Dr. Jussi Laine
University of Eastern Finland
Guest researcher from the 16th August to 15th October in the UniGR-CBS at University of Luxembourg
- The UniGR-CBS talked to Jussi Laine about his research stay
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What is your background as researcher?
By background, I am a human geographer, yet in my approach to borders, the main focus of my research, I take rather interdisciplinary approach. This is reflected in current position, which is an associate professor of multidisciplinary border studies at the Karelian Institute of the University of Eastern Finland. From 2013 to 2021, I led the Association for Borderlands Studies, and have since then been elected as the President of the Western Social Science Association.
Which research topics are of particular interest for you?
I have sought to explore the multiscalar production of borders and bring a critical perspective to bear on the relationship between state, territory, citizenship, and identity construction. Most recently, I have published works on border mobility, migration, the ethics of borders and ontological (in)security. Here at UniLu, I intend to focus on counter-Europeanisation and how borders have come to play a critical role as an interface between domestic concerns and wider interstate and intercultural contexts.
Why is the UniGR-CBS an interesting partner for your research?
I see common interests that provide a fruitful premise for new scientific, strategic partnerships. There is a lot for me to gain here, yet I hope to have also a contribution to make in strengthening the UniGR-CBS network by fostering its operational linkages to the leading border studies networks. The institutional development must go hand in hand with the scientific aspirations of the field. The UniGR-CBS holds a great potential in the development of the field, and I’d be eager to enhance this process.
What are your plans for the next two months in terms of cooperation?
Understanding that the two-month period is a relative shorth one for conducting in-depth research, I see that the greatest benefit of my visit lies in fostering not only institutional but interpersonal linkages and make concrete strategic plans for joint research funding applications in order to secure the financial base for our joint scientific work. We work on very similar themes and possess complementary expertise. This appears as a great set up for future collaboration.
Internal UniGR-CBS Networking Workshop (only UniGR-CBS members)
