Intergroup relations and local encounters – Immigrant and Finnish young people’s perceptions of each other, their lives and future in multicultural Savo
Welcome to the research project’s website!
Sivustolla on kootusti tietoa tutkimushankkeen tavoitteista, työryhmästä ja julkaisuista. Lisäksi julkaisemme tällä sivustolla nuorten taidetyöpajojen teoksia virtuaalinäyttelyissä. Virtuaalinäyttelyt ovat auki toukokuusta 2024 huhtikuuhun 2025.
The background of the study
The global increase in international migration and the growing number of refugees both globally and in Finland—as a result of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan, for example—raises several questions about the relations and encounters between people from multicultural backgrounds and local populations. What are the thoughts and experiences of people who must move to a foreign country and settle down with people from other cultural backgrounds? How can people from different backgrounds live together? How could co-existence between people be supported? Driven by these questions, this research projet examines the ingreasingly multicultural region of Savo. This social psychological project examines Finns and the largest groups of immigrants in Kuopio—those from Ukraine and the Middle East—and their relations with each other.
Aims and tasks of the project
The research project, with its innovative use of art-based research methods and art-based working methods, aims to shed light on the representations and experiences of young people who have migrated to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East, and young Finns living in Savo. The study’s focus on how these representations and the meanings attributed to the place—namely, Savo—are intertwined with intergroup relations, offers a unique perspective. The theoretical frameworks of the study, including social representations theory, social identity theory, and social psychology of place, provide a solid foundation for this exploration. From a social psychological perspective, the study provides new insights into the relations between immigrant groups and the local population, the relations between differen immigrant groups, and the role of place in social identity. The project also aims to contribute to the development of arts-based research methods, further enriching the field of social psychology.
The art-based workhops at the heart of the project will serve as a meeting place for young people from different backgrounds and a method for generating research data. Art-based research methods combine a citizen science approach, whereby young people are co-investigators and participate, for example, in analyzing the data, presenting the workshops’ outputs, and developing the project. The project will give young people a voice, promote interaction between young people from different cultural backgrounds, and use art-based research methods to support their participation in society.
Funders and partners
The research project is funded by the Kone Foundation. The project is being carried out at the University of Eastern Finland by the Department of Social Sciences.
