Minna Ålander, Finnish Institute of International Affairs | At UW from November 11 – November 18, 2024

• Public Lecture: Hybrid War in Europe: A Northern Dimension at 2:30 on November 15 in HUB 332
• Minna Ålander’s research focuses on NATO, security in Northern Europe, Nordic defence cooperation, Arctic security, as well as German and Finnish security and defence policy. Previously, Ålander worked at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. She holds a joint Master’s degree in International Relations from the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Potsdam. Since August 2023, Ålander is a Non-resident Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Markku Jokisipilä, University of Turku | At UW from January 21 – January 27, 2025

• Public Lecture: Why are National Populists Gaining in Popularity all over Europe? at 3:00 on January 27 in the Allen Auditorium (Allen Library, Room G81L)
• Professor of Contemporary History Markku Jokisipilä is Director of the Center for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku. He is author or editor of ten books and many articles on Finnish history, including on Finland’s relationship to Nazi Germany, diplomatic history, the history of sport, and political use and misuse of history. He has served on a variety of commissions for the Finnish state. He is also columnist and frequent contributor to public debate.

Sanna Kopra, University of Lapland | At UW from February 24 – February 28, 2025

• Public Lecture: A Planetary Approach to Arctic Politics at 3:30 on February 27 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
• Dr. Sanna Kopra is a Research Professor in Arctic Geopolitics and Security at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, where she leads the Arctic International Relations research team. She is also a Senior Fellow at The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies in Washington D.C. and an associate professor (docent) in International Politics at the University of Turku, Finland. Sanna’s research focuses on Arctic geopolitics and global environmental politics. (https://www.sannakopra.com/)

Jasmine Kelekay, Howard University | At UW from March 3 – March 7, 2025

• Public lecture: Weaponizing Exceptionalism: Policing Blackness in the Nordic Welfare State at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Thursday, March 6 in Thomson Hall, Room 125
• Jasmine Kelekay is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University and an affiliated scholar at the Center for Multidisciplinary Research on Racism (CEMFOR) at Uppsala University. Her work examines how ideas about Blackness are both circulated globally and shaped by local contexts, histories, and material conditions, with a focus on the Nordic context. Situated at the intersection of African diaspora studies, sociology, critical criminology, and cultural studies, Kelekay employs interdisciplinary methods informed by Black/Afrofeminist, critical race, and postcolonial theories. 

Martin Cloonan, University of Turku | At UW from March 31 – April 4, 2025

• Public Lecture: Institutes for Advanced Studies: A case study and some reflections at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Thursday, April 3 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
• Professor Martin Cloonan is the Director of the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS) at the University of Turku, Finland. He was previously Professor of Popular Music Politics at the University of Glasgow. Martin is the coordinating editor of the journal Popular Music (Cambridge University Press) and his research interests cover the political economy of the music industries. Martin’s latest book is the co-edited collection Made in Scotland, a series of essays on popular music in Scotland. He has previously published widely on live music, music policy and censorship in music. Martin is also a former Chair of Scholars at Risk Finland.

Ilmari Käihkö, University of Helsinki | At UW from April 7 – April 11, 2025

• Public Lecture: Finnish/Nordic Perspectives on the War in Ukraine at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 9 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
• Dr. Ilmari Käihkö is a University Researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, an Associate Professor of War Studies at the Department of War Studies, Swedish Defence University, and a veteran of the Finnish Defence Forces. He has studied the war in Ukraine since 2017. His latest book, ”Slava Ukraini!” Strategy and the spirit of Ukrainian resistance 2014 -2023, was published in open access by Helsinki University Press in December 2023.

Siiri Paananen, University of Lapland | At UW from April 28 – May 2, 2025

• Public Lecture: Co-Designing the Future of Cultural Heritage: Interactive Technologies and Museum Collaborations in Northern Europe at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 1 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
  • What does cultural heritage mean today, and how can we shape its future together? My research explores interactive technologies in collaboration with Nordic museums, including Indigenous Sámi institutions. It focuses on creating new ways to experience heritage while addressing ethical concerns. From photogrammetry for detailed 3D models to virtual experiences of remote sites, digital tools reshape how people relate to the past. Heritage is not only about the past but also about shaping the future, and arts-based and speculative design approaches explore new possibilities for this. The talk considers how design and technology can support diverse cultural perspectives and recontextualize heritage in a changing world.
• Siiri Paananen is a University Teacher in Design and a doctoral researcher in the Lapland User Experience Design group (LUX) at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Art and Design. She specializes in Human-Computer Interaction, focusing on designing interactive technologies for cultural heritage through co-design. Siiri has collaborated with museums across Northern Europe, including Indigenous Sámi museums, to develop inclusive and engaging digital experiences. As an Arctic Five Fellow, she actively networks with Nordic researchers addressing Arctic issues. Her work embraces a decolonizing design approach, emphasizing diverse perspectives and local knowledge.

