People
This page lists TaSTI's personnel and all those who do research and/or operative tasks somehow related to TaSTI.
Pertti Alasuutari
- Professor
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358504211053
- pertti.alasuutari@tuni.fi
-
By appointment.
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4111-9641
- CV:
More information
About me
I am interested in the global system, especially in the global travel of ideas and in governance through epistemic means both in national and global contexts. I have also had a long-term interest in social research methodology, especially qualitative research.
Responsibilities
I am professor of sociology and research director of the Tampere Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (TaSTI). Within TaSTI, I lead the Tampere Research Group for Cultural and Political Sociology (TCuPS), an energetic group of scholars who share my interest in world society, national policymaking, global circulation of ideas, epistemic governance, and sociology of knowledge.
Field of expertise
My areas of specialization are global studies, social and cultural theory, and methodology of social research.
Research unit
Tampere Research Group for Cultural and Political Sociology (TCuPS)
Research fields
See more about my research interests in our research team's home page: Tampere Research Group for Cultural and Political Sociology (TCuPS)
Research career
2016-2020 Academy of Finland, Epistemic capital in the synchronization of national policies; large scale research project
2014-2018 Epistemic governance in policymaking; large scale research project
2014-2016 Kone Foundation: Synchronization of national policies; small scale research project
2009-2013 Academy of Finland, The Moderns; large scale research project
2009-2012 Academy of Finland, Domestication of Ubiquitous Communication
2006-2009 Academy of Finland, Knowledge Production, Power, and Global Social Change
2000-2004 Tekes, Alma Media & Stora Enso, Media and Everyday Life
2001-2002 Academy of Finland, The Cultural Unconscious
1996-2002 Academy of Finland, The Habitus Research Project
1997-1999 Sitra, National Culture and Identity; part of Sitra’s Globalization, Welfare and Employment project
Main positions of trust
Chair of the board of the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies
Selected publications
Recent select publications
Ulybina, Olga, Laia Pi Ferrer & Pertti Alasuutari: “Intergovernmental organizations in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic: Organizational behaviour in crises and under uncertainty”. International Sociology 37(4), 2022, 415–438. DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/02685809221094687
Qadir, Ali & Pertti Alasuutari: ”The Discursive Side of Sociological Institutionalism in the Study of Religion”. Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 2022: 1-23, DOI https://doi.org/10.1163/15700682-bja10075
Alasuutari, Pertti & Ali Qadir: Epistemic Governance: Social change in the modern world . London and New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2019.
Alasuutari, Pertti & Valtteri Vähä-Savo: Owning worldwide principles: The case of American exceptionalism. Social Science Information 57 (4), 2018, 533–552.
Pi Ferrer, Laia, Pertti Alasuutari & Leena Tervonen-Gonçalves: Looking at others in national policy-making: the construction of reference groups in Portugal and Spain from 2008 to 2013. European Politics and Society 20 (3), 2018, 333–347.
Alasuutari, Pertti, Marjaana Rautalin & Jukka Tyrkkö: The rise of the idea of model in policymaking: The case of the British parliament, 1803–2005. European Journal of Sociology 59 (3), 2018, 341-363.
Alasuutari, Pertti: Authority as epistemic capital. Journal of Political Power 11 (2), 2018, 165-190.
Wang, Li & Pertti Alasuutari: Co-construction of the tourist experience in social networking sites: Two forms of authenticity intertwined. Tourist Studies 17 (4), 2017, 388–405.
Alasuutari, Pertti: The Synchronization of National Policies: Ethnography of the Global Tribe of Moderns. London: Routledge 2016.
Alasuutari, Pertti & Ali Qadir: Imageries of the social world in epistemic governance. International Sociology 31 (6), 2016, 633-652.
Alasuutari, Pertti: The Discursive Side of New Institutionalism. Cultural Sociology 9 (2) 2015, 162–184.
Alasuutari, Pertti: Following the Example of Other Countries? Policy Analysis of New Legislation in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 16 (3) 2014, 266-279.
Alasuutari, Pertti and Ali Qadir: Epistemic governance: an approach to the politics of policy-making. European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology 1, 2014, 67–84.
Eeva Heikkilä
- Project Coordinator
- Project Management Office
- Tampere University of Applied Sciences
- +358503182139
- eeva.e.heikkila@tuni.fi
Johanna Hokka
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358504130322
- johanna.hokka@tuni.fi
More information
Responsibilities
I work as a postdoctoral research fellow in the project Coexistence and conflict in the age of complexity (EmergentCommunity). The project is led by senior research fellow Eeva Puumala and funded by European Reseach Council.
