkki julkaisuun

Artikkeli käsittelee kuulumisen tunnetta moninaistuvissa työyhteisöissä lähestyen aihetta työelämän vastaanottavuuden näkökulmasta. Arkisia käytäntöjä ja työyhteisöjen toimintaa tarkastelevassa tutkimuksessa kysyttiin, mitä kuuluminen on ja millä tavoin se rakentuu tai särkyy kielellisesti ja kulttuurisesti moninaisessa työyhteisössä. Aineistolähtöinen artikkeli perustuu tutkimukseen, jonka toteutuksessa oli mukana neljä tutkijaa eri organisaatioista. Osa heistä on ollut mukana myös aineiston analyysi- ja kirjoittamisvaiheessa.

Arvonluonti ja maahanmuuttojärjestelmä : työnantajien rekrytointi- ja johtamiskyvyt yhdenvertaisten arvonluontipolkujen rakentamisessa. Raunio, Mika (2026-03). Siirtolaisuusinstituutin julkaisut. Linkki julkaisuun

Maahanmuutto on prosessi, jossa vastaanottavan yhteiskunnan toimijat – erityisesti työnantajat – eivät ainoastaan reagoi tulijoihin vaan aktiivisesti tuottavat ja muokkaavat maahanmuuttoa osana omaa toimintaansa. Yhteiskunnallisessa keskustelussa tulisikin painottaa nykyistä enemmän organisaatioiden kyvykkyyttä hallita muutosta ja kehittää näitä prosesseja kestävällä ja oikeudenmukaisella tavalla. Nämä kyvykkyydet ovat onnistuneen maahanmuuton kriittinen tekijä.

Belonging through information: Mapping immigrant integration needs in Nordic societies, Library & Information Science Research 48 (1), pp. 1–9). Ahmadinia, H (2026). Link to the article

Access to clear and usable information is central to how immigrants navigate everyday life in Nordic welfare societies. Difficulties in finding reliable information, limited availability of familiar languages, and fragmented institutional communication constrain participation and lead many to rely on informal networks. These challenges shape service use as well as trust and a sense of belonging, making information access a key dimension of integration.

Combining HEIs’ international talent attraction and regional engagement. Routledge. Kolehmainen, J., Jousmäki, H., Kurikka, H., & Raunio, M. In International talent and regional development in the knowledge economy. (2024) Link to the article

The chapter examines the role of higher education institutions in international talent attraction and regional engagement through a case study of Seinäjoki. It shows that attracting international talent and supporting their regional attachment are often treated as separate activities, even though their integration is crucial for long-term retention. The findings highlight the importance of collaboration between HEIs, regional actors, and employers, as well as local structures, in anchoring international talent to regional development.

“Jotta Suomi ei olisi muita houkuttelevampi” – Vetävät, pitävät ja työntävät tekijät hallituksen esityksissä ulkomaalaislaiksi vuosina 1990–2020. Leppäkorpi, M (2025). Sosiologia, 62(4). Linkki julkaisuun

Artikkeli tarkastelee, miten maahanmuuttopolitiikkaa perustellaan hallituksen esityksissä ulkomaalaislaiksi vuosina 1990–2020 vetävien, pitävien ja työntävien tekijöiden kautta. Se osoittaa, että politiikassa korostuu pyrkimys säädellä Suomen houkuttelevuutta suhteessa muihin maihin, jolloin maahanmuutto kehystyy ennen kaikkea hallinnan ja rajaamisen kysymyksenä. Tämä kehystys vaikuttaa siihen, millaisia ratkaisuja pidetään mahdollisina ja oikeutettuina, ja ohjaa keskustelua pois maahanmuuton laajemmista yhteiskunnallisista vaikutuksista.

Traversing Terrains of Proximities and Place Attachment in Forced Migrants’ Lives in Finland. Kauhanen, I., Hiitola, J. & Vähä-Savo, V. Population, Space and Place 32: e70233 (2026). Link to the article.

