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Katri Vala -center, Ilomantsi, Pohjois-Karjala.

Thematic research areas of the Karelian Institute

Here, you can read more about the thematic research areas, research themes and projects of the Karelian Institute.

Regional and rural studies 

The research priorities of this thematic area are  

  • Peripheral regions of Europe  
  • Sustainable development in rural areas  
  • Employment, labour market, well-being and gender equality.  

The Karelian Institute has a long history in basic and applied multidisciplinary research in the regional and rural development of Eastern Finland. For more than 20 years now, the Institute has also been engaged in research focusing on working life and regional labour markets. In these fields of research, cooperation is close with undergraduate and postgraduate education and active connections are maintained with various regional development operators. The unit in charge of commissioned research is the Centre for Regional Research, Spatia.  

The responsible person in this thematic area is Petri Kahila, Research Director at Spatia.       

Ethnicity and culture 

The research priorities of this thematic area are  

  • History and present in Karelia, Eastern Finland and Northwest Russia  
  • Cultures of border regions, social and cultural activities  
  • Relations between ethnic groups, mobility, identity and gender.  

The research projects carried out under this thematic area are interdisciplinary, combining cultural studies, historical research, and social sciences. This thematic area’s strengths lie in offering national and international multidisciplinary research expertise related to its focus areas and research priorities, as well as producing information that is applicable in the comparative examination of border regions and cultural boundaries, migration, history, identities, and cultural processes..  

The responsible person in this thematic area is Professor Pekka Suutari.

Borders and Russia 

The research priorities of the Borders and Russia thematic area are  

  • Karelia and the changes in the social and governmental structures in Russia  
  • External borders of the EU, integration and neighbourhood  
  • Life, migration and interaction in border regions.  

This thematic area focuses on Northwest Russia and Northern Europe; Finland and the eastern border of the European Union and the border regions. Our approach to research is multidisciplinary and comparative, and our researchers actively participate in international research debate on the formation of nations and regions, the changing significance of borders, and development of border regions, particularly as part of European integration, globalisation and the period of social and political transition following the Cold War.  

VERA network for Russian and Border Studies coordinates research and promotes education programmes on Russian and Border Studies at the University of Eastern Finland.  

The responsible person in this thematic area is Professor Ilkka Liikanen.