The research profile for the 2024–2028 period reflects the focuses of the Aleksanteri Institute's research. It represents the institute's perspective on the research conducted here and the main issues of research. These have been defined as a result of joint discussions among researchers from different fields and career stages within the Institute.
Our research on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia focuses on five broad themes: the environment and climate change; security and war; politics, ideas, ideologies, institutions; societal changes: identities, migration, integration; and knowledge production and information society. In addition, the research profile includes examples of researchers and research projects representing each of the five broad focus areas.
Updating the research profile from time to time is essential, as research is always in flux: recent developments, such as the Russian full-scale invasion and the perspectives on decolonizing research, must be taken into account. Markku Kangaspuro, the Director of the Aleksanteri Institute, believes that discussions about shaping the research profile should be held at the level of the research community and focus on concrete issues related to the work of researchers.
According to Anna Korhonen, the expert responsible for facilitating the work on the research profile, it is great how much researchers invested in brainstorming the research profile amidst other responsibilities. Working on the research profile and the discussions on different versions also help in identifying which topics and meta-level research questions are most important to colleagues. And although not all different perspectives can be included in a concise text, critical discussion is the way in which research generally develops and renews itself.
One of the most important tasks of the research profile is to communicate to the research community and the broader public what kind of research is conducted at the Aleksanteri Institute and which research trends are seen as key in the near future. However, the research profile does not exclude any topics: other themes and research subjects are also explored and may rise to prominence. The profile also helps prospective students at the Institute understand the kinds of questions the researchers teaching in the institute's study modules and Master's Programme are engaged with.
Researchers considering visiting the institute or collaborating on a project with it can, by familiarizing themselves with the research profile, gain an understanding of the focus of the institute's research and whether the institute could be a potential partner for collaboration. The Aleksanteri Institute is a very international work community: there are more collaboration proposals and researchers interested in visiting than the institute can accommodate. The purpose of the research profile is to facilitate the creation of fruitful collaborations and networking among researchers, by ensuring that the Institute's focus areas are clearly visible.
More often than not, at the Aleksanteri Institute, research is conducted through collaboration that crosses borders between faculties, universities, and countries. In our break room, one frequently encounters discussions among researchers from a wide range of humanities and social science fields. The diversity of perspectives and areas of expertise is a richness of the research community and a driving force that propels our research forward.