Field of expertise
I am interested in how emotions construct the power relations in urban neighbourhoods in the age of complexity. Previously, my research has concerned the power struggles inside academia. In the project Academic Affects: research strategies as emotional hotspots my interest lies in the way emotions work to produce values, norms and ideals in the current academia. In particular, I have examined the affective-discursive sense-making among the university managers. My thesis Mitä on hyvä sosiologia: poikkikulttuurinen tutkimus sosiologian itseymmärryksestä (What counts as good sociology: cross-cultural analysis of the self-understanding of sociology) concerns how the elite in sociology defines good sociology in different national and temporal contexts.
Research fields
sosiology, urban studies, science studies
Mika Kautonen
- Senior Research Fellow
- innovaatiojärjestelmät ja innovaatiotoiminnan tutkimus
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358503186116
- +358405519282
- mika.kautonen@tuni.fi
Jaana Parviainen
- Senior Research Fellow
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358504106764
- jaana.parviainen@tuni.fi
More information
About me
I hold a PhD in philosophy (1998) from University of Tampere and received the title of docent in philosophy in 2002. My current research interests include ignorance studies and social epistemology relating to expertise and the politics of digitalisation in the post-capitalist society. My philosophical expertise covers social epistemology, the philosophy of technology and the phenomenology of embodiment.
Responsibilities
Research and leadership in research
Field of expertise
The Philosophy of Technology, Social Epistemology, Phenomenology, Ignorance Studies, Body Studies
Research topics
The Philosophy of Technology, Social Epistemology, Phenomenology, Ignorance Studies, Body Studies
Research unit
TaSTI: Research Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies Tieteenalat
Research career
My dissertation in philosophy (Bodies Moving and Moved, 1998) was a pioneering research focusing on contemporary dance within the context of the philosophy of the body. In my postdoctoral research, I have evolved a phenomenological approach to the technology of philosophy, published in several articles and as the monograph, Meduusan liike (2006). My aim has been to rethink the theoretical foundations of human-technology interaction from a phenomenological perspective and body studies. Drawing on the philosophy of technology, critical theory and phenomenology, my recent research on the philosophy of technology has focused on virtual environments, wearable technologies, big data, the digitalisation process of schools, smart cities, artificial intelligence and care robotics.
Since 2008, I have led five research projects to develop theoretically and epistemologically relevant conceptualization and approaches to understanding embodied capabilities and competences required of professionals in post-capitalist economies. In the research project ‘The Working Body in the Post-industrial Economy’ (WORKBOD, 2011-2014), funded by Academy, in collaboration with co-researchers we used various case studies and theoretical frameworks to outline a detailed and more general view of how digitalized work cultures modify the conditions for working bodies in the 2010s.
Throughout my research career, I have focused special attention on how researchers in empirical sciences and philosophy can cooperate in studies to develop research questions, frameworks and outcomes that are practically, empirically, theoretically and/or methodologically ambitious. Approximately half of my published books, papers and scientific articles are collaborative efforts. I have co-written research papers and articles with about 40 researchers in various disciplines, including management studies, education, sociology, information sciences, engineering, media studies, social policy, cultural anthropology and political sciences.
Top achievements
I have published over 60 blind peer-reviewed articles and/or papers, three monographs and four edited books. I have supervised four doctoral dissertations and worked as an opponent in nine public defenses. My work has earned two research awards. I was also elected a member of the Board of the University of Tampere (2013–2018) as a representative of teachers and researchers. I have led a number of interdisciplinary research projects funded by the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Education, the Finnish Work Environmental Fund, the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Tekes, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Wihuri Foundation and Gyllenberg Foundation.
Funding
The Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Education, the Finnish Work Environmental Fund, the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Tekes, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Wihuri Foundation.
Mission statement
My ongoing research projects. ‘Struggling with Ignorance: Negative Expertise and the Erosion of the Finnish Information Society at the Turn of 2020’ (NEGATE) is funded by the Academy of Finland, 2018–2022 (see https://research.uta.fi/negate-en/ ). The project focuses on new forms of ignorance and dis/misinformation in the post-capitalist society. It develops new theoretical tools for understanding how citizens challenge authorities through social media platforms and how authoritative systems create inequality, especially epistemic inequality, between citizens. Relevant questions for us, for instance, are: How can ignorance and uncertainty be managed in crisis situations? How do experts respond to manufactured ignorance, denial of science, and other challenges to expertise? Methodologically, we draw on a mixed-methods design that combines qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations, samples of media material and surveys.
