The ongoing tragedy at the Belarus–Poland border has been widely described as “hybrid warfare.” This framing, I argue, is deeply misleading. It casts the EU as a victim of geopolitical games while hiding the long-standing violence of Europe’s border regime—and even worse, it helps justify suspending human rights in the name of “defense.” Why Words…

When examining Finnish higher education, it becomes clear that universities are not isolated from the wider social structures in which they operate. The persistence of antiblack racism within academic spaces reflects both Finland’s historical relationship with colonialism and the nation’s ongoing reluctance to fully acknowledge racial inequality. What makes this problem particularly striking is the…

At Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) in Turku, we recently experienced firsthand what happens when students challenge what they perceive as racism in their institutions: initial praise, followed by silence. From Course Project to Campaign As part of our course Race, Racism and Antiracism, we were encouraged to create an antiracist campaign instead of the usual…

In recent years, Finland has joined the worldwide competition for “global talent.” Flagship programmes such as 90-Day Finn and Talent Boost advertise the country as an attractive destination for ambitious IT professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors. Promotional material emphasizes Finland’s high quality of life, its advanced digital infrastructure, and its need for skilled labour. By importing…

Tämä toimintakehotus nostaa esiin kysymyksen: mikä on suomalaisen akateemisen maailman vastuu Palestiinan tilanteessa? Tekstin taustalla on ajatus, että suomalaiset yliopistot eivät ole neutraaleja toimijoita, vaan niiden suhteet Israeliin – vaihtosopimukset, kurssisisällöt, tutkimusyhteistyöt ja yrityskumppanuudet – kytkevät ne osaksi Israelin ylläpitämää miehitystä ja asuttajakolonialismia. Kolonialistinen osallisuus ja yliopistojen vastuu Ulla Vuorelan (2009) käsitteellä kolonialistinen osallisuus kuvataan…

The call to action addressed to Finnish higher education institutions, scholars, and students in June 2021 challenges us to reconsider the role of academia in global structures of oppression. It specifically situates Finland’s academic world in relation to Israel’s occupation of Palestine, urging Finnish universities to acknowledge complicity and to take active steps toward solidarity…

The 2020 documentary Coded Bias highlights an urgent problem: artificial intelligence and facial recognition technologies, often marketed as “neutral” and “objective,” in fact reproduce—and sometimes intensify—racial, gendered, and other social inequalities. At the center of the film is MIT computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, who discovered that the facial recognition software she was testing could not…

In March 2021, a group of Finnish and international researchers issued a statement on a case that illustrates a broader societal problem: the silencing of people who speak about racism. The immediate context was the treatment of Dr. Faith Mkwesha’s underage son in Helsinki, who was violently restrained and detained after a ticket inspection—while his…

Kun tarkastelen suomalaisen työelämän tutkimuksia maahanmuuttajien asemasta, minua hätkähdyttää usein se, miten syvälle juurtuneita hierarkiat ja asenteet ovat, ja kuinka harvoin niitä nimetään rasismiksi. Raportit, joissa työnantajat kertovat rekrytointikokemuksistaan, näyttävät toistavan samoja kuvioita: EU-alueelta, Pohjoismaista tai Virosta tulevia työntekijöitä pidetään “luotettavina” ja “sopivina”, kun taas Afrikasta tai Lähi-idästä muuttaneiden kohdalla ennakkoluulot nousevat esiin. Tämänkaltaisia havaintoja…

The Covid-19 pandemic altered not only the ways in which we lived but also the ways in which states defined the very notion of “security.” In Finland, as across Europe, closed borders became the emblem of national safety. Yet paradoxically, amid these closures, doors were forced open for one particular group: migrant farm workers. When…