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October’s events at UEF address emigration, immigration and identity

In October, the University of Eastern Finland offers two events focusing on the themes of international mobility and identity: an online science café a video of which is available here and a photo exhibition on 5-9 October at Kuopio Campus open to university personnel and students and on 12-18 October at Puijo Tower Café open to the general public.

Café Smart: Who am I here and there, then and now? Changing ethnic identity in the context of emigration and immigration

The University of Eastern Finland’s Café Smart presented a live streamed studio discussion on 8 October 2020. Watch the video in Youtube!

Who am I and who are you? Does and can your ethnicity change as you travel this global world? These are some of the questions Assistant Professor Olga Davydova-Minguet and University Lecturer Päivi Armila will address in the light of their research. In addition, University Lecturer Sohaib Khan will share his inspiration for sharing the diversity and multicultural identities present at the University of Eastern Finland through his photo exhibition Women behind the walls. The discussion will be hosted by Roseanna Avento, Global Development Manager at UEF.  

It is a global world and people immigrate and emigrate more than ever before. Researchers at UEF study the day-to-day struggles and barriers that immigrants face from the perspective of immigration and integration policies and practices. They investigate the perceptions individuals have about their ethnicity and belonging, as well as external contradictions to these perceptions. They also explore how immigrants preserve their home cultures through transnational diaspora, media and memory politics. Welcome to hear about the latest research!

The language of the discussion will be English. Questions and comments can be presented during the event via Presemo. The event is free of charge and open to everyone interested.

Photo exhibition: Women beyond the walls

“My life in Kuopio and at UEF has allowed me to meet people from so many unique societies and it has broken many stereotypes in my head. So I thought to capture some of these exposures and understandings with my camera,” says University Lecturer Sohaib Khan of his photo exhibition Women beyond the walls, open to the university community  on 5-9  October 2020 in Snellmania lobby at Kuopio Campus and to the general public on 12-18  October 2020 Mon-Fri at 10 AM to 6 PM and Sat-Sun at 10 AM to 4 PM at Puijo Tower Café. Rector Jukka Mönkkönen will open the exhibition with Dr Khan in Snellmania lobby on Monday 5 October at 2 PM.

Khan has been teaching at UEF since 2006 in the Master’s Degree Programme in Public Health, and he specially  focuses on Public Health in Humanitarian Crises. For his photo exhibition, he has photographed women from different corners of the world – all of them UEF students or staff.

Khan points out that since the days of Minna Canth, women in Finland and around the world have made significant inroads into traditional male-dominated societies. “For this exhibition, I tried to see what Minna Canth wanted to see, women, strong women from all around the world in her little Kuopio. “

“These are the women who are breaking stereotypes, who are carving their paths in life how they want it, who are strong and motivated, who are the agents of change and who are the Minna Canths of their societies.”

For further information, please contact:

Café Smart - Roseanna Avento, Global Development Manager, roseanna.avento (a) uef.fi, +358403553828

Photo exhibition - Sohaib Khan, University Lecturer, sohaib.khan (a) uef.fi, +358 449871005