Main positions of trust
Member of the Board of the University of Tampere as a representative of teachers and researchers (2013–2018)
Selected publications
Auvinen, P., Parviainen, J., Lahikainen, L. & Palukka, H. (2021) Discussion protocol for alleviating epistemic injustice: The case of community rehabilitation interaction and female substance abusers. Social Sciences 10(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10020045
Parviainen, J. & Koski, A. & Torkkola, S. (2021) ‘Building a ship while sailing it’. Epistemic humility and the temporality of non-knowledge in political decision-making on the COVID-19. Social Epistemology: A Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Policy 10.1080/02691728.2021.1882610
Parviainen J., Ridell S. (2021) Infrastructuring Bodies: Choreographies of Power in the Computational City. In: Nagenborg M., Stone T., González Woge M., Vermaas P.E. (eds) Technology and the City. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol 36. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52313-8_8
Parviainen, J. & Coeckelbergh, M. (2020) The political choreography of the Sophia Robot: From robot rights and citizenship to political performances for the social robotics market. AI & Society. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-020-01104-w
Van Aerschot, L. & Parviainen, J. (2020) Robots responding to care needs? A multitasking care robot pursued for 25 years, available products offer simple entertainment and instrumental assistance. Ethics and Information Technology Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-020-09536-0
Parviainen, J., Van Aerschot, L., Särkikoski, T., Pekkarinen, S., Melkas, H. & Hennala, L. (2019) Motions with emotions? A phenomenological approach to understand the simulated aliveness of a robot body. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, 23(3): 318–341. https://www.pdcnet.org/collection/show?id=techne_2019_0023_0003_0318_0341&file_type=pdf
Parviainen, J. & Lahikainen, L. (2019) Negative expertise in the conditions of manufactured ignorance: Epistemic strategies, virtues, and skills. Synthese, pp. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02315-5
Ali Qadir
- Professor
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358401901351
- ali.qadir@tuni.fi
-
Mondays, 10-11 (Pinni B 3020)
- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6419-4524
More information
About me
Professor of Sociology , Faculty of Social Sciences
Research unit
Unit of Social Research, Tampere research group for Cultural & Political Sociology
Research fields
Global & Transnational Sociology, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Knowledge
Funding
Planning for a program of research in the study of mysticism (PRISM)
Main positions of trust
Member, Steering Committee, Templeton Religion Trust
President, The Westermarck Society (Finnish sociological association)
Docent, Centre for Ethnic Relations & Nationalisms, University of Helsinki
Hanna Rautajoki
- University Lecturer
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358503186198
- hanna.rautajoki@tuni.fi
Pia Vuolanto
- Academy Research Fellow
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358503186240
- pia.vuolanto@tuni.fi
-
Email: pia.vuolanto(at)tuni.fi
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Responsibilities
I work as a Academy Research Fellow at the Tampere University Research Center for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies. My Academy of Finland fellowship project explores the development of complementary and alternative medicine as a research field. I am Project Coordinator in the EU-funded research project VAX-TRUST, which focuses on vaccine hesitancy. I co-lead a research project on criticism of medicine, Health, Knowledge and Expertise with Dr Johanna Nurmi. I am an active member of STI Tampere Network, which gathers Tampere University people interested in science and technology studies and innovation studies.
Field of expertise
My research concerns scientific controversies, criticism of science and the societal status of science. In particular, I study controversies related to health, criticism of medicine and knowledge production in different alternative health practices. I am interested in the boundaries of science and the status of experts and expertise in contemporary societies. In my research, I combine sociology and philosophy of science, science and technology studies and higher education studies. I also focus on sociology of health, especially the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Finland and Europe and health care professionals' perceptions on CAM. I am conducting research on vaccine hesitancy among the general public and health care professionals.
One of my research projects deals with knowledge production in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). I analyze the transformation of the research system and how CAM is challenging and questioning the field of conventional medicine. I have edited the volume Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Knowledge Production and Social Transformation with Jenny-Ann Brodin Danell from Umeå University and Caragh Brosnan from Newcastle University, Australia (2018).
Research unit
Tampere University Research Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (TaSTI)
Research fields
science and technology studies, sociology, medical sociology, higher education studies
Valtteri Vähä-Savo
- Grant Holder, Post Doc Research
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358401901347
- +358503298821
- valtteri.vaha-savo@tuni.fi
More information
About me
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Tampere Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies , Tampere University. I am currently working on my project Evaluating Inner Truth: Technologies of evaluation and testimonial practices in assessing the “inner truth” of individuals, funded by the Kone Foundation (2021-2024). I have been a member of the Tampere Research Group for Cultural and Political Sociology (TCuPS) for several years. I am also a board member of the European Sociological Association RN-15: Global, transnational and cosmopolitan sociology. I also belong to the Research Group for Epistemic Matters (REM). My research interests include science and technology studies, sociology of valuation and evaluation, gender studies, sociology of associations, analytics of governmentality, global and transnational sociology, global governance, cultural studies, and neo-institutionalist sociology.
Selected publications
Hiitola, Johanna, Zeinab Karimi & Valtteri Vähä-Savo (2021) Epävarmuuden jatkumot: Prekaarisuuden muodot ja sukupuolistunut väkivalta pakkomuuttajien elämänkuluissa. [Continuums of uncertainty: Forms of precarity and gendered violence in the lives of forced migrants]. Sukupuolentutkimus-Genusforskning 34(3), 34-46.
Vähä-Savo, Valtteri, Jari Luomanen & Pertti Alasuutari (2021) Between rationalism and romanticism: metaphors in managing conflicting institutional logics in science and technology parks. Culture and Organization. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2021.1969650
Hiitola, Johanna & Valtteri Vähä-Savo (2021) Reassembling attachments: place and well-being among Afghan refugees in a small rural town. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2021.1905507
Hiitola, Johanna & Valtteri Vähä-Savo (2021) Genres of Departure: Forced Migrants’ Family Separation and Personal Narratives. Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 11(3), 235–249. DOI: http://doi.org/10.33134/njmr.372
Vähä-Savo, Valtteri (2020) Cross-national comparisons in epistemic governance: analysis of parliamentary debates from eight countries. Contemporary Politics, 26(5), 597-615. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2020.1813931
Vähä-Savo, Valtteri (2020) Decoupling spheres of belonging in the Nordic welfare states. In Hiitola, Johanna, Kati Turtiainen, Sabine Gruber & Marja Tiilikainen (Eds.) Family life in transition: Borders, transnational mobility and welfare society in the Nordic countries. London: Routledge, 10-20.
Vähä-Savo, Valtteri, Jukka Syväterä & Leena Tervonen-Gonçalves (2019) The authority of meta-organisations: Making the International Association of National Public Health Institutes attractive to prospective members. European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, 6(4), 474-502. https://doi.org/10.1080/23254823.2019.1612262
Alasuutari, Pertti; Valtteri Vähä-Savo & Laia Pi Ferrer (2019) National Self-Image as a Justification in Policy Debates: An International Comparison. New Global Studies, 13(2), 167–189. https://doi.org/10.1515/ngs-2018-4038
Alasuutari, Pertti & Valtteri Vähä-Savo (2018) Owning worldwide principles: The case of American exceptionalism. Social Science Information, 57(4), 533-552. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0539018418816192
Vähä-Savo, Valtteri (2016) Sektoritutkimuksen genealogia. [Genealogy of Sectoral Research]. Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 2138. Tampere: Tampere University Press.
Oili-Helena Ylijoki
- Senior Researcher
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Tampere University
- +358503186244
- oili-helena.ylijoki@tuni.fi
More information
About me
I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Research Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (TaSTI) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor of social pscychology at Tampere University. I teach in the field of science and technology studies.
Research topics
Academic identities and careers, disciplinary cultures, temporal acceleration, women and science
Research unit
TaSTI
Research fields
Science studies, higher education studies, time studies, social psychology
Funding
Nordforsk, Kone Foundation, Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities
Selected publications
Ylijoki, O.-H. (2019) Happy in academia: the perspective of the academic elite. In Cannizzo, F. & Osbaldiston, n. (eds.) The Social Structures of Global Academia. London: Routledge.
Ylijoki, O.-H. & Henriksson, L. (2018) Tribal, proletarian and entrepreneurial career stories: junior academics as a case in point. Studies in Higher Education 42, 7, 1292-1308.
Ylijoki, O.-H. (2016) Projectification and conflicting temporalities in academic knowledge production. Theory of Science 38, 1, 7-26.
Ylijoki, O.-H. (2015) Conquered by project time? Conflicting temporalities in university research. In Gibbs, P., Ylijoki, O.-H., Guzmán-Valenzuela, C. & Barnett, R. (eds.) Universities in the Flux of Time. An exploration of time and temporality in university life. London: Routledge.