Research at the Aleksanteri Institute includes multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to examine the present and historical developments of contemporary societies within its geographical scope. Our research covers Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the eastern member states of the European Union, Southeastern Europe, and the states neighbouring the European Union in the East (Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova). We look at societies within these regions in the context of wider global phenomena, often requiring cross-national, cross-sectional, and cross-temporal comparisons within the region or with other regions. We also explore features common to all five themes, particularly those linked to societal resilience. For example, we examine responses to increasing insecurity, complexity, and vulnerability vis-à-vis major challenges, and societies’ capacity to reduce vulnerability to various types of shocks.
The Institute is a thriving international community of scholars of all career stages. We are always open to new initiatives and are an excellent base for research projects. Our scholars have won prestigious awards such as the European Research Council and the Research Council of Finland’s Centre of Excellence grants. We work with diverse funding from national, EU, and Nordic sources and our project development is supported by the University of Helsinki’s specialized expert services. The Institute hosts a renowned Visiting Fellows scheme with over 160 alumni and offers an international MA programme, a master’s-level specialization programme for students of 12 Finnish universities, and doctoral training in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies.
For the 2024–2028 period, our research focuses on, but is not limited to, the following areas and topics:
The rapid environmental changes taking place in the 21st century pose an existential threat to humanity. Climate change in addition to pollution, impoverished biodiversity, and resource loss, including that caused by warfare, are a severe challenge to the societies of the institute’s study area. A pivotal change has taken place during recent decades as the environment has moved from a local/national and predominantly “soft” issue to a global and “hard” one. The focus of the institute’s research is to unfold the societal, cultural, and political impacts that ongoing environmental changes are exerting on societies. Scholars in this focus area are exploring how various levels of societies respond to these environmental changes. When examining the impact of environmental change in societies, we consider identity and culture; the instrumentalization of environment in domestic and international politics; and (de)politicization and (de)securitization.
The research conducted in this focus area seeks to understand the background and future direction of major changes in Europe’s security environment. It thereby offers comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspectives on security, including analysis of various security entities within states, networks between states and regions, as well as transnational governance systems where security policy is created. The scope of studies includes analysis of military, political, economic, societal, cultural, and environmental (in)security in the context of Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe. Russia’s war against Ukraine and subsequent increase in tensions in Europe underline the need to understand the political, normative, cultural, and ideological assumptions guiding Russia’s security thinking and Ukraine’s resistance. We also address the politics of rebuilding Ukraine and reconstructing the European and Eurasian security order.
This focus area of the political sphere concentrates on the role of institutions, actors, cultures, ideas, and ideologies that shape political systems, decision-making, and policy implementation on multiple levels. It addresses national, sub-national, regional, European, and international political, administrative, ideational, cultural, and legal developments – both at the level of analysis of ongoing changes and from comparative and historical perspective. It acknowledges the role of ideas and cultures, particularly the latest rise of nationalism and extremism. It also reflects on governance practices, the rule of law, and techniques of power centralization. Equally importantly, this focus area’s scholarly interest is dedicated to processes of regional and geopolitical cooperation and integration, imperial drive, and tendencies of de-/re-colonization in various areas in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Practices of coercive power, repression, and penal systems under democratic and autocratic rule are emphasized. Researchers focus also on the role of societal and cultural resistance and political mobilization in authoritarian regimes.
Amid global inequalities, questions related to ethnicity, race, age, religion, and gender impact the rise of societal tensions, and their connection to polarizing societies. Developments of cultural, religious, and social identities are having a significant impact in Eurasia and Eastern Europe. Scholars in this focus area explore questions related to identity and societal changes, as well as the wider social integration of groups and individuals, and practices aimed at fostering a sense of community and social cohesion. Scholarship pays attention to the stratification and integration of disadvantaged social groups, ranging from refugees and migrants to LGBTQIA+ people and ethnic and religious minorities. It addresses also the effects of state policies and transnational organizations on these developments. Amid political upheavals, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change, migration as a global phenomenon creates societal challenges and opportunities alike. Scholars in this area also explore migration-related patterns, policies, and economic and cultural changes in various societies.
This focus area concentrates on multi-sited knowledge production in a world where academic freedom and scientific knowledge are questioned and scholars politically targeted. The adaptation by global and regional actors to changing global communication networks and technologies, and their ability to use these in pursuit of their interests, is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Moreover, scholars in this area study the role of different national, institutional, and individual actors in global knowledge production. Policies and institutional regulations in authoritarian regimes may limit freedom of speech, academic interpretations, and curricula, while politics may also affect institutional structures and knowledge production. Due to polarization and multiple currently emerging crises, atomized information spaces such as social media lead to information wars and new forms of surveillance and control. These play an important role in the transformation of the ideological, cultural, and media landscape in Europe and Eurasia. The research in this focus area also entails the societal effects of ongoing digitalization and the rise of artificial intelligence.