This study focuses on place attachment in the experiences of forced migrants in Finland. We are interested in how places feel distant or close and analyze the relations of everyday materialities and place attachment. We draw from 25 interviews with ten participants, combining walking interviews with reflective follow-up sessions. The findings demonstrate that place attachment is shaped by three types of proximity: spatio-temporal, affective, and positional proximity. These three are closely entangled with each other, influencing how close, safe, or comfortable a place feels. The participants’ accounts stress that there is an urgent need to start considering how to create places of joy, where forced migrants can feel a sense of belonging as well as take control of their own lives.

Emotions and emotional agency at work: the perspective of trust. Vanhanen, S., Turjanmaa, E. & Kähäri, O. Vocations and Learning 19, 1 (2026). Link to the article

Recent research highlights the importance of understanding how emotions and emotional agency shape everyday interaction in work communities. This study examines emotional agency through the lens of trust, analysing emotion diaries from employees in four organisations to explore how emotions are expressed in both employee–supervisor and colleague relationships. The findings show that emotional agency operates differently across these relationships: professional recognition was central in vertical trust relations, while sharing information and emotions was more prominent in horizontal ones. Overall, the study demonstrates that fostering emotional agency within work communities can help repair breaches of trust, strengthen belonging, and support learning at work, with particular responsibility resting on management and supervisors.

Shaping Immigration Attitudes: The Role of Human Values, Media Engagement and Sociopolitical Events Among European Managers. Ahmadinia, H. (2025). Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 16(1), p. 6. Link to the article.

This article examines how human values, media engagement and sociopolitical events shape immigration attitudes across Europe, with a particular focus on understanding the immigration attitudes of European managers, using other workers as a comparison group. Drawing on European Social Survey data from 2016–2023, this study integrates Schwartz’s theory of basic human values with media sociology to explore the interactive effects of value orientations and information exposure. Using multilevel linear modelling, the analysis reveals that self‑transcendence values and structured political news consumption are consistently associated with more inclusive immigration attitudes.

By combining individual, occupational and contextual factors, this study contributes to understanding how inclusive attitudes are shaped and reinforced within Europe’s evolving information landscape.

Unfolding the Broader Trust Landscape of Institutional Encounters Between Forced Migrants and the Welfare States of Finland and Sweden: The Role of Third-Party Actors. Sundbäck, L., & Nordberg, C. (2025). Nordisk välfärdsforskning | Nordic Welfare Research, 10(4), 1–13. Link to the article.

This article investigates the broader landscape of trust in institutional encounters between forced migrants and the welfare state. It foregrounds different actors who are positioned at differing proximities to the actual encounter and have more direct and indirect influence on the street-level bureaucratic process. The analysis draws on fieldwork conducted in Finland and Sweden, building on interviews with street-level bureaucrats and interviews with forced migration background service users.

The analysis shows how actors outside the core institutional encounter function in different ways as enablers and preventers of trust, and thereby ultimately reinforce or counteract structural disadvantage in a forced migration setting. Hence, they influence service users’ and street-level bureaucrats‘ trusting relations and consequently how service users are included in bureaucratic processes that support their integration.

Intergenerational Transmission of Institutional Distrust: The Aftermath of Transnational Oppression of Ingrian Refugees After World War II. Kähäri, O. & Turjanmaa, E. (2025). In K. Alenius, S. Kaubrys & I. Zakšauskienė (Eds.), Aspects of Everyday Life In Lithuania and Finland In the Early 20th Century (pp. 289-307). Pohjois-Suomen historiallinen yhdistys. Link to the article.

Recent studies on trust in the context of refugee and minority studies have often failed to look at how specific historical events and circumstances impact migrants’ trust and distrust towards institutions. Moreover, migrant parents’ trust towards institutions is shaped by their experiences before, during, and after migration, and their level of trust affects also their children’s institutional trust.  

In this study, the intergenerational transmission of institutional distrust is explored by focusing on administrative practices experienced among Ingrian Finns with a history of forced displacement and transnational persecution. By closely analysing one case from wider interview data, it is asked what kind of role institutional distrust experienced in family history plays in shaping institutional trust among a descendant of a forcibly displaced Ingrian family. 

Kieltäytyminen rakkauden tekona: Hetkiä pakolaisuuden, nuoruuden ja yhdenvertaisuuden toivon risteymissä. Kauhanen, I. (2025). Nuorisotutkimus, 43(3), 22-37. Link to the article.

This article explores refusal as an act of love through the experiences shared by 15 young people (aged 15–25) who arrived in Finland as refugees. This approach to the concept of refusal is derived from Indigenous and Black feminist thought, where love is understood as a practice oriented towards collective wellbeing. Refusal is more than saying “no”; it encourages new forms of collective thinking and ongoing acts of participation. Using open-ended methods in discussions with the young people, I identified three themes related to refusal as an act of love: shared joy, reciprocal recognition, and equity of space. By refusing to accept unequal treatment and practices, the young people made visible the inequalities they face and expressed hope for respectful, reciprocal encounters and equal treatment. Refusal as an act of love highlights the inequities in society as well as the agencies and participation that commonly remain unseen.

Promise of Gender Equality, Disrupted: Finnish Working Life in Experiences of Migrant Women. Dergacheva, Y. (2025). Retfærd, Volume 48, no. 2-2025. Link to the article.

Despite Finland’s globally acknowledged image as a happy country that has achieved gender equality, migrant women in Finland experience intersecting forms of discrimination and gender-based violence while also being the least employed demographic in the country. This qualitative study examines how migrant women navigate the contrast between an idealised narrative explicitly taught to migrants and their lived experiences of oppression. The research combines data from in-depth interviews with eight migrant women and five experts on sexual harassment, autoethnography, and desk research. Utilising Sara Ahmed’s concept of the ‘promise of happiness’ and affective dissonance provided deep insight into the affective dimension of oppression in the ‘happiest country in the world.’ 

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ECtHR jurisprudence amid political shifts: rolling back the protection against pushbacks. Klaus, W., & Kmak, M. (2025).The International Journal of Human Rights, 1–20. Link to the article

In this article, we scrutinise the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments issued in cases of border protection and pushbacks since 2016. We argue that these judgments issued amid political shifts on national and regional levels and mounting criticism of the Court have generated interconnected effects of (1) lowering the standards of protection of the people on the move; (2) shifting the emphasis from human rights protection at the border towards protection of the border; and (3) particularisation of rights protection by limiting protection of certain groups of people on the move. Such a process leads, as we argue, to undermining the Court’s original mandate from primarily safeguarding individuals’ human rights (the person-centric mandate) towards foregrounding the sovereignty of states.

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Methodological dilemmas of participatory and mobile ethnography in researching learning in organizational contexts. Lemmetty S., & Vanhanen, S. (2025). Learning in Context, Volume 2, Issues 1–2. Link to the article

This article examines the processes of participatory and mobile ethnography (PME), that emphasise the co-production of knowledge, collaborative research, and the varying roles and tasks of researchers in the ethnographic process. Ethnographic data were gathered in two workplace learning projects through mobile ethnographic tools and by involving organizational actors as co-researchers. Through data analysis, the study reflects on three co-researching dilemmas related to PME: guidance, experiential, and epistemological. This study contributes new understanding of the roles, practices, and challenges associated with mobile and participatory forms of ethnography.

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“Not by preaching” but storytelling: anti-racist podcast production in Finland in the European context. Kähäri, O. (2025). Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1–18. Link to the article

By using the methods of podcast ethnography, I explore how young adults make everyday racism visible and model moderate resistance in three podcasts produced in Finland. I also study to what extent and how anti-racist activities reflect different dimensions of (dis)trust. The results indicate that, although podcast producers made visible discriminatory and othering practices both in everyday encounters and institutional settings, they used rather optimistic perspectives in their anti-racist media activism to highlight their agency. I identified three reconstructive trust-increasing anti-racist strategies produced collectively through podcast discussions, contributing to the development of both social trust models and self-confidence.

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Forced Migrants in Nordic Histories. Leinonen, J., Tervonen, M., Frøland, H. O., Hoffmann, C., Jalagin, S., Jønsson, H. V., Tureby, M. T. (Eds.) (2025). Helsinki University Press. 364 p. Link to the book

Forced Migrants in Nordic Histories sheds light on the often-overlooked histories of forced migrants in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden during the 20th and 21st centuries. It offers the first comparative, region-wide volume focused specifically on the histories of refugees and other groups of forced migrants across the Nordic countries.

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For the Love of Research. Kauhanen, I., & Russial, M. (2025). Knowledge Cultures, 13(1), 50-81. Link to the article

In this article, we discuss what we have learned about love and how it is perceived in academia. We wish to celebrate some of the complex global histories and contemporary practices of love as a political concept. While the concept of care is much more common than love in Eurocentric research that attends to issues of social justice, we suggest that love has much to offer the conversation. Following varied contributions from Black feminist, Indigenous and postcolonial lines of thought and drawing from sources across the social sciences, arts and humanities, we approach love as a choice of action that requires an open and honest atmosphere of trust and a collective will to work towards shared wellbeing. Based on this conceptualisation of love, we propose love as a premise and source of praxis for ethical research.

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Maahamuuttojärjestelmän analyysi ja hallinta. Raunio, M. & Ahvenainen, T. (Eds) (2025) Migration-Muuttoliike, Vol 51 Nro 1. Link to the publication

The purpose of this issue is to bring to the discussion a more updated version of the systems-based framework as a tool for analyzing and managing migration.

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The Women of Al-Hol: Deservingness and the Politics of Vulnerability and Security. Heikkilä, M. and Kmak, M. (2025), Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 15(2), p. 4. Link to the article

This article analyses the relationship between security- and vulnerability-based reasoning in the interpretation of extraterritorial human rights obligations, taking the repatriation of adult Finnish women from the al-Hol Camp as an example. It discusses the function of vulnerabilization and securitization as qualification tools within human rights law to manage access to rights protection establishing a theoretical framework of deservingness. Fundamentally, the article argues that states often approach the human rights of those who have put themselves and others at risk differently from the human rights of those who are recognized as vulnerable.

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Deterrence as Legal Innovation: Management of Unwanted Mobilities and the Future of Refugee Protection. Phillips S. & Kmak M. (2024) In: Natalia Kohtamäki N., Peuker E. & Zaun N.(Eds) Innovative Public Governance in Times of Crisis. Link to the article

This chapter focuses on practices of deterrence as a legal innovation intended to manage unwanted mobilities. It focuses on the discrepancy between the global commitment to human rights and the practical implementation by states of refugee protection with respect to protection seekers from former colonial countries. The chapter orients further research on trust in human rights and international legal standards.

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A Critical Engagement with the Conceptualization of Sexual Harassment in International Human Rights Law. Dergacheva Y. (2024) Nordic Journal of Human Rights. Link to the article

This article examines the concept of sexual harassment in international human rights law (IHRL), focusing on its evolution and various contexts. It highlights how the portrayal of a hypothetical ‘victim’ in legal texts often centers on white cisgender middle-class women, marginalizing other identities. The research concludes that this narrow focus leads to the exclusion of diverse subjects and contexts from legal protections against sexual harassment.

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Moninaiset Kieliyhteisöt Työssä ja Arjessa – Diverse Language Communities in Work and Everyday Life. Bäckman L., Vanhanen S. (Eds) (2024) Migration-Muuttoliike, 50(1) Link to the publication

“The topic of this theme issue of Migration-Muuttoliike are diverse language communities in work and everyday life. The articles approach the theme both through research and everyday encounters. Several of the texts are based on personal experiences and reflections of them in the light of academic research.” 

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Family Reunification Restrictions and the Politics of Belonging in Finland. Retfaerd: nordisk juridisk tidsskrift, 175(1), 43-55. Palander, Jaana. (2023). Link to the article 

The article examines how family reunification policies in Finland construct and regulate belonging to society through legislative frameworks. It shows that restrictions on family reunification shape who is recognized as a legitimate member of society, linking legal status to ideas of deservingness and integration. These dynamics influence migrants’ lived experiences of inclusion and exclusion, highlighting how policy frameworks actively produce boundaries of belonging.

(Im)possibilities of Parity of Participation in School Settings in the Lives of Unaccompanied Youth. Kauhanen, I., Lanas, M. & Kaukko, M. (2023). International Journal of Inclusive Education. Link to the article

This paper examines situations in which outcomes do not align with efforts regarding students’ opportunities to participate equally. The research, conducted as an ethnography, focuses on young people who arrived in Finland as unaccompanied asylum-seeking youths. The study reveals how seemingly ‘innocent’ and well-meaning practices contribute to a web of exclusion, making inclusion and equal participation practically impossible for young people seeking asylum.

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Työnantajien kansainvälisen rekrytoinnin ja monikulttuurisen johtamisen kyvykkyydet Suomessa. Raunio, M. (2023) Avoin dokumenttijulkaistu kommenttikierrokselle. Valmis raportti julkaistaan Siirtolaisuusinstituutin raportteja sarjassa. Linkki raporttiin

Tutkimus korostaa työnantajien keskeistä roolia kansainvälisessä rekrytoinnissa ja monikulttuurisessa johtamisessa. Vaikka työnantajien asenne on myönteinen, tarvitaan lisätoimia urapolkujen kehittämiseksi ja tasa-arvoisuuden edistämiseksi. Tutkimuksen mukaan työnantajien kyvykkyys rekrytoida ja johtaa monimuotoisia työyhteisöjä vaikuttaa merkittävästi maahanmuuton onnistumiseen ja sen vaikutuksiin suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa. Kyselyyn osallistui 97 suomalaista työnantajaa.

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How diversity matters in working life: A literature review in a Finnish context. Vanhanen, S., Raunio, M., Heikkilä, E., & Olegário, G. (2023) Migration Letters Special Issue. Link to the article

This literature review draws together three perspectives on Finnish working life: employees with an immigrant background, their colleagues, and their employers. Building truly multicultural workplaces requires an understanding of work processes, workplace roles and opportunities for participation. From an employer’s perspective, it would be relevant to look at what factors contribute to diversity in different sectors and at regional and national level.

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Law, Migration, and Human Mobility. Kmak, M. (2023). Routledge. Link to the book

This book looks at how law and human mobility interact, going beyond the usual understanding of migration law as simply regulating border crossings. It explores a broader idea of mobility, showing how movement shapes global, legal dynamics. Using concepts like ‘kinology,’ ‘kinopolitics,’ and ‘mobility justice,’ the book examines how movement plays a role in political and social systems, challenging fixed ideas like the state and border and emphasizing how human mobility itself helps shape the law.

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How and why does official information become misinformation? A typology of official misinformation. Ruokolainen, H., Widén, G., & Eskola, E.-L. (2023). Library & Information Science Research, 45(2), 101237. Link to the article

This study emphasizes that official information can be a source of misinformation, uncovering four types: outdated, conflicting, incomplete information, and perceived intimidation. It suggests that tailored and clear communication, potentially with in-person support, is essential to mitigate misinformation risks and ensure information is suited to diverse groups.

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Nordic Exceptionalism or a Well-Trodden Path? Asylum Policy Lessons From the US and Australia. Phillips, S. (2023)Retfaerd: nordisk juridisk tidsskrift, 175 (1) , 55-68. Link to the article

This study highlights that in Nordic countries, similar to a broader trend among affluent nations, the response to asylum seekers is centered on deterring entry rather than addressing asylum needs. Despite a recent shift in attitude towards Ukrainian refugees, challenging this approach, it actually reinforces the perception of refugees as either welcome or unwelcome. Drawing parallels with historical policies in the United States and Australia, this study reveals a pattern of toughened political responses and a decline in upholding international human rights and refugee law, posing a risk to the asylum institution.

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Pockets of love. Unaccompanied children in institutional care in Finland. Kauhanen, I., Kaukko, M., Lanas, M. Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 141, October. 2022. Link to the article

This article discusses how needs for loving relationships are met for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Finland. The data was collected through a focused ethnography with 13 unaccompanied children. The findings show that institutional protocols and practices fail to consider the need for love of these children, hindering their possibilities to create or maintain loving relationships. The findings also suggest that new loving ties could be created when individuals invested in them.

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Enrolling around – Reconfiguring place and space in the wake of a new reception centre in a small rural town. Välimaa, M, Vähä-Savo, V & Hiitola, J (2022). Population, Space and Place. Link to the article

This paper explores how a small town in Finland, Kauhava, changed after a reception center was set up. The study explores the micro-level dynamics shaping place and belonging, analyzing how varying perspectives on community and identity contribute to a complex interplay of actors and spaces, drawing from interviews with town officials, reception center volunteers, opponents, and refugees.