S.M. Amadae, University of Helsinki | At UW from May 5 – May 9, 2025

• Public Lecture: Finland: Scandinavian, Nordic, and Baltic Positioning at 2:00 – 3:30 pm on Wednesday, May 7 in Allen Library, Allen Auditorium (Room G81L)
  • How is it that Finland has ranked first on the World’s Happiness Report for seven consecutive years? Although typically identified as either a Scandinavian or Nordic country, Finland has its own unique history, culture, and language. Historically, Finland was under the rule of both Sweden and Russia. Culturally, Finland looks West but has the longest NATO border with Russia. Linguistically, the Finnish language is Finno-Ugric, sharing a language group with Estonia and Hungary. This talk discusses Finland’s unique cultural heritage and its contemporary expression as a new NATO member and an important collaborator with the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO).
• S.M. Amadae is the Director of the Global Politics and Communication MA degree program and an Adj. Prof. in Politics at the University of Helsinki. Her research focus is at the intersection of global political economy and international security studies and concentrates on existential risk and nuclear deterrence, as well as on mitigating the risk of precipitate climate change by applying Elinor Ostrom’s polycentric governance. Amadae holds affiliations with MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and Cambridge University’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

Tuomas Forsberg, Tampere University | At UW from May 12 – May 16, 2025

• Public Lecture: Ten Paradoxes of Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 14 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
  • Basing on a forthcoming book, NATO’s Northern Enlargement: Finland and Sweden’s Road to the Alliance (co-authored with Magnus Christiansson, Bristol University Press 2025), the talk will focus on Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO and the repercussions that this has had on the two countries as well as on NATO and European security, particularly in the precarious Baltic-Arctic area in Russia’s vicinity. NATO’s northern enlargement can be understood in terms of multiple paradoxes. For Finland and Sweden, NATO membership represented both change and continuity. For the region, NATO’s northern enlargement has both increased stability and heightened tensions. For Russia, NATO’s enlargement to Finland and Sweden was both expected and a major surprise. Yet, the greatest paradox of all can be that Finland and Sweden joined the alliance just before its entire logic was challenged by a new NATO-skeptical US administration.
• Dr. Tuomas Forsberg is Professor of International Relations at Tampere University, Finland. He received his PhD from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1998. He was the Director of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (HCAS) at the University of Helsinki (2018-23). He has also worked as Acting Director (1998–2001) and Senior Research Fellow (1997-98 and 2001-02) at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs; as Professor of Western European Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (2002–04); and as Professor of International Relations at the University of Helsinki (2004–2008). His publications include The European Union and Russia (co-authored with Hiski Haukkala, Palgrave 2016), The Psychology of Foreign Policy (co-authored with Christer Pursiainen, Palgrave 2021), Russia’s Cultural Statecraft (co-edited with Sirke Mäkinen, Routledge 2022), Debating the War in Ukraine: Counterfactual Histories and Future Possibilities (co-authored with Heikki Patomäki, Routledge, 2023), NATO’s Northern Enlargement: Finland and Sweden’s Road to the Alliance (co-authored with Magnus Christiansson, Bristol University Press 2025) and articles in journals such as International Affairs; Journal of Peace Research; Review of International Studies; Europe-Asia Studies; Security Dialogue and Journal of Common Market Studies.

Hiski Haukkala, Finnish Institute of International Affairs | At UW from May 19 – May 23, 2025

• Public Lecture: Changing Security Dynamics in the North: A View from Finland at 6:00 – 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 22 in Kane Hall, Room 225 (Walker Ames Room)
  • The war in Ukraine is reaching a culmination point while the Transatlantic relations are being recalibrated. What does the security situation look like in the European North? Does Russia pose a threat beyond Ukraine? What does a small country like Finland bring to the table? How can we ensure that we move together in lock-step over the Atlantic?
• Dr. Hiski Haukkala is the Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He is also an Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University, Finland, and a Senior Research Associate at RAND Europe. Before joining FIIA in November 2024 he was a Professor of International Relations at Tampere University. Until spring 2024 he was the Secretary General and Chief of the Cabinet at the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland. Previously he has held positions at the Universities of Turku and Tampere, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs as well as visiting positions at the University of Oxford, the Wilson Center (Washington D.C.), the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw), the EU Institute of Security Studies (Paris), the IISS (London) and the University of Stirling (Scotland). He is the author of numerous books and articles on EU foreign policy, Russia and International Relations. Dr. Haukkala is an accomplished public speaker who takes a keen interest in questions of bringing stability, order and governance into our increasingly turbulent world politics.

Anni Kangas, Tampere University | At UW from May 26 – May 30, 2025

• Public Lecture: The Geopoliticization of Critical Raw Materials: Undermining a Just Global Green Transition at 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 28 in Thomson Hall, Room 317
  • This public talk is based on Dr. Anni Kangas’s ongoing research into the politics and political economies of critical raw material (CRM) extraction and value chains, focusing on the collaboration between the European Union and Central Asia. Kangas’s point of departure is the idea of a CRM paradox: while these materials are essential for the green transition, their mining comes with considerable ecological and social costs, the brunt of which is borne by mining communities, while most of the benefits accumulate at the end of the value chains in the Global North. This emphasizes the importance of steering the green transition to a more just and sustainable direction globally. However, with the current geopoliticization of critical raw materials, achieving this is increasingly difficult.
• Dr. Anni Kangas is a University Lecturer in International Relations at Tampere University. She has a versatile research profile that includes Finnish-Russian relations, Finnish foreign and security policy, and international and global political economy. Dr. Kangas has previously explored global cities and labor migration dynamics, particularly in the Eurasian context. Her current research focuses on the politics and political economies of critical raw material extraction and value chains, with a particular emphasis on the collaboration between the European Union and Central Asia. Additionally, she has integrated art as a research material, object, and method into her research on